Evan Hansen, RSA Northwest IA/Southwest MN
Maximizing fertility dollars is a staple goal for producers of all crops. Farmers are required to utilize nutrients efficiently to maintain profitability. QLF Agronomy can assist growers in improving the nutrient use efficiency of both macro and micro nutrients.
QLF Agronomy’s position in soil fertility is to promote and work with the biological pathways that convert nutrients to their plant available forms. Mineralization, the breakdown of nutrients from organic to inorganic forms, plays a crucial role in making nutrients available on acres receiving manure. In the process of mineralization, soil microbes consume carbon ions as an energy source and releases the nutrient/mineral ion in plant available form.
Producers typically apply manure at a rate up to the specified limit of nitrogen or phosphorus in their manure management plan. Continual heavy applications result in growing phosphorus and potassium levels across these acres. Increasing soil biology on acres with a high manure fertility history not only allows farmers to increase yield, but also allows growers to spread their manure resources across more acres and save input costs on synthetic fertilizers.
QLF Agronomy’s L-CBF line is comprised of products loaded with readily available carbon and a specialized yeast extract to feed natural soil microorganisms. Products can be delivered through broadcast, in-furrow, and foliar equipment as follows:
L-CBF 7-21-3 MKP; Apply in furrow to maximize emergence and early biomass accumulation. Monopotassium phosphate aids in promoting early season plant health. Corn with good early season vigor can more efficiently deliver its own root exudates to soil biology and uptake soil phosphorus and potassium on manured acres. In a corn silage split trial near Sioux Center, IA an application of 7-21-3MKP showed an increase of nearly two tons.
L-CBF Boost 4-0-3-2s; Utilizing BOOST with supplemental UAN is a great way to capture additional yield potential. The low pH of BOOST allows it to reduce ammonia volatility when blended with UAN. Additionally, BOOST contains 30% TSI (Total sugars as invert, which measures sugar levels more precisely than brix) to act as a food source for biology. In research, a 10% inclusion of BOOST has yielded up to 13 bushels per acre, a 16.3% increase in phosphorus availability, and 23.5% increase in potassium availability.
L-CBF Amino 15-0-1: Amino15 is a safe foliar nitrogen source buffered by carbon that allows corn producers to maximize late-season plant health and retain bushels through grain fill. Amino15 also supplies corn with L-form amino acids that are energetically advantageous as they can be assimilated into the plant roots via amino acid transporters and avoid converting nitrate forms into amino acids to be transported throughout the plant. In-season applications of Amino15 have shown a yield increase +6 bushels per acre.
