AgroLiquid Summer 2017 newsletter

Mixing Compatibility Dr. Chris Underwood talks about mixing compatibility and things to consider.

Soil Vitality What does it mean and how do we measure it? Explained by Dr. Zouheir Massri

- 2017 -

Field Days

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2017 Field Days Dr. Jerry Wilhm

Mixing Compatibility Dr. Chris Underwood

Soil Vitality Dr. Zouheir Massri

Dr. Jerry Wilhm Senior Research Manager The Ag PhD Field Day on July 27 in Baltic, SD and the AgroExpo on August 15 and 16 in St. Johns, MI are two premier field days planned for summer 2017. These events focus directly on the farmer and the production of better crops. Growers are really thinking about all their crop management decisions, with the low commodity prices. However, that shouldn’t mean blindly cut inputs, but rather, be smart about the inputs that are used.

The goal at the Ag PhD Field Day and the AgroExpo is to provide usable information growers can immediately use on their operations to make the most of those input dollars.

Plot-work is often a feature at field days, and that is certainly the case for these two shows. In fact, Ag PhD and AgroLiquid are cooperating at both shows on shared plot programs, evaluating fertility options on several field crops based on the number one guide all growers should be employing: soil tests.

LEARNING CENTER

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Ag PhD Field Day The Ag PhD Learning Center is featuring AgroLiquid, FMC Agricultural Solutions and Farmers Edge farm management company. The Learning Center is designed to showcase the latest technologies in each of these companies’ areas of expertise and to provide usable information to the grower that can be immediately incorporated into management practices.

will offer the opportunity to see what is going on below the soil surface and discuss how that soil structure can be sustained and improved.

The Learning Center has demonstrations of what to look for with planting issues and how to spot planter trouble. There is plenty to see in the Ag PhD Learning Center, and company personnel will be on-hand to answer questions and discuss options for your farm.

Crops planted in the Ag PhD Learning Center plots are corn, soybeans, sugarbeets and sunflowers.

As always, AgroLiquid began with a soil test.

From a fertility standpoint, soil test levels at the Baltic, South Dakota site are high, particularly on the field day site. The soil test did indicate high phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) levels, but somewhat the opposite for micronutrients and the pH was a little low as well. With our full line of crop nutrients, AgroLiquid has the tools to address all plant nutrient needs.

Micronutrients have been a part of AgroLiquid for more than 30 years, as well as other inputs like in-furrow sulfur and calcium. This calcium option will not correct pH, but will supply calcium to the developing roots that may be in short supply due to hydrogen acidity. Research conducted throughout the country has shown positive yield results when this available calcium is supplied to the young plants. In addition to AgroLiquid’s wellestablished nutrients, plots at the Ag PhD Learning Center also feature the new PRIMAGRO™ line of products, which combine balanced nutrients with biological inputs to provide the nutrition plants need and promote soil health.

AgroExpo The Learning Center at the AgroExpo has a similar approach to identify and address soil and crop needs. The new AgroExpo site features sandy soil that is low in P, K, and micronutrients. A real fertility challenge.

Corn and soybean plots will show product options to address all nutrients.

Pro-Germinator and Sure-K/Kalibrate for P and K, then eNhance for sulfur, LiberateCa for calcium and micronutrients.

Foliar and sidedress nutrient options are on display. Boron options on corn, including foliar applications, are demonstrated. Can PRIMAGRO™ Technology have an impact on this sandy soil? Find out. As in the Ag PhD plot, tank mixes with FMC insecticide products will be shown as well.

Learning Center plots also feature treatments of FMC insecticides applied in combination with fertilizers. The ability to tank mix those components is critical to economically applying crop protection and needed nutrition in a timely way. Farmers spend a lot of time looking at crops above the ground, but a 100-foot long root pit

The focus at both Learning Centers is providing the farmer with usable information. Please visit us at these demonstration plots as part of these premier field day events. We welcome your questions and comments as we all learn more about sustainable agriculture.

Problem plots demonstrating planter depth issues, in-furrow fertilizer on sensitive soybeans, and planter situations like vacuum issues and blocked fertilizer tubes will be shown. Hopefully after seeing these issues side-by-side they can be identified and avoided. As before, company personnel will be on-hand to discuss the plots with visitors.

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Watch the mixing compatiblity demostration agroliquid.com/mixing

The most frequently-asked question I get about our products is, “Does Fertilizer A mix with Fertilizer B?” Sometimes there is a proposed mix about which they are inquiring. I even get different agrochemicals thrown into the mix.

Before we delve into this topic, let’s set some ground rules on what can be described as “compatible:” 1. It mixes into either a clear solution with no solid fallout (ideal) or a suspension where the suspended material can stay suspended for longer than a few days. If the suspendant falls out of solution, it can be easily agitated back into suspension.

2. When mixed, it does not produce any gas such as ammonia or carbon dioxide.

Off-gassing like this changes the materials in the mix, and not usually in a good way.

3. When mixed, the solution doesn’t get very hot. This can be dangerous and lead to the solution boiling and bubbling.

4. When mixed, it does not produce a fallout of solids. This could drastically change the analysis of the remaining solution.

5. It can be used in farming equipment without plugging filters, screens, or nozzles.

I can say “yes” to this question at least 75% of the time when it involves AgroLiquid products.

We have a compatibility chart for our products available to our customers that shows which of our products can and which cannot be mixed together and approximately how long the compatibility will last.

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One reason for our superior compatibility originates with our Flavonol Polymer Technology.

Since it acts as a chelant or encapsulation agent, it keeps the different compounds in solution from reacting with each other, resulting in an inert, clean mix. This is not the case with products that use acetates, citrates, or amino acids as their chelating agents.

Another reason is the fact that most of our products have a pH from 6-8, fairly neutral.

Attempting to mix products that are alkaline usually results in either the production of gasses, heat, and/or significant fallout. Care must also be taken with acidic products, especially when being mixed with alkaline products.

I have a couple of suggestions that will help prevent unnecessary headaches: one is to do a jar test. I cannot stress this enough! This is especially true when adding agrochemicals; there are many off-brands that use different additives and carriers that can cause adverse reactions. Always remember: there is a chemical reaction any time you do a jar test, so proceed with care!

If a fertilizer product (AgroLiquid or otherwise) is to be used in fertigation, I also suggest that growers submit water samples to an accredited lab for analysis, specifically for pH, hardness, and bicarbonate. Most alkaline or hard irrigation water will cause fertilizer products to react and gradually create a buildup of fallout in lines and emittors.

This can be solved by neutralizing your water with a sulfuric or carboxylic acid injection system.

Dr. Chris Underwood mixes the PRIMAGRO™ line of products.

Caution: This table contains information established by individuals’ opinions and

C-Tech

is susceptible to interpretation. The information contained in this document has been compiled as a general guideline only and is not to be used as the sole means of determining any compatibility. Neither AgroLiquid nor any other contributors guarantee the accuracy of this information. It is advised that all desired mixes first be jar -tested and all relevant manufacturer/supplier information be consulted.

Tank Safe Storage Short Compatibility Life Application Compatible

Green: Tank Safe Storage is a classification of chemical compatibility wherein the mixed solutions will not react with each other under normal conditions during the general storage period of either component.

Yellow: Short Compatibility Life is a classification of chemical compatibility wherein the mixture is semi-stable to stable past two weeks but not exceeding three months. Consult a professional to determine application protocols.

Blue: Application Compatible is a classification of chemical compatibility made to allow for flexibility in tightly managed situations. This chemical compatibility stage classifies mixed solutions that have either a slow or time delayed reaction of one day to two weeks. Consult a professional and under stand these mixtures are for immediate, same-day applications only.

These mixtures are not recommended.

Agroliquid.com

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C-Tech

Product Compatibility Information

Primagro N Primagro P

Primagro P

Primagro N

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AgroLiquid products and their compatibilities.

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Soil Vitality;

What does it mean and how do we measure it?

Dr. Zouheir Massri Soil Physics & Fertility Research Manager Soil is a vital, living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. It stands to reason ‘soil health’ is a buzz-word in agriculture. Some of this is due to conventional, high-input agricultural practices that have been degrading our soils.

Therefore, it is critical to establish measurements and standards that reflect the capacity of the soil, relative to its potential, to respond to agricultural management. The process must economically maintain agricultural production and the ecosystem, so soils are sustainable for future generations.

Healthy soil has miraculous properties. Not only does it sequester, or hold, carbon, but it cleans water, provides nutritious food, offers drought resistance, and restores habitats. Human beings are a keystone species that can steward the regeneration of our planet, and the problem and solution are a matter of balance.

The solution is literally under our feet. It is the soil – with the help of plants, sunlight, and water.

When a plant performs photosynthesis, it pulls in carbon from the air turning it into carbohydrates and sugar. The plant pumps part of this sugar down to the root to feed microorganisms in the soil, build soil carbon, and store it. Soil carbon is fundamental in creating soil organic matter which increases the water-holding capacity of soils, which fights drought and supports the growth of healthier food.

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Agroliquid has long understood how vital soil is for crop resilience and nutrient density. We are focused on how to better support farmers to build healthy soils. The overall goal is balancing nutrient inputs and outputs and ensuring the proper nutrients for the crop’s needs.

This balance requires soil management activities, including proper tillage, crop residue management, weed management, and crop rotation planning.

Neglecting any of these components can compromise soil health and quality, affect crop performance, and create potential problems with erosion, nutrient runoff or leaching.

AgroLiquid’s goal is to help growers find economical solutions to optimize yield, strengthen soil biology, and provide application efficiency while creating robust, biologically-active healthy soils. This, in turn, will activate the mechanism of photosynthesis to recapture the atmospheric carbon and increase the soil organic pool. The technology in the PRIMAGO™ line of products (patent pending) increases soil microbes and respiration from plant roots and soil fauna.

Soil respiration is an important indicator of soil health because it signals the level of microbial activity. AgroLiquid is researching and testing PRIMAGO™’s proficiency in field conditions at the North Central Research Station (NCRS) to determine the level of increased microbial activity.

Following the method of CO2 capture developed by Cornell University, AgroLiquid is using a simple chemical method called a sealed chamber alkali trap respirometer, to measure the amount of soil respiration as an indicator of nutrients contained in organic matter being converted to forms available to crops (e.g., phosphate as PO4, nitrate-nitrogen as NO3, and sulfate as SO4).

Specifically, this research will measure any changes in microbial activity in the soil by assessing the size and activity of the microbial community as biological soil health in field conditions through measurement by trapping of carbon dioxide (CO2) released as a waste product of respiration.

The NCRS continues to research ways and means to remove the guesswork innately involved in producing a crop, and develop the ideal timing and delivery methods of the best crop nutrient products on the market. Armed with the knowledge and confidence achieved through this extensive research, our AgroLiquid representatives make scientifically based recommendations to sustainably optimize yield potential while fostering healthy soils for future generations.

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Sure-KÂŽ is a clean, chloride- and hydroxide-free potassium solution. It can be applied in combination with other crop production or protection products and presents a very low risk of crop injury. Sure-KÂŽ can be used in any cropping situation where potassium is needed.