Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) past chairman Tim Healey of AGROTAIN wore many hats during last week’s 2011 Conservation In Action Tour, including bus monitor, sponsor, interviewee and interviewer.
“We’ve been doing this for five years now and each year the conservation tour gets better,” Tim told me at the end of the tour in northwest Ohio. “We hear from farmers who are really dedicated to instituting conservation practices to make sure that the majority of nutrients they apply in the field stay in the field.”
The tour had a record number of participants this year, over 200, and many of them were farmers who had the chance to learn about conservation practices from other farmers. During time on the bus, Tim did an interview with one of the farmer participants, Gerald Heck of Monroe, Michigan.
Tim asked Gerry why he decided to come on the tour. “Couple of reasons,” Gerry answered. “The opportunity to gain more knowledge about conservation tillage and the six CCUs also were a nice incentive since I’m a CCA.” Gerry says he does use continuous no-till in some fields. “Started no-tilling back the late 80s, with soybeans, then wheat and finally corn, as the equipment became available,” he said. “We moved to no-till to save on fuel and wear and tear on our iron.”
The Ag Resource Coordinator for the Livingston County, IL Soil & Water Conservation District is Terry Bachtold. He was one of the coordinators for the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field day. He says this project is all about water quality and what farm management practices will help improve it. A good percentage of farms in the watershed have signed up, in fact, I believe it’s about half of them!
Terry says these farmers are using different techniques to apply nutrients and conducting much more testing so they can fine tune how and when and where they make applications, including moving to more summer time application. They’re hoping to see results within three years with more farm participation and adoption of these new practices within a couple years after that.
The Conservation Technology Information Center’s Indian Creek Watershed Project is funded in part by the Illinois EPA. Representing the IL EPA during last week’s field tour was Barb Lieberoff, Environmental Protection Specialist. I spoke with her during lunch.
Barb says the Federal 319 Program, part of the Clean Water Act, is what where the program funding comes from. She says the IL EPA worked collaboratively with the CTIC to choose a watershed in which they could create some BMP’s for improving water quality. She says a TDML is being considered for the watershed. The Indian Creek Watershed was considered a good fit for the project. By being proactive early in the process she says that all the stakeholders involved are helping themselves in the long run.
My first stop on the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour was Harms Farm. Our host was Kevin Harms (left) pictured pointing to a chart being held by Harold Reetz. Kevin’s farm is in southern Livingston County, Illinois. He’s one of the farmers that has volunteered to participate in this project.
Kevin says they’re trying several different practices to try to more efficiently use nutrients, especially nitrogen. These practices include cover crops, side dressing, split application and using “environmentally smart” nitrogen. He hopes to find out how to more efficiently manage nutrients while improving water quality for the area. The multi-year project will allow them to do testing under different weather and field conditions. He says the corn crop in his area is in great shape while soybeans got off to a late start but are also looking good.
Field days and tours are heating up this summer along with the weather. During the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour one of our stops put us right out in the corn, looking at the impact of various levels of nitrogen application. Martin Case, AGROTAIN, our sponsor for tour coverage, conducted one of the presentations. He’s seen here answering questions after his presentation. AGROTAIN is one of the sponsors of the tour as well.
Martin gave us an overview of AGROTAIN and the company’s products. He was showing initial results from a nitrogen use efficiency study. This type of study can take several years to obtain all the results needed. He believes that nitrogen management is critical not only for the environment but also for the financial sustainability of the farmer. The study going on here on this farm is intended to show how using new technology like that provided by AGROTAIN can achieve these goals. You can watch Martin’s presentation here:
We couldn’t have had better weather for a farm tour than today for the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Day. Several bus loads of participants visited Livingston County, IL area farms to see and hear how they are implementing best management practices for things like nutrient management.
One of the people working on the project with CTIC and a presenter today is Harold Reetz. I visite with Harold prior to the start of today’s activities. I’ll see him again next week in Sprinfield, IL for the InfoAg Conference. Since that’s all about precision agriculture and since that is an integral part of the BMP’s being implemented on the tour stops here we decided to call it “precision conservation.”
Harold says the project purpose is to demonstrate different best management practices for nitrogen. It’s a relatively small watershed with mostly corn and soybean crops. So the goal is to come up with practices to improve nitrogen efficiency which will reduce the amount that will get into the ground water. Local farmers have volunteered in this first year of the project to implement suggested practices and it is their farms we visited. I’ll have interviews with each of them in coming days.
The project is receiving funding from a variety of sources that includes the Illinois EPA. It is really a proactive approach to voluntarily manage natural resources without the need to have new regulations. That sure seems like a potentially win win situation for all parties.
Post Update: I’ve updated the link to my photo album below:
Here are some of my photos from today’s tour. I’ll have more after getting back to ZimmComm World Headquarters. The internet access here pretty well quit about half way through uploading. CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project Field Tour Photos
AGROTAIN continues to line up the university research on the performance of their products that control nitrogen loss.
At the Commodity Classic earlier this month, plant science professors from the University of Kentucky and the University of Delaware presented some of their findings during a press conference. They were also available to talk with growers at the AGROTAIN booth and recorded a segment of the AGROTAIN educational series on RFD-TV that aired on March 7.
Dr. Greg Schwab, University of Kentucky, has been researching the performance of inhibitors in no-till corn under high loss conditions. “AGROTAIN under those high loss conditions performs just as well as the ammonium nitrate fertilizer,” he said. “This is important because a lot of our farmers historically have used ammonium nitrate but find it harder and harder to get it and it’s much higher priced.”
Dr. Greg Binford, University of Delaware, tells farmers to make sure the products they use are supported by data. “I think there’s clear data with AGROTAIN to show that it is definitely a urease inhibitor,” he said. “DCD which is a product in SuperU and AGROTAIN Plus, there’s definite data to show that it’s a nitrification inhibitor. So both are providing the mode of action that they claim they are.”
“What we’re really talking about is loss. Anytime that you have a producer putting urea fertilizer out, it’s subject to loss – upwards of 30%,” said John Hassell, AGROTAIN International’s Manager of Research and Agronomic Development. “Today, we’re seeing urea prices around $500 a ton and if you’re losing 30% of that, you’re losing $150 right off the top. So, it’s really important that we be able to provide a technology to protect urea fertilizers and that’s what AGROTAIN does.”
AGROTAIN also recently released some new data from California and Arizona that shows the effectiveness of AGROTAIN technology in controlling nitrogen (N) loss for higher yields in almonds, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn, cotton, lettuce, rice, tomatoes, and wheat.
According to University of Illinois professor Dr. Fred Below, there are “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World,” and one of the most important is nitrogen.
Dr. Below developed the “Seven Wonders” as a tool to teach farmers the relative importance of management factors that can impact corn productivity, ranking the top seven factors that can positively impact corn yields. “In our quest to grow 300 bushels and to improve crop management, we need to know those management factors that have the biggest impact on yield and make sure we manage those correctly,” he told me during an interview at the AGROTAIN exhibit during AGCONNECT Expo.
Fred ranks weather and nitrogen as the top two corn yield world wonders. “These wonders interact with each other so that every single thing about nitrogen application and use by the plant is affected by weather,” he says. So, while farmers can’t control the weather, they can control nitrogen loss due to the weather. To that end, Dr. Below included SUPERU® (with AGROTAIN technology) as part of a high tech fertilizer package in his studies. “The AGROTAIN technology like SUPERU is designed to mitigate weather-induced nitrogen losses. This lets the plant respond to the nitrogen, rather than have it be lost,” he said. “So preventing nitrogen loss is number one on the list for achieving high yields.”
The other five “wonders” on Dr. Below’s list include: hybrid selection, previous crop, plant populations, tillage and chemicals.
Listen to my interview with Dr. Below here: Dr. Fred Below
Who wants to grow food in a box? Maybe not a lot of you yet but you just might after reading this story.
David Epstein, D.O. a holistic osteopathic physician and Kenneth Lovell, P.E., a professional engineer have developed Bioponica, a food production system that turns food, yard and body waste into feed and then from feed to food. The system works by converting waste, that is more often than not sent to a landfill, into worm castings and worm teas that are used to fertilize soil-less hydroponic plant beds. Waste products used include grass clippings, table scraps, and other sources of carbon and nitrogen rich waste.
“It is unfortunate that we have relied on our municipalities to dispose of waste, whether that be urine, food or yard trimmings, “ said Epstein. “It is not practical or sustainable. When nutrients that come from the environment or from the food we eat are buried in landfills or else incinerated then we lose that valuable resource and it becomes a greenhouse gas that negatively impacts our climate and environment. The alternative is to recycle nutrients with the least amount of effort and cost.”
According to a company release, the system also hosts the growth of algae and duckweed, along with the microbes and aquatic animals that feed on the algae. All this, plus earthworms, become food for the fish. Yes, you read correctly. Bioponica is designed to use waste to feed fish in large-scale fish farms similar to the Farm in a Box aquaponic system.
So on top of the fish farm is a table, or garden, that is designed to grow micro-greens and wheatgrass along with your variety of edible and medicinal plants. In other words, you can grow your own salad. The fertilizer for your greens comes from the fish below, which convert the waste into plant feed. (more…)
Conservation Technology Information Center Chairman Tim Healey, AGROTAIN, gave us a preview of the Conservation in Action Tour. Now you get to hear his wrap-up following the CTIC board meeting.
Tim says the tour was a real success and I echo that. We learned a lot about what farmers are doing in this Chesapeake Bay area and especially in the area of conservation. These were not only old farms but ones using the newest technology. That made for a real contrast. Tim says you can’t continually farm land like this without using good conservation practices. Public policy makers told him that they did not realize that these conservation practices we saw were being used on farms in this area. I’m glad they were with us! The CTIC board has announced that next year’s tour will be in northwest Ohio, probably the week of August 8th. I know you always like to to “better” next year but I’m not sure how you can beat this tour this year. Tim says it can be done though. Hope I’m there to see it. Tim Healey Interview
Representing The Fertilizer Institute on the Conservation in Action Tour was Kathy Mathers, V.P. of Public Affairs. I spoke to Kathy during the Conservation Technology Information Center board meeting that followed the tour to
Nutrient stewardship is on the top of the list for TFI according to Kathy. She says they’re promoting the 4R Nutrient Stewardship System which means using the right fertilizer product at the right rate, right time and in the right place. She says they get involved with CTIC to interact with other stake holders in agriculture. She thought the tour was a “home run.” Kathy Mathers Interview
During the Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo on the Conservation in Action Tour our sponsor, AGROTAIN, was one of the exhibitors. Manning the booth was Daryl Clay. He says many of the farms in this part of the country have used no-till for decades. However, using no-till does present some challenges with nitrogen management being one of them.
Daryl says that some of the farms locally are so dedicated to no-till they don’t even want to break the ground to plant a seed! So when it comes to applying fertilizer they really don’t want to use knives for side dressing. They like to use liquids or broadcast over the top. That creates a risk of volatility loss. So AGROTAIN has created some products to address this risk. One of those products is SuperU which is a granulated product which he describes in detail in my interview with him. He says farmers like it because it has big granules that can be broadcast over a very large area. Daryl Clay Interview
Late in the day on the Conservation in Action Tour we participated in a Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo with several exhibitors. One of them was John Deere where Pauley Bradley was demonstrating their PitStop Pro coupling system that lets farmers quickly change anhydrous ammonia tanks without getting out of their cab. I asked Pauley to demonstrate for me and you can watch that video below.
AGROTAIN was another one of the many companies and organizations at the Ag Media Summit Info Expo last week in St. Paul, talking with those attending about what’s new.
Chuck talked with John Hassell, who is Manager for Research and Agronomic Development at AGROTAIN, about some new research they are very excited about – one at the University of Illinois and one at Oregon State University – which help to show how nitrogen can be used more efficiently in different areas of the country.
Nutrient use efficiency is one of the topics at at the Conservation Technology Information Center, Conservation In Action Tour going on today in yet another part of the country – Williamsburg, Virginia – and AGROTAIN is one of the sponsors of that event. You will be hearing more about that whenever Chuck gets out of the field and back to a place with internet access so he can share the many interviews and photos he has gotten on the tour, along with a few video clips as well! He has been getting a few tweets and twitpics out today, using the hash tag #CTIC10.
AgWired coverage of the Conservation In Action Tour is made
possible by and the
Sophie Marquis works for GPN Agriculture in France, pictured here with Andrew Semple, VP International Sales, AGROTAIN. She says there’s a lot of pressure in France and other EU countries on the development of new fertilizers that can increase yields while helping with environmental concerns.
She says there are some products available now in their market but it sounds like it’s still in the beginning stages. She says that her company is working to bring new products to the market.
You can listen to my interview with Sophie below.
I believe this concluded AgWired coverage of the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference. Big thanks to AGROTAIN for making it possible for me to attend and bring you information from the event.
When it comes to sustainable food production, enhanced efficiency fertilizers are starting to play a role. At the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference Charlie Walker, Incitec Pivot Ltd., Australia was on the program to talk about how they’re using urease and nitrification inhibitors to accomplish this. If you like a good Aussie accent then you’ll enjoying listening to Charlie. He’s a technical and development manager for his company.
He told the audience that EEF’s can improve environmental quality. However, when he thinks of sustainability he also thinks about profitability and minimizing off-target impacts. He calls it a “double whammy.” It has to not only help the environment but also make sense financially for the farmer. He recommends working with a well informed agronomist since there isn’t a one size fits all when it comes to EEF’s. He says that in Australia EEF’s are in the very early stages of adoption.
You can listen to my interview with Charlie below.
Using enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEF’s) in corn and wheat was the subject of a presentation by Greg Schwab, University of Kentucky, at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference. We’re just starting to see these products make their way into large acre crop use.
I spoke to Greg after his presentation and he says he works very closely with farmers and crop consultants. They want to know how these products will affect yield. So, he works in field environments testing various EEF, especially the stabilized nitrogen products. He’s found that some products work very well and some don’t in his environment. He says farmers need to take into account all the elements of their system and perhaps seek some advice from a professional. I also asked him how these products fit into precision application mechanisms and he says they do so very well, especially when it comes to controlling rates.
We had a great mix of international attendees at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference in Miami. I spoke with two of them after being introduced by AGROTAIN Marketing Communications Manager, Carrie Doza, pictured in the middle. To the left is Dr. Surinder K. Bansal, Potash Research Institute of India and on the right is Daniel O. Claudino dos Santos (a regular AgWired reader!) from Brazil.
Dr. Bansal says that in the last three years he’s been doing work on stabilized nitrogen fertilizers for use in corn and wheat crops. He sees real potential for EEF’s with large acre crops. In India he says nitrogen use efficiency in India is very low. That creates a lot of loss which has a negative environmental impact as well as an economic one. He’s found that they can increase yield by 8-10 percent with stabilized nitrogen fertilizers and save nitrogen at the same time. He hopes to see his work become commercially available after more trial work and government approval.
Daniel works for Fertilizantes Piratini, a large fertilizer company that distributes AGROTAIN products. He says that the acceptance of EEF’s in Brazil is “amazing.” He says that sales have been skyrocketing year to year since they introduced the products in 2004. The main crops they’re seeing the adoption of these fertilizers in are corn, sugarcane and irrigated rice.
The Director, Agriculture Service, for IFA is Patrick Heffer who welcomed us to the conference at the start. I’m always looking for an excuse to get back to my home state and I told him that they can hold the conference there any time.
In my interview with Patrick we talk about IFA, the world market for EEF’s and the conference. He was very happy with the attendance.
The International Fertilizer Industry Association (IFA) is a not-for-profit organization representing the global fertilizer industry. Our members serve farmers everywhere as they meet the world’s growing food, feed, fibre and bioenergy needs in a sustainable manner.
IFA has some 525 members in about 85 countries. About half of the membership is based in developing countries. IFA member companies represent all activities related to the production, trade, transport and distribution of every type of fertilizer, their raw materials and intermediates. IFA’s membership also includes organizations involved in construction, engineering, consulting, agronomic research and training.
Enhanced turf nutrition was the subject of a presentation by Elizabeth Guertal, Auburn University, at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference.
Elizabeth says EEF’s are very important to the turf business for two reasons that include economic and environmental. She says that she’s done some work in this area that found that the controlled release sources had much less nitrogen loss to the atmosphere as compared to urea which is the source most prone to loss.
You can listen to my interview with Elizabeth below.
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
Chuck and Mike often wind up at the same events all over the country so it seemed like a good idea to do a little AgriTalking about the changes they've seen in the ag media landscape.
Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC) past chairman Tim Healey of AGROTAIN wore many hats during last week’s 2011 Conservation In Action Tour, including bus monitor, sponsor, interviewee and interviewer. 
The tour had a record number of participants this year, over 200, and many of them were farmers who had the chance to learn about conservation practices from other farmers. During time on the bus, Tim did an interview with one of the farmer participants, Gerald Heck of Monroe, Michigan. 
The Ag Resource Coordinator for the 
The Conservation Technology Information Center’s Indian Creek Watershed Project is funded in part by the 
My first stop on the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour was Harms Farm. Our host was Kevin Harms (left) pictured pointing to a chart being held by Harold Reetz. Kevin’s farm is in southern Livingston County, Illinois. He’s one of the farmers that has volunteered to participate in this project.
Field days and tours are heating up this summer along with the weather. During the CTIC Indian Creek Watershed Project field tour one of our stops put us right out in the corn, looking at the impact of various levels of nitrogen application. Martin Case, 
At the Commodity Classic earlier this month, plant science professors from the University of Kentucky and the University of Delaware presented some of their findings during a press conference. They were also available to talk with growers at the AGROTAIN booth and recorded a segment of the AGROTAIN educational series on RFD-TV that aired on March 7.
According to University of Illinois professor Dr. Fred Below, there are “Seven Wonders of the Corn Yield World,” and one of the most important is nitrogen. 
Conservation Technology Information Center Chairman Tim Healey, 
Representing 
During the Nutrient Use Efficiency Expo on the Conservation in Action Tour our sponsor, 
Chuck talked with John Hassell, who is Manager for Research and Agronomic Development at AGROTAIN, about some new research they are very excited about – one at the University of Illinois and one at Oregon State University – which help to show how nitrogen can be used more efficiently in different areas of the country.
Nutrient use efficiency is one of the topics at at the 
Sophie Marquis works for 
When it comes to sustainable food production, enhanced efficiency fertilizers are starting to play a role. At the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference Charlie Walker, 
Using enhanced efficiency fertilizers (EEF’s) in corn and wheat was the subject of a presentation by Greg Schwab, University of Kentucky, at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference. We’re just starting to see these products make their way into large acre crop use.
We had a great mix of international attendees at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference in Miami. I spoke with two of them after being introduced by 
In this week’s program we’ll learn about the 
Enhanced turf nutrition was the subject of a presentation by Elizabeth Guertal, Auburn University, at the Enhanced Efficiency Fertilizer Conference.
In this week's program Chuck talks with Mike Adams, AgriTalk.
