cover.indd 1 3/19/18 5:12 pm

Cover.indd 1 3/19/18 5:12 PM

The future starts now.Agrium and PotashCorp are now Nutrien.Starting now, we o�er an unmatched supply of crop inputs, combined with the industry’s most

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mention more than 1,700 North American distribution touch points. We’re Nutrien, a new

company designed from the ground up to meet the growing needs of ag retailers like you.

And together, we’re feeding the future.

nutrien.com

Cover.indd 2 3/19/18 5:12 PM

The future starts now.Agrium and PotashCorp are now Nutrien.Starting now, we o�er an unmatched supply of crop inputs, combined with the industry’s most

advanced distribution network. Thirty production facilities capable of producing over 22 million

tons of potash, over 7 million tons of nitrogen and over 4 million tons of phosphate. Not to

mention more than 1,700 North American distribution touch points. We’re Nutrien, a new

company designed from the ground up to meet the growing needs of ag retailers like you.

And together, we’re feeding the future.

nutrien.com

Cover.indd 3 3/19/18 5:12 PM

4 SPECIAL REPORT: CROP NUTRITION

ERIC SFILIGOJ • [email protected]

IT’S becoming something of an annual rite of passage to find new crop nutrition products entering the marketplace

during the spring. In fact, although ag retailers still tend to divide the growing season evenly between spring and fall crop nutrition application work for the most part, there has been a decided movement toward more spring-applied work in recent

years (see Market Update on page 5).

As I help prepare this third-annual Crop Nutrition Special Report for CropLife® magazine, I’ve just returned from what many in the agricultural mar-

ketplace consider the end-of-the-season winter trade show — the Commodity Classic. This year’s show, held in Anaheim, CA, dur-ing the last few days of February, tended to feature numerous new product previews for the upcoming growing season from myriad in-dustry suppliers.

Normally, most the “new” prod-ucts making their market debuts at the Commodity Classic tend to fall into two distinct categories — equipment and crop protection. This year’s show was no exception, with dozens of new pieces of Big IRON sharing exhibit space with

large booth displays from the vari-ous crop protection companies that do business in the industry.

What was a bit surprising was just how many new products and exhibitors there were that promot-ed crop nutrition items inside the Anaheim Convention Center. This laundry list of products included more than just “traditional” crop nutrition items. There were plenty of plant growth aids to see, along with more than a few biofertilizers and biostimulants.

All of this activity within the crop nutrition category seems to bode well for the industry having a stronger demand year from grower-customers than in the past few years. According to Dave Coppess, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Heartland Co-op, his company is anticipating 2018 could be a better year for crop nutri-tion demand than the marketplace has seen in recent years.

“Farm economics continue to be very challenging for farmers to turn a profi t,” Coppess said in a early win-ter interview with CropLife. “[But] we anticipate fertilizer sales to be good, yet we will continue to follow the trend of lower nutrients per acre being applied.” y

THE NEED FOR MORE CROP NUTRITION

Even in an already crowded fi eld, there seems to be an appetite for more crop nutrition products.

“All of this activity within the crop nutrition category

bodes well for the industry.”

IN THE REPORT

UPFR

ONT

5Market Update

8Additives and

Enhancers

14Stewardship

18Product Profi les

Contents_Upfront.indd 4 3/19/18 5:13 PM

MARKET UPDATE

SPECIAL REPORT: CROP NUTRITION 5

ABY ERIC SFILIGOJ

emsfi [email protected]

S AG RETAILERS and producers prepare for the 2018 growing season, they undoubtedly will be keeping a keen eye on two trends that have largely driven the market’s perfor-mance the past few years. First, of course, ties back to revenues.

Since the beginning of the 2010s, the crop nutrients category among ag retailers has been the largest income producer year in and year out. In fact, by the time the 2013 growing season rolled around, fertil-izer among the nation’s largest ag retailers had climbed to an annual value of $15 billion, easily holding the lion’s share of market among all crop inputs/services, according to the an-nual CropLife 100 survey results.

Since this time, crop nutrients have seen their revenues steadily decline. By the time the fi nal numbers were tallied for the 2017 CropLife 100 sur-

vey, crop nutrient sales had dropped to just more than $12 billion.

According to many ag retailers, the combination of low commodity prices and high fertilizer prices seems to be to blame for this drop-off. “[The fertilizer market will be] negative from a standpoint that most custom-ers don’t feel that the price has fallen enough in relation to grain prices,” George Secor, President/CEO for Sunrise Cooperative, said in a winter 2018 interview with CropLife.

Spring vs. FallSecondly, the other crop nutrition

market trend that ag retailers are likely to track in 2018 is application timing. Traditionally, experts say, growers tended to have crop nutri-tion products applied to their fields during the spring (be-fore planting) and in the fall (after harvest is complete). In recent years, with concerns about unwanted fertilizer

run-off getting more attention from the mainstream media and general public, there has been a pronounced shift to more spring-applied crop nutrition than from fall.

In our 2017 CropLife 100 survey of the nation’s top ag retailers, CropLife discovered just how widespread this trend is becoming. According to 58% of the respondents, the majority of their crop nutrition work now takes place during the spring or in-season. Another 23% indicated that this shift in application timing has been “sig-nifi cant” in the past year while 14% noted that this “has begun to shift into spring/in-season.” Only 5% of respon-dents said most of crop nutrition appli-cation work takes place in the fall, “and we expect that to continue.” y

Market Trends for Crop NutritionCropLife 100 data indicates two issues are currently driving the crop nutrients marketplace — sales volume and in-season application timing.

Crop nutrition incomes for ag retailers have fallen four consecutive years.

(Source: 2017 CropLife 100 survey | base=73)

2013$15.0 2014

$14.8 2015$14.5

2016$13.5 2017

$12.1

Fertilizer Sales(in Billions)

Dropping Revenues

Most crop nutrition application work now takes place in the spring.

Which statement best characterizes your approach to crop nutrition application/

management?

The majority is in spring/in-season

We have experienced a signifi cant shift toward spring/in-season

Most is in the fall, but we have begun to see a shift into spring/in-season

The majority is in fall, and we expect that to continue

58%23

145

(Source: 2017 CropLife 100 survey | base=73)

Springing Ahead

MarketUpdate.indd 5 3/19/18 5:13 PM


ADDITIVES AND ENHANCERS

MBY LISA HEACOX

[email protected]

ANY OF THE growers that Barrett Smith deals with are seek-ing something better, the Sales Manager/Agronomist with Huma Gro says. “They know that when it comes to nutrients, they aren’t get-ting back everything that they’re putting in.”

The result: Strong growth in the fertilizer additives and enhancers segment is continuing, and retail-ers should identify products to help their customers and differentiate their business.

Additive suppliers say the benefits are many, including positive ROIs for the grower, margin opportunities for the retailer, and simply “doing the right thing” to keep fertilizer in the field and plant available.

Once the nitrogen fertilizer is in the nitrate form, it is subject to loss via deni-trification and leaching and, combined, these forces can steal 25% to 50% of applied nitro-gen, Kent Woodall, Vice President of Rosen’s Inc., says.

Woodall adds another reason the market is growing: Many retailers and growers alike see more restrictions or regu-lation on the horizon and are trying to get ahead of the curve. “It’s becom-ing more important than ever to have a solid nutri-ent management plan, and we believe fertilizer

additives will play an increasingly larger role in those plans,” he says.

The plans aim to do many things, including preventing fertilizer from moving into waterways. “In the nitrogen protection arena it is all about keeping the nitrogen in the field,” Woodall says. “When apply-ing UAN or urea, NBPT is the only bonafide active ingredient recog-nized by academics and National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to reduce volatilization —

which is responsible for as much as 30% to 40% of nitrogen lost.”

Rosen’s brand of NBPT is Factor. For below-ground protection the company offers nitrapyrin and DCD to slow the conversion of ammonium to nitrate.

The seven formulations in BRANDT’s Reaction product line con-tain a patented chemistry that delays the chemical fi xation and reaction of nutrients with other elements in the soil. The applied nutrient (N, P, K, or S) remains accessible to the plant for

Crop Nutrition Enhancers Arrive in Many FormsEconomic and environmental pressures are forcing growers to utilize old and new tools.

IN THE BLENDERMIXING today’s helpful additives with fertilizers can be tricky. Charles

Formisani, Director of Business Development with Sackett-Waconia, notes that some of the products are very viscous and highly concentrated and therefore can pose challenges with handling, especially in cold weather.

“We’re also fi nding that blending effi ciency is getting more and more critical,” he says. “If the liquids are not evenly distributed, ‘wet spots’ can occur, which leads to caking, poor fi eld performance and the like. Utilizing very effi cient and

precise mixing is critical to optimizing the use of these additive products.”

Sackett-Waconia has its own test lab, with several types of mixers and coaters, to conduct extensive R&D with companies’ compounds in the early stages of prod-uct development. It is important to these fi rms to trial the different formulations in a controlled environment to advance the products that will provide the best balance of performance and ease of use, Formisani says.

At the retail level, he suggests that dealers run trials before committing to products to understand the chal-lenges and the mix time required for a quality blend. “Some additives are more forgiving than others,” he says, “so pick the ones that best match the equipment that you have and that provide the solution you need agronomically.

“If adding or changing blending equipment, design your system for tomorrow and utilize the most effi cient mixer you can fi nd.”

Sackett-Waconia bulk fertilizer terminal

Additives&Enhancers.indd 8 3/19/18 5:13 PM


a longer period — up to 26 weeks in certain soil types and conditions — Marketing Director Chandra Roberts says. The company’s other nutrient en-hancer, N-Boost, increases mitochon-drial activity within the plant, en-hancing plant physiological functions and nutrient uptake and utilization. It contains a patented fermentation extract derived from sugarcane.

“It will only be a matter of time until certain nutrients or nutrient amounts will be restricted,” Huma Gro’s Smith says. “Fumigants are that way now, and the problem of nutrient runoff and leaching is getting worse. Public awareness is growing regard-ing these problems, and that may soon force additional regulatory changes.”

Smith has found that, while use of additive technologies is not a part of all nutrient management plans, inter-nationally (especially in Europe) these enhancers are seen as “absolutely critical,” he says.

Gaining AcceptanceMarket potential for the wide va-

riety of enhancers available is huge. For instance, startlingly, only about 25% of the acres in the United States are receiving any kind of added ni-trogen product, Andrew Duff, Senior Vice President of U. S. Sales with Verdesian Life Sciences, says.

There is a lot of growth opportunity in the row crop market, in particular, as growers better understand how these products work, Smith says. The degree of adoption in commodity crops is not nearly as high as with produce growers who are accustomed to high-input/high-output yields.

BRANDT has seen an increase in demand in West Coast states, where regulations and water restrictions fac-tor into fertility plans. The company has also seen an increase in areas such as the Chesapeake Bay water-shed, where nutrient leaching into waterways is a concern, as well as re-gions with high alkaline or high acidic soils, where soil nutrient availability can be a challenge.

Education is the key. Growers do not know enough about the products, Duff says. That is the reason Verdesian is now investing heavily in bolster-ing its sales force and marketing

and R&D groups. Signifi cantly more people are communicating directly with dealers and growers about the company’s Avail (for phosphorus) and NutriSphere-N (for nitrogen).

“With all the scrutiny around sus-tainability and water quality and soil health, our products are a perfect fi t into that conversation,” Duff says.

Verdesian has a program aimed at building relationships and train-ing dealers on use of additives. Verdesian Innovation Partners (VIP) determines the value of these prod-ucts and how to communicate that to grower customers.

In addition, the company rolled out a performance guarantee this year, one of the fi rst in the industry, Duff says. The premise is simple: Growers use Avail or NutriSphere-N on their crops this season. If they don’t get increased

“It will only be a matter of time until certain nutrients or nutri-ent amounts will be restricted. Fumigants are that way now, and the problem of nutrient runoff and leaching is getting worse.”

— Barrett Smith, Sales Manager/Agronomist, Huma Gro

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ADDITIVES AND ENHANCERS

yield — at least enough to cover the cost of product — Verdesian will cover the cost for them.

Producers are more aware of the potential for fertilizer loss and are will-ing to add enhancers if they are proven to perform, Mike Powell, Biosciences Brand Manager with Helena Chemical Co., says. His company offers a variety of fertilizer additives, “each supported by years of research and fi eld use,” that can help protect a grower’s fertilizer investment, he says.

Smith has found that “when we just talk about cost and return on invest-ment, typically it goes in one ear and out the other as growers don’t see how a product could work for them. A lot of growers are skeptical of unfamiliar products and fear being tricked into buying ‘snake oil.’”

Instead, thoroughly explaining the technologies is what encourages use. For instance, Huma Gro’s product lines contain what the company calls Micro Carbon Technology, a concept with

which customers might not be familiar. The science is based on leonardite, a soft, brown, oxygen-rich form of coal that is made up of decomposing plant matter and minerals. When applied to farm fi elds, this material improves the soil’s fertility and plants’ nutrient uptake, Smith says.

What’s NewManufacturers shared news on

several products for this season, some from biological sources.

N-Fixx XLR is Helena’s latest fer-tilizer additive. It controls nitrogen loss while correcting common ap-plication problems. “When added to urea or UAN, it keeps nitrogen in the ammonium form for crops to use dur-ing key growth stages,” Powell says. It also contains patented FlowTech Formulation Technology to control nitrogen loss at reduced application rates, minimize potential build up, and improve handling with faster treat-ments and storage of less product.

BRANDT introduced a product line called BRANDT EnzUp, which boasts nutrient formulations that contain proprietary, patent-pending enzymes that boost soil microbial activity and nutrient uptake. These enzymes have been stabilized to speed up plant re-sponse and effi cacy.

BRANDT EnzUp 12-58-0 is a water-soluble nitrogen and phosphorus for-mulation that contains phosphate-re-leasing enzymes. The enzyme has been proven to convert organic phosphates that are tied up in the soil into more soluble and bioavailable phosphates, which enhances plant phosphate up-take and metabolism, Roberts says.

BRANDT EnzUp Zn is a liquid 5% zinc formulation with a high concen-tration of two proprietary, patent-pending enzymes. The enzymes interact with the outermost layer of the roots, which creates a draw for more water and nutrients toward the root zone. This helps increase water and nutrient uptake and nutrient me-tabolism. This results in optimized fertilizer use and helps reduce total applied fertilizer, Roberts says.



Rosen’s has a new high-concentrate formulation of NBPT called Factor Plus. It allows for low use rates dur-ing blending and quicker drying com -pared to other products.

Verdesian will be unveiling next-generation nitrogen and phosphorus products over the next 12 to 18 months. The company introduced Take Off LS at Commodity Classic. The technology, aimed at all broad-acre crops, mimics a naturally occurring molecule in the plant that allows the crop to more efficiently

assimilate carbon and utilize nitrogen and other nutrients.

Advice on Building SalesHow can dealers boost this prod -

uct segment? There are a wide range of proprietary inputs avail -able that can enhance nutrient uptake, so it’s important to spend time learning about formulation differences and how they perform, BRANDT’s Roberts says. It is im -portant to look for products that are proven in the field and the lab.

Rosen’s Woodall agrees that additives need to be validated by research — and ac -cepted by “academia and NRCS.”

He adds that when a grower wants to cut fertilizer addi -tives, simply ask him: “Why?” It’s easy for growers to see fertil -izer additives as an unnecessary expense, but taking a few min -utes to reinforce the

value is likely all they need to contin -ue to use the products, Woodall says.

“Explain the technology until you are blue in the face, and then do it again until they are willing to try it,” Smith says. “If you really have something special that will also bring them an economical benefit, then it’s a no-brainer. A sale will be much easier once a grower understands that applying a product is going to save at least 20% in overall fertilizer costs.” y

“It’s becoming more important than ever to have a solid nutrient management plan, and we believe fertilizer additives will play an increasingly larger role in those plans.” — Kevin Woodall, Vice President, Rosen’s

BRANDT EnzUp 12-58-0, which contains a high concentration of stabi -lized phosphatase en-zymes, was introduced into soil-less media. The photo shows a large pool of available phosphorus (P) after application. The yellow cloud is the con-verted P.


Through our patented Nutriform® technology, Aspire® combines two formsof boron (B) with potassium for uniform nutrient distribution and season-long boron availability, consistently delivering the right amount of B when and

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©2018 The Mosaic Company. All rights reserved. Aspire is a registered trademark of The Mosaic Company.

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ADVERTORIAL

©2018 The Mosaic Company. All rights reserved. Aspire and Nutriform are registered trademarks of The Mosaic Company.

“Aspire offers a solution for growers looking to apply the right amount of boron, at the right time, in exactly the right place.”

— ROSS BENDER, SENIOR AGRONOMIST FOR THE MOSAIC COMPANY

123 N. Third Street Suite 400 Minneapolis, MN 55401 P: 612-623-8000 www.broadheadco.com

All across North America, boron (B)

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Boron is one of eight micronutrients

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proportions with macronutrients —

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Still, there’s a fine line between

toxicity and deficiency when it comes

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smaller amounts than most nutrients,

and applied at just the right time.

These two factors often lead to

UNIFORM NUTRIENT DISTRIBUTION Nutriform® technology gives Aspire a combination of two forms of boron with potassium in each granule. This ensures even distribution of each nutrient, in the right amount, for optimum soil fertility.

SEASON-LONG BORON AVAILABILITY Aspire combines two forms of boron: quick-releasing sodium borate and a slow-releasing form of calcium borate. These two forms of boron ensure proper nutrition is always within reach during each of the season’s key growth periods.

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boron being applied in amounts that

are too small or too large. Typically,

boron is mixed with several

nutrients in a dry blend. Using this

fertilizer type often creates pockets

of inconsistent nutrient application:

Some areas in a field may have too

much boron, others too little.

Aspire® is the only soil-applied

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of nutrient pockets by combining

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REACH YOUR CROP’S FULL POTENTIAL. WITH A FULL SEASON OF BORON.TWO BORONS ARE BETTER THAN ONE.



STEWARDSHIP

NBY MATTHEW J. GRASSI [email protected]

UTRIENT stewardship efforts in the U.S. currently focus on a few very spe-cifi c geographic regions of the country.

The now-settled Des Moines Water Works case put Iowa’s issues with nitrogen leaching through tile drainage front and center, while 2014’s wayward floating algal bloom that found its way into the Ohio city of Toledo’s municipal water intake shined a light on phosphorus run-off in that region.

That’s not to mention the ongoing hypoxia fi ghts at the mouth of the

Mississippi River in the Gulf and in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

In the interest of this article, we’ll focus exclusively on the Iowa and Western Lake Erie Basin (WLEB) re-gions, where recent farming operations have borne the brunt of negative main-stream media coverage.

4R Plus Launched In late February a group of ag

and conservation stakeholders (CF Industries and Iowa Natural Resources Conservation Service [NRCS] being just two of the 30-plus involved) de-cided an education and outreach push was needed around the 4R nutrient

stewardship program in the Hawkeye State. Enter the 4R Plus Nutrient and Conservation Stewardship Program.

“There’s a great piece (in the pro-gram) to help educate the retailers on the 4Rs. And we get that, if you’re a crop advisor in this business, you’re likely already aware of the 4Rs. But sometimes there’s new information we need to share, so it fi ts hand-in-hand,” Carrie Vollmer-Sanders, Nutrient Strategy Manager-North America Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy, says.

Vollmer-Sanders, stationed in Angola, IN, in the heart of the WLEB, also works on nutrient stewardship is-

Service Providers Best Positioned to Move Nutrient Stewardship NeedleA new 4R program targeted specifi cally to Iowa growers and ag service providers, as well as ongoing efforts in the Western Lake Erie Basin to promote split application, headline the latest in nutrient stewardship in U.S. ag.

Stewardship.indd 14 3/19/18 5:13 PM


sues in Iowa and around the country. She says the new program can provide a spark for service providers looking to start that conversation with grower-customers around nutrient steward-ship on their lands.

“Implementing the 4Rs alone isn’t really going to make your yields the best they can be, and it’s not going to keep all nutrients from moving to the streams,” she says. “Growers and their consultants have also got to think about the health of that soil and if there are places where soil is leaving through erosion, or the soil is degrading because the biology is shift -ing. Maybe the microbes aren’t happy. I think that’s where the retailer that knows the soil and knows the fertilizer can really help the grower kick up their farm management.”

Recent research by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) shows that growers are increasingly having these conversa -tions around conservation practices with the ag service provider. You can bet the first question they want to know is, “How much?” As in, how much is this going to cost me?

“I think pretty much every ag retailer out there hosts a field day, whether they have plots looking at dif-ferent seed varieties or plots looking at different agronomic advice,” Vollmer-Sanders says. “That is a great way for those retailers to demonstrate to the farmer, ‘Hey, here’s maybe a different way to put your fertilizer on.’ Or, ‘We added a stabilizer this year, here’s why, and here’s what it cost.’”

Status of Split ApplicationsThere’s been a concerted effort

from nearly all parties in agriculture

to try and diminish the amount of fall fertilizer application that goes on. Those efforts, generally speaking, have moved the needle, with more talk of spring, or split, application and spoon-feeding nutrients ubiquitous among industry types.

Still, the very way that we do business in agri -culture — wanting to get that seed in the ground as soon as possible in order to avoid yield losses — makes across-the-board spring application somewhat of a pipe dream.

“I understand why guys do it, and I understand why the industry has kind of moved in that direction,” Vollmer-Sanders says of fall application. “I struggle with some of the data, though, when I see how much nitrogen is left for the spring crop when I put on, say, 100 pounds in the fall. There’s just not that much

left for starter.”In her region

Vollmer-Sanders sees a glimmer of hope. Although a recent nation-wide TFI survey showed that shock-ingly around 70% of growers are somehow still un-aware of 4R nutri-ent stewardship, she believes that number would be much lower if she surveyed many of the growers they

work with in the WLEB. “I’m not sure the exact numbers

from the last year or two on cover crops, but I see a lot of adoption in

the WLEB,” she says. “What I am hoping happens is that when some-one puts on their MAP or DAP and incorporates it, they are also put -ting out a cover crop. But every year it’s a little bit different. Last year was a wet fall, so cover crops didn’t really get put on to the level that everybody had hoped.”

At the center of all this, as Vollmer-Sanders again confirms, is the ag service provider.

“The retailer is probably in the best position to say, ‘You know this is a wet year, so this product proba-bly won’t work so well,’ or vice-versa depending on whatever the practice is,” she says. “They have a lot of op-portunity to help showcase a lot of the different conservation practices to the grower.” y

“Implementing the 4Rs alone isn’t really go-ing to make your yields the best they can be.”

— Carrie Vollmer-Sanders,Nutrient Strategy Manager-North America

Agriculture, The Nature Conservancy

The 2017 Conservation in Action Tour showcased Indiana’s nutrient stewardship efforts. On tap for the 2018 tour is Chesapeake Bay.

Source: CF Industries


Plant Nutrition Delivered

WHATEVER YOU EXPECT FROM PLANT NUTRITION,START TO EXPECT SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

©2018 Compass Minerals. All Rights Reserved. ProAcqua is a trademark and Protassium+ and Design as well as Wolf Trax and Design, DDP are registered trademarks of Compass Minerals International, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and other countries.

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Crop Nutrition Products/Services

BULK FERTILIZER TERMINALSSackett-Waconiasackettwaconia.com/systems/terminal-systems/sackettwaconia.com

Sackett-Waconia offers a full line of high-capacity equip-ment for bulk fertilizer terminals. Receiving systems range up 1,200 tons per hour (or more) and can include the capability to unload an entire rail car at once. High-speed loadout systems operate up to 800-plus tons per hour and offer the ability to fill outbound traffic without the need to re-index.

AZOMITE MINERAL PRODUCTSAZOMITE / azomite.com

Azomite is a natural mineral source, resulting from an an-cient volcanic eruption into a seabed. Through global research and customer testimony, Azomite has been shown to re-min-eralize soil and result in higher crop yield and quality. Azomite is OMRI- and CDFA-listed and available in multiple grades for a variety of applications. It can be used on all crops and soil types, is safe to use, and will not burn plants or roots.

LAYCOTE POWDER FEEDERYargus Manufacturing / yargus.com

The fertilizer industry is ever-changing, which means the company’s product line is always evolving to adapt to new challenges that the industry may face. Precision agriculture is growing in popularity among producers. Because of this, Yargus has developed the Laycote Powder Feeder, which has been very effective for producers. With the new system, Yargus brings only a few improvements to make the machine even more precise and efficient. Air pulsation is no longer needed on the new hopper, decreasing dusting of product. The hopper also features vertical walls with no hard corners to increase the flow of product. To prevent product build-up at the discharge, a variable pitch auger is featured. The 4.4 cubic-foot hopper can also be extended to 7.4 cubic feet with an adaptor.

FOR 2018

Profiles.indd 18 3/19/18 5:13 PM


AspireThe Mosaic Co.AspireBoron.com

According to the company, Aspire is a superior boron delivery system that combines two forms of boron with potassium into one granule for season-long availability. Formed using Nutriform technology, Aspire delivers uniform nutrient distribution of key nutrients where your crop needs it most — at the root level.

NL5000 G5 Highway Equipment Co./New Leadernew-leader.com

The NL5000 with G5 Technology has 16-section Swath Width Control, which gives increased accuracy by shifting the spinner assembly both fore/aft and left/right to control the swath. Conveyor speed adjustments provides the ability to significantlyreduce overlap and apply nutrients to the right place.

iNtrepid trioIntrepid Potash / Intrepidtrio.com

Intrepid Trio is 100% natural langbeinite, a unique mineral with three essential nutrients and is OMRI-approved for organic farming. According to the company, Trio provides a longlasting, readily available source of potassium (K), manganese (Mg), and sulfur (S), ideal for fruit, vegetable, and row crops grown in magnesium-deficient soils.

protAssium+Compass MineralsCompasscrops.com

Protassium+ is a dual-nutrient source that delivers high potassium and sulfate sulfur with virtually no chloride and a low salt index. Protassium+ offers a variety of particle sizes to ensure that all plants are covered from turf to organics, with better, more-uniform custom blends.

Crop NutritioNNutrien / nutrien.com

Nutrien is the world’s largest provider of crop inputs and services, playing a critical role in helping growers increase food pro-duction in a sustainable manner. The company produces and distributes more than 25 million tons of potash, nitrogen, and phos-phate products worldwide. With this capability and nearly 20,000 employees — and operations and investments in 14 countries — the company is committed to providing products and services that help growers optimize crop yields and their returns.



PRODUCT PROFILES

ProAcquACompass MineralsCompasscrops.com

ProAcqua is a diverse line of high-quality, water-soluble nutrient sources that allow users to match their application style and production challenge with the formulation that meets their needs, whether it’s foliar, fertigation, or chelates. According to the company, each product is uniquely designed with a nutrient package comprising high-quality ingredients to address specific plant and soil biological systems.

EnzuP znBRANDT / brandt.co

EnzUp Zn is a liquid 5% zinc formulation with a high con-centration of two proprietary, patent-pending enzymes. The enzymes in this formulation boost soil microbial activity and interact with the outermost layer of the roots. According to the company, this interaction cre-ates a draw for more water and nutrients toward the root zone, which enhances water and nutri-ent uptake and nutrient metabo-lism. This results in optimized fertilizer use and helps reduce total applied fertilizer.

K-MAgThe Mosaic Co. / kmag.com

K-Mag is a potassium (K) fertilizer also containing magnesium (Mg) and sulfur (S), with more than 75 years of proven results. With these three key nutrients in one granule, K-Mag provides a low chloride source, which improves crop quality and yields on sensitive crops.

VIToLHuma Gro / humagro.com

Huma Gro Vitol complexed with Micro Carbon Technology feeds the natural metabolic processes within the plant for vegetative growth and uniform fruit sizing. According to the company, Vitol increases the nutrient uptake of the plant and smoothly transitions the plant through its growth stages. It also improves plant recovery from environmental stresses during peak crop demand periods. Vitol produces a fast, natural plant response with proven increase in yield and quality.

DEcLInIng WEIghT (DW) SySTEMSSackett-Waconiasackettwaconia.com/systems/blending-systems/declining-weight/sackettwaconia.com

Sackett-Waconia DW systems offer superior technology and solutions for blend-ing. Built for flexibility, high tonnage, precision, and reliability, they include heavy-duty stainless steel hoppers and structure and feature the original Mesh Chain Feeder for gentle handling of material and accurate dosing. The company’s coating system is available for adding liquids or nutrient stabilizers. DW Systems can include additional hoppers for micronutrients or Wolftrax-powdered micronutrients. A typical system operates at instantaneous speeds of 200 to 300 tons per hour.



Precision Fertilizer Blending (PFB) systemsSackett-Waconiasackettwaconia.com/systems/blending-systems/pfb/sackettwaconia.com

Sackett-Waconia PFB Towers feature the HIM mixer — the most efficient mixer for blending and coating available in the industry today. Its superior design allows for rapid blending and equal distribution of advanced liquid and dry additives. PFB Technology uses NTEP-certified weigh systems and a garner-style design to provide both high quality and high speed, without sacrifices to either one.

enzUP 12-58-0BRANDT / brandt.co

EnzUp 12-58-0 is a water-soluble nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer for-mulated with a high concentration of proprietary, patent-pending phosphate releasing enzymes. The enzymes boost soil microbial activity and have been proven to convert organic phosphates that are tied up in the soil into more soluble and bioavailable phosphates, resulting in enhanced phosphate uptake and metabolism.

microessentialsThe Mosaic Co. / MicroEssentials.com

MicroEssentials is a proprietary fertilizer specially formulated for use on most crops. Through Mosaic‘s patented Fusion technol-ogy process, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), sulfur (S), and zinc (Zn) are fused into a nu-tritionally balanced granule, creating a single source for balanced crop nutrition.

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PRODUCT PROFILES

SUPER PHOSHuma Gro / humagro.com

Huma Gro Super Phos complexed with Micro Carbon Technology can be foliar-applied without the risk of phytotoxicity. When soil-applied, it keeps phosphate available and soluble in the soil solution for rapid uptake by plant roots without being blocked by clays, metal ions, or organic matter. According to the company, Huma Gro Super Phos has been shown to be many times more efficient than conventional granular products.

SmaRt-B-mOBRANDT / brandt.co

Smart B-Mo is a high-efficiency foliar boron and molybdenum formulation that the company claims to be up to eight times more efficient than traditional 10% boron products. Smart B-Mo was designed for advanced compatibility in a wide range of tank mix and acidic pH solutions and is now approved for use with the new dicamba herbicides — Engenia and XtendiMax with Vapor Grip technology.



Wolf TraxCompass Minerals Compasscrops.com

Wolf Trax DDP Nutrients are high-quality, research-proven micronutrient and secondary-micronutrient fertilizers that deliver nutrition to the plant when it needs it most — significantly more effective than traditional granular sources. According to the company, Wolf Trax products coat each and every granule of a fertilizer blend for even distribution across the field and better plant uptake for improved efficiency and yield. Backed by a performance guarantee, Wolf Trax products simplify nutrient management and boost crop performance.

Pro InvenTory SofTWareYargus Manufacturing / yargus.com

Yargus introduces Automation Software Version 4.0, the new inventory software that can provide a view to the whole plant operation, including monitoring the material consumption and plant productivity. While accurate material consumption is monitored, the software allows creation and storage of blend recipes to be recalled and resubmitted for daily operations. From receiving to load-out, full plant automation offers the user the ability to track amounts of product coming in from supplier and going out to the customer. y

• 16-section Swath Width Control• 1/2 Width Spreading• Last Pass Control

• Boundary Spreading

THE NL5000 WITH G5 TECHNOLOGY HAS 16-SECTION SWATH WIDTH CONTROL WHICH GIVES YOU INCREASED ACCURACY BY AUTOMATICALLY SHIFTING THE SPINNERS TO ADJUST THE WIDTH OF YOUR SWATH. THIS MEANS YOU HAVE THEABILITY TO SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE OVERLAP AND APPLY NUTRIENTS TO THE RIGHT PLACE.


A Special Report From the Editors of

A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

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