“We have to provide the nutrients that a plant needs in an efficient and economical manner no matter what crop we’re talking about,” says Concept AgriTek Agronomist, Jake Bushey.
It’s a philosophy that we can look for across Concept AgriTek customers’ acres and one that will be front and center on display at the upcoming Napoleon, Ohio Concept AgriTek Field Day on July 30 where farmers, dealers and the CA team will take a deep dive into the challenging #Grow24 and the products that have made the difference.
“The weather has been terrible this growing season,” Bushey says. “We started off really wet in the area which delayed planting. Then we turned off really dry followed by a five-inch rain in about two hours. It’s been all over the board.”
Despite the challenges, both the soybean and corn plants at the July 30 Field Day plots have shown to be resilient.
Corn Trials
The corn trials are tailored specifically to the needs of northwest Ohio growers, focusing on the economics of different fertilization strategies.
“These trials are about economically evaluating what we are doing in the field and working to maximize ROI as much as possible,” Bushey explained. The trials will compare a grower standard, which includes a 2×2 program with 10-34-0 and 28%, to more advanced programs,” Bushey says. “The goal is to find the sweet spot for farmers and show which products are making a difference in overcoming the challenges this crop has faced this year.”
The infurrow trials will showcase Buncha Bugs, Soil Revive, and Sweet Fulvic.
Buncha Bugs®: a biological seed treatment containing a consortium of beneficial soil microbes that specialize in releasing bound phosphorus and other essential nutrients, enhancing soil health and crop yield.
Soil Revive: a water-soluble, organic soil amendment composed of humic acid, kelp, complex carbohydrates, and amino acids. It aids nutrient and oxygen uptake for plants, improves soil structure, and increases organic matter content.
Sweet Fulvic®: a blend designed to boost a plant’s Brix levels and provide a variety of carbon sources for growth and development.
The 2X2 trial will highlight K13, Total Phos, S17, Concept Mn, B10, and Z9.
Concept-K13: a powerful potassium source that supports root development and disease resistance.
Total Phos® provides maximum phosphorus safely at planting, encouraging rapid seedling development and promoting early plant formation.
Concept S-17: a potassium sulfate product essential for a vigorous root system and overall plant health.
Concept Mn is a manganese supplement crucial for photosynthesis and enzyme activation.
Concept B10® and Concept Z9 are boron and zinc supplements, respectively, that support various physiological functions in plants, including cell wall formation and hormone regulation.
Soybean Trials
“I’m impressed with how well the soybean plots look considering the conditions. Whatever data we pull from this will be very valuable for farmers,” Bushey adds.
In the soybean trials, the focus will be on different forms of carbon and their influence on productivity and ROI variables.
Concept AgriTek products used in these trials include Carbon RX, Sweet Success, Phalynx, and Humic 12.
Carbon RX™: a carbon-based booster made with refined humic acid, organic carbon, and amino acids, enhancing soil and plant health.
Sweet Success: designed to improve plant health and yield by increasing Brix levels.
Humic 12: a high-quality liquid humic acid that enhances nutrient availability and soil structure.
“We are bringing agronomics AND the economics to the field – looking at the WHY and the story behind what we are seeing this year,” Bushey tells us.
The trials aim to provide insights into how these products influence crop health and yield.
“We’ll also be looking at some of the variables we still have control of – at this point in the game, what are some of the things farmers can do to influence the crop? We will be digging into key diseases and mitigation strategies, and we’ll be talking about what we can do nutritionally to help improve ROI,” Bushey said.
Concept AgriTek’s Field Day is more than just walking through plots; it’s about learning and understanding the data.
“We want growers to walk away learning something. We want to tell the story of the data backed by the soil and tissue tests. We’re here, where do we go from here,” Bushey offers.
The event will provide a comprehensive look at planting nutrition, side dress nutrition, and in-season nutrition.
“We don’t have a beautiful soy and corn plot—things look indicative of the area,” Bushey shares adding that there’s no cherry picking or special treatment outside of the applied products- what you’ll see is what farmers are seeing and experiencing.
The realistic representation of local conditions makes the field day even more valuable for attendees Bushey says. Attendees will see firsthand how Concept AgriTek’s products perform under challenging conditions, providing practical insights for their own operations and considerations for #Grow25.
