L-CBF | Midwestern BioAg

It’s All About Getting Your Fertility Right

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Fertilizer, Cover Crops, Crop Rotation, L-CBF, Weed Control, Technology

“Profitability.” That’s the most important thing Midwestern BioAg has brought to the Fairibault, MN farming operation of Bryan and Tammy Lips, says Bryan. Balanced soils, good fertility, and diverse rotations including cover crops and green manure crops are among the biological farming tools Bryan has been using for the past eight years on his 450 acres. He raises corn, oats, and alfalfa on a mixture of owned and rented land, with about half of the acres farmed conventionally and half certified organic.

Liquid Carbon-Based Fertilizer: A Spring Soil Starter

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Fertilizer, Soil, L-CBF, Nitrogen

As we all know, spring weather in the Midwest can be really variable. Rain, snow, and cold soils are all things we deal with during the planting season. Getting the seed in the ground under the right conditions is the first step in fulfilling yield potential, but unfortunately, there isn’t always time to wait until those conditions occur. There’s not a crop grower out there who hasn’t had to plant under less than ideal circumstances; it’s just a call that has to be made sometimes.

Profitable Practices are the Bottom Line

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Fertilizer, Soil, Tillage, L-CBF, Nitrogen, Bio-Cal®

What’s profitable?
That’s the question that drives decision-making for Bill Ehrlinger, a southern Wisconsin farmer with 1200 acres of corn and soybeans. He considers the price of purchased inputs not just what he pays today, but also the long-term costs of products and practices, understanding that what he does this year can keep his farmland profitable and productive in the long term.
That’s important to Bill because this farmland has been in his family since his grandparents purchased the home farm over a century ago.

Time is on Your Side, and Biology Can Be Too

By: Steve Stumbras, Purple Cow Organics · L-CBF, Soil Biology, CX-1, Residue Management

The application of CX-1 and L-CBF this fall can be the first step to help ensure success next season. There can be 7,500 lbs. of stover left behind in a modest 155 bushels per acre corn field.
Secured within are:

45 pounds of N,
15 pounds of P₂O₅,
92 pounds of K₂O,
6 pounds of S,
18 pounds of Ca,
18 pounds …

Gimme Some Sugar

By: Midwestern BioAg Staff · Fertilizer, Organic Matter, L-CBF, Soil Biology, Starter Fertilizer

Sugar: It has been part of Midwestern BioAg’s fertilizer line-up for over 25 years. Sugar is quickly becoming a staple in producers’ fertilizer programs across the country. In Nebraska, a study saw a 1.6 bushel per acre increase in yield across acres with foliar applied sugar. Another crop farmer sprayed his corn ground with a sugar and liquid carbon-based fertilizer mix with similar results. When tests were run in Ohio, researchers found a 6 bushel per acre increase in those acres treated with 7 pounds …

L-CBF 7-21-3 MKP: More Phosphorus, Yield Potential

By: Christopher.kniffen@midwesternbioag.com · L-CBF, Starter Fertilizer

Now available for the 2017 growing season, L-CBF 7-21-3 MKP is a high-phosphorus liquid starter manufactured by QLF Agronomy. Like other L-CBF products, 7-21-3 is formulated with a molasses base to help stimulate soil microbes, support plant growth and maximize crop yield potential early in the season.
“L-CBF 7-21-3 conveniently offers many of the same plant health benefits of all our molasses-based fertilizers, and also contains a balanced blend of high-quality phosphorus,” said Tim Chitwood of QLF Agronomy.

L-CBF Research Study: Stronger Starts, Drier Grain

By: Christopher.kniffen@midwesternbioag.com · Fertilizer, Newsletters, L-CBF, Nitrogen, Season-long performance, Soil Biology, Nutrient Efficiency, Starter Fertilizer

Now in its second year, Midwestern BioAg’s liquid carbon-based fertilizer (L-CBF) study at the University of Illinois is once again showing positive results. In early June, Midwestern BioAg scientist Bill Petersen traveled to the University’s research farm and reported back visible improvements in plant height. “Early plant response to L-CBF treatment was consistently positive,” said Petersen. “Plants in treated plots were noticeably taller, validating for the second year that L-CBF application gives plants an early season advantage.”
Derived from cane molasses, L-CBF delivers quality plant nutrients …

Growing Farm Margins with High-Quality Forages

By: Mary Pohlman · Fertilizer, Livestock Nutrition, Organic, Newsletters, Forages, L-CBF, High-Production Organic Agriculture, Calcium, Weed Control, Alfalfa, OrganiCal™, WinterKing, TerraFed

Ten years ago, Plaetz Dairy came to Midwestern BioAg looking to improve their conventional dairy farm. Farmers Bruce and Sherry were struggling with feed quality, a problem they hoped Midwestern BioAg’s forage program could help them solve.
“Everything we grow is fed to the cows,” Bruce said. “Before switching to BioAg, we spent a lot of money on feed, protein and minerals trying to keep cows healthy. A big problem was that our cows didn’t like their hay.

Start Strong, Finish Strong

By: Christopher.kniffen@midwesternbioag.com · Fertilizer, L-CBF, Nitrogen, Season-long performance

You never want your crop to have a bad day, said Alan Kauffman, Ohio-based Midwestern BioAg sales consultant. “Marathon runners don’t skip breakfast the day of a big race. That’s why we put down starter fertilizer in the spring — to get those plants off to a strong start.”
Midwestern BioAg scientist Bill Petersen agrees. “Our 2015 studies with Dr. Fred Below of the University of Illinois looked at early-season advantages of starter application. In the study, we added L-CBF BOOST™ and 10-34-0 to corn.

Growing Champion Forages

By: Jan Shepel · Fertilizer, Cover Crops, Forages, L-CBF, Soil Capacity

Todd Schroeder set a goal to win the World Dairy Expo’s Forage Analysis Superbowl contest in 10 years. With the help of the Midwestern BioAg soil fertility program and his sales consultant Travis Klinkner, Schroeder achieved that goal last fall. It took the Cashton, Wisconsin, farmer only a few years.
In last year’s contest, the cash crop and beef farmer won the Grand Champion prize for first-time entrants and a cash award of $1,500.
Each year at the Forage Analysis Superbowl, more than $22,000 in cash …