From the Desk of Gary Zimmer

Using all, or some, of these practices, will take you a long way in dealing with our extreme weather. Adding Rye to your rotation can certainly do that too. What else can you plant after corn/soybean harvest in the upper Midwest? When adding a practice like rye, you have to learn how to manage it. Change always requires knowledge if you want success.

Building soil productivity with TerraNu® fertilizers can reduce nitrogen fertilizer demands by 20% or more

“TerraNu allows for more efficient recovery of nutrients and improved soil health, which are crucial with historically high input prices,” say Midwestern BioAg’s Director of Agronomy, Chris Kniffen. “For decades, carbon management has been a core part of Midwestern BioAg’s approach, enabling a 20%+ reduction in nitrogen applications for corn vs conventional practices. With TerraNu, we can enable the same approach for farmers across the country.”

An Ideal Time to Transition to Organic

Although it may seem counterintuitive, now is an ideal time to consider transitioning your operation to organic. That’s because while organic fertilizers tend to be premium to conventional fertilizers when all fertilizer prices go up, that premium drops to a much smaller basis, relatively speaking. The sky-high conventional crop prices more than offset the cost of the organic fertilizer premium.
For the transition years when you’re selling a conventional crop while using organic inputs, you could potentially be looking at a net profit, not a net …

Combating Higher Nitrogen Prices in 2022 with the BioAg System

Global demand for nitrogen fertilizer is expected to increase in 2022, while the nitrogen supply is expected to be down due to reduced production and supply chain constraints. For growers, this equates to an increase in nitrogen fertilizer price as supply and demand forces react with each other.
 
Midwestern BioAg has always taken a system-based approach towards our fertility program. By balancing our customers’ soil chemical, physical, and biological needs, their farms can generally remain resilient through adverse weather conditions or …

Liquid Carbon-Based Fertilizer: A Spring Soil Starter

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.

Proactive Management, Cow Comfort Keys to Organic Farming Success

In 1993, the team at R & G Miller & Sons, Inc. opted to make the switch to organic dairy farming. “We weren’t satisfied with the way things were going on the farm,” said Ron Miller, general farm manager. “After becoming organic certified on all 1,550 acres and feeding our cattle organic feed for a year, we became fully organic certified in 1997. Since the transition, our yields have gone up, and I’ve only seen one alfalfa field on the farm that could benefit from pesticide …

Living with Lower Prices and Increased Costs

Let me start with the good news about today’s dairy markets: It’s time to evaluate. That is exactly what my family is doing on our own farm. What expenses can we eliminate or reduce? On most dairy farms, there are things one can do that won’t negatively affect today’s production (or future production) and cow health. But there are also areas where you can’t skimp.
What are the key things we must do to maintain our farms in the future?

Strip-Till & TerraNu® Fertilizer: A Q&A with Duane Siegenthaler

Where does TerraNu® fit in my current strip-till program?
TerraNu MicroPack™, TerraNu Calcium™ and TerraNu Ignite™ will fit conveniently into your dry fertilizer program. They can be used as a standalone or added to your dry fertilizer program. TerraNu fertilizers use a new technology, combining fertilizer nutrients with carbon and biological stimulants that result in improved nutrient use efficiency and better soil health. 
Can I blend TerraNu with other fertilizers that I apply?
Yes. TerraNu Ignite can be used as a stand-alone fertilizer or blended with …