Energize Your Crops Rudy Allen CPAgCCA Ag Tech

Energize Your Crops • Rudy Allen, CPAg-CCA Ag Tech Services, LLC Mount Vernon, Washington 32 years in the agricultural retail business from in field sales to co-op General Manager. Associated with BHN for the last seven years.

Why Chose BHN Products? • Good Agronomics: The products are designed to work with the plant and not against it. • Repeatable Quality: If it works once, it will work again. • Manageable Rates: It does not take gallons per acre to make things work.

Horizontal Integration ( Working Together) • Soil Complexity: Interactions with soil types and nutrient levels is an on-going process. • Plant Complexity: If you think soils are complex, try figuring out a plant under stress! • Biological Complexity: PGPR’s and how they fit.

One Crop at a Time Silage Corn • The plant on the right has 1 -19 -0, Super. Phos, and PGPR Galaxy in furrow at planting. • 29. 5 tons per acre with a value of $1, 083 per acre.

Green Peas • Plant on the left has two quarts 1 -19 -0 with one ounce of PGPR Galaxy in furrow at planting. • County average was 2 tons per acre. This field went 2. 7 tons for an additional $280 per acre.

Spinach Grown for Seed • The plant on the right has 2 quarts of Super. Phos, 1 quart of Z-Max, and 1 ounce of Galaxy banded over the row after planting. • Variety average was 1, 600 lb per acre and we got 2, 720 lb per acre. $582 per acre increase.

Peas Grown for Seed • Treatment was 2 quarts of 1 -19 -0 and 1 ounce of PGPR Galaxy in furrow on the seed at planting. • Average yield is 1, 200 pounds per acre. We got 2, 800 pounds per acre and 90% germ. An increase of $1, 600 per acre.

Zap Trial on Red Onions • The three plants on the right were from an area treated with 2. 75 gallons of Zap per acre. Application was at the 3 -5 leaf stage and watered in. • Yield was twice the untreated check.

Full Program on Potatoes • Top slide is yellow potatoes with BHN planter, Super. Phos, and PGPR. • Bottom slide is a “just like” program.

Crop-Gard on Silage Corn • Crop-Gard was applied at 1. 5 quarts per acre broadcast.

Crop-Gard (cont. ) • This was 7 days after application. • The rule is “Apply Crop-Gard and go fishing for 3 days. ” • When they come back, they have a new crop. • This field went 32 ton per acre.

Magic, Smoke and Mirrors or Just Good Agronomics? • Its All In The Roots: If you take care of the roots, they will take care of the plant. • Plant Hormones: Hormones that drive yield are produced in the root and shoot of the plant. • IAA and Cytokinin: IAA keeps the root developing and Cytokinin triggers seed shoot development.

Hormone Balance for Optimum Plant Growth

How Does Horizontal Integration Work? • Soil Products – Lase, Blend, Kleenstart: All work to amend the soil, aid in friability, and reduction of salt. They also increase soil biological activity. – PGPR Galaxy/Enhand: Both are plant growth promoting rhizobacteria whose activity is enhanced by the presence of Lase, Blend, and Kleenstart. PGPR also triggers Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) in plants.

Horizontal Integration (cont. ) • Foliar Products – Vitol, Vitol II, Breakout: All contain naturally occurring plant health properties that aid in the overall health of the plant. – PGPR Stealth: Foliar applied plant growth promoting rhizobacteria that also triggers the plants immune system known as Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR).

Vitol vs. Actagro Foloplex 6 -23 -6 on Red Potatoes • Foloplex applied at 1 gallon per acre with 3 applications during the bulking period. – 27. 75 ton per acre – A’s 66% B’s 22% C’s 12% – Gross value per acre $19, 587

Vitol vs. Actagro (cont. ) • Vitol applied at 1 quart per acre with 3 applications during the bulking period – 29. 0 ton per acre – A’s 65% B’s 19% C’s 16% – Gross value per acre $20, 923 – Difference of $1, 336 per acre

How Did 3 Quarts Out Perform 3 Gallons? • Solution p. H: Foloplex is 6. 6 while Vitol is 2. 3. Trying to get a phosphorus molecule with a neutral p. H into a plant is like pushing an elephant through a window. • Stress Reduction: Vitol reduces stress and enhances tuber set and bulking better than Foloplex.

Challenges for the Future • Education – Even more than the farmers, we need to get the dealers to “buy” into the program. – Look at the number of sales people the typical dealer has. – Dealer meetings with good independent data.

Challenges (cont. ) • Marketing – Make it as easy as possible for customers to buy from us. – Keep the quality at its present high state. – Local advertising featuring specific product for specific crops. • Vitol: potatoes, onions • Breakout: soybeans, peas, bush beans, small fruit, tree fruit.

Questions? • Thank you to the following: – Lyndon, Eldon, Mike S. , Mike B. , Stuart and the rest of the BHN staff. – Rudy Allen, CPAg/CCA – Ag Tech Services, LLC – agtech@comcast. net – www. agtechservicesllc. com – Ask about “The Growing Edge”