Harvest is upon us, the close of one season and the planning of a new!

Website Editor • October 24, 2017

Crisp autumn mornings turn into long productive days filled with the product of all our efforts throughout the year; it’s Harvest Time! Harvest time has always been a time of excitement. It’s a time when we give thanks for our blessings and a time when challenges are considered for the season to come. We’re busy finishing up with one season while planning for the next. Soon growers all over the nation will begin sorting through production records, soil tests, looking at product information and begin the plans for next season. It’s the time when I get the question, what can we do better or what could we have done different? This question always leads to the same evaluation process: what are your objectives, what do you have to work with and what are your limitations? The American Farmer, in my eyes, is the most productive producer in the world and for the most part we do things well, at least we work well on the big items, the obvious ones. I find that when I am consulted on a challenge or a production issue and I am tasked with finding that limiting factor, it is most always a little thing that could be easily overlooked and that ends up being the Achilles heal or the limiting factor to maximum production. When sorting out challenges it’s obvious that the first step is to discover the true limitation and then to consider the tools that you have to work with while making the correction. This is where you want to look at your production methods, your soil tests and I’m suggesting a complete soil test taking into account the macronutrients like your Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The secondary nutrients like Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur and last but not least the micronutrients including the less obvious like Molybdenum and Cobalt. Micronutrients are critical to production and yet I still receive soil tests to review where micros were never sampled and that’s a big mistake. Many functions within the plant are associated with a micronutrient and if we aren’t even sampled for them we already have one limitation that could escape our review. Nutrients also have partners within plant production. If your discovery suggests that a particular nutrient may be limiting don’t forget to consider other nutrients that support the effective use and utility of the target nutrient. Lastly don’t forget that there are varied levels of antagonists that reside in many soil profiles. Imbalance of pH and Cation Base Saturation can be major detractors to effective nutrient uptake and can impose a limiting response in the soil profile. Phantom antagonists such as Iron and Aluminum if not checked can limit production in many ways. When we work to develop a program and work to mitigate the various challenges that limit our chances of maximizing production keep in mind The NACHURS Toolbox. There isn’t a more complete set of tools out there than that which you will find with NACHURS and our Agronomy staff; products that fix problems and support production and a staff able to assist you in this endeavor. Another important part is to know and understand the tools that you have to work with. NACHURS has long been a leader in manufacturing clean and efficient products, innovative and effective. It’s also necessary to understand the function of each nutrient as it pertains to crop production. Knowing and understanding your challenges must be met with the correct use and application of the right tool! I have included some tools that we have developed and some that are currently out there for you as a resource. Knowledge is power but some things we are unaware of until someone shares it with us. Knowing what the challenges are, knowing and understanding what tools are there to apply and the understanding that you have a partner in production in NACHURS is a great start! Nutrient Primary Functions Nutrient Utilization Nutrient Partnering Interactions The above is an abbreviated discussion on the subject. For a more in-depth review consult a NACHURS authorized representative or dealer.

Crisp autumn mornings turn into long productive days filled with the product of all our efforts throughout the year; it’s Harvest Time!

Harvest time has always been a time of excitement. It’s a time when we give thanks for our blessings and a time when challenges are considered for the season to come. We’re busy finishing up with one season while planning for the next.

Soon growers all over the nation will begin sorting through production records, soil tests, looking at product information and begin the plans for next season. It’s the time when I get the question, what can we do better or what could we have done different? This question always leads to the same evaluation process: what are your objectives, what do you have to work with and what are your limitations?

The American Farmer, in my eyes, is the most productive producer in the world and for the most part we do things well, at least we work well on the big items, the obvious ones. I find that when I am consulted on a challenge or a production issue and I am tasked with finding that limiting factor, it is most always a little thing that could be easily overlooked and that ends up being the Achilles heal or the limiting factor to maximum production.

When sorting out challenges it’s obvious that the first step is to discover the true limitation and then to consider the tools that you have to work with while making the correction. This is where you want to look at your production methods, your soil tests and I’m suggesting a complete soil test taking into account the macronutrients like your Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. The secondary nutrients like Calcium, Magnesium and Sulfur and last but not least the micronutrients including the less obvious like Molybdenum and Cobalt.

Micronutrients are critical to production and yet I still receive soil tests to review where micros were never sampled and that’s a big mistake. Many functions within the plant are associated with a micronutrient and if we aren’t even sampled for them we already have one limitation that could escape our review.

Nutrients also have partners within plant production. If your discovery suggests that a particular nutrient may be limiting don’t forget to consider other nutrients that support the effective use and utility of the target nutrient.

Lastly don’t forget that there are varied levels of antagonists that reside in many soil profiles. Imbalance of pH and Cation Base Saturation can be major detractors to effective nutrient uptake and can impose a limiting response in the soil profile. Phantom antagonists such as Iron and Aluminum if not checked can limit production in many ways.

When we work to develop a program and work to mitigate the various challenges that limit our chances of maximizing production keep in mind The NACHURS Toolbox. There isn’t a more complete set of tools out there than that which you will find with NACHURS and our Agronomy staff; products that fix problems and support production and a staff able to assist you in this endeavor.

Another important part is to know and understand the tools that you have to work with. NACHURS has long been a leader in manufacturing clean and efficient products, innovative and effective. It’s also necessary to understand the function of each nutrient as it pertains to crop production. Knowing and understanding your challenges must be met with the correct use and application of the right tool!

I have included some tools that we have developed and some that are currently out there for you as a resource. Knowledge is power but some things we are unaware of until someone shares it with us.

Knowing what the challenges are, knowing and understanding what tools are there to apply and the understanding that you have a partner in production in NACHURS is a great start!

The above is an abbreviated discussion on the subject. For a more in-depth review consult a NACHURS authorized representative or dealer.


By emily.bookless February 6, 2025
February 6, 2025 
September 18, 2024
The benefits of maximizing potassium efficiency
August 20, 2024
The benefits of Zinc on Winter Wheat
July 9, 2024
As I travel across Canada, it has been great to see moisture along much of my path. Greener pastures and ditches in Alberta, lush spring wheat, durum, and lentil crops in Saskatchewan, as well as many triticale, grass, and alfalfa fields, are being cut from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. I do not want to forget those potatoes spread across our country along with many specialty crops. As heat and moisture have brought germination, emergence, and vegetation growth, our crop nutrient management remains a key to success as we monitor the “Points of Influence.” Crop scouting, accompanied by tissue or sap samples, supports crop-based crop protection and foliar nutrient applications. As we have been programmed to concentrate on nitrogen, we are putting a lot of pressure on one nutrient to solve many deficiencies and concerns while ignoring the balance of fertility our crops may be looking for. In this blog post, I will not cover all the nutrient requirements but concentrate a little on magnesium, as I refer to what makes plants green. This spring, a significant amount of discussion surfaced around magnesium, and several growers requested magnesium for their cropping plans. Sometimes, what is new is old; looking back, magnesium has been a big part of many crop plans for decades. In sandy soils, specialty crops, and our high calcitic soils, we are looking to balance our oxygen and moisture space in soil levels. To better understand what we are looking at, I have included a list of what Mg is responsible for as well as soil activity stated: Magnesium Crops require magnesium to capture the sun's energy for growth and production through photosynthesis. Magnesium is an essential component of the chlorophyll molecule, with each molecule containing 6.7 percent magnesium. Magnesium also acts as a phosphorus carrier in plants. Necessary for cell division and protein formation. Phosphorus uptake could not occur without magnesium, and vice versa. Magnesium is essential for phosphate metabolism, plant respiration, and the activation of several enzyme systems.
June 11, 2024
Welcome to June 2024. As discussed in our March article, weather is what we receive from above, and we do not make the arrangements. Again, what is in our control is taking our past lessons and applying our experiences to the 2024 crop. As we continue to “learn, unlearn, and re-learn,” we can better understand the points of influence that we can utilize to react to our crop's needs. With most of the germination and emergence behind us, we are looking to drive vegetation by developing the best foliage we can, capturing maximum sunlight, and amplifying plant energy. This energy will be the key to supporting reproduction and then crop fill throughout the season. This is where tissue and sap sampling must be utilized to build a balanced foliar program. Once we understand a crop's requirement, we can look at a demand curve and design a program to enhance plant health. Foliar applications are often a rescue, and not in the plan, as a tool, but are very valuable in utilizing soil-applied fertility through root activation. To better understand foliar applications, we must understand what we want to achieve. First, we need to have nutrients that can be taken up by the plants. Second, we need to understand how we will feed the plant, and thirdly, we need to apply fertility with a purpose. When applying foliar products, the rates will seem inadequate for the deficiency, but what is the overarching goal? “One of the touted benefits of foliar fertilization is the increased uptake of nutrients from the soil” (George Kuepper, NCAT Agriculture Specialist, Foliar Fertilizer 2003). As we continue to learn more about root-to-soil interaction, the measurement of root tips leads to a better understanding of how each tip, expressed through foliar applications, amplifies nutrient uptake. Regarding plant fertility, our ALPINE foliar products contain orthophosphate, which plants can readily absorb through vegetation. The potassium source, ALPINE Bio-K, has the benefit of smaller molecular size and a low deliquescence point, extending available uptake time. The ALPINE Micronutrients are also chelated, allowing them to be available for uptake by the plant. As for foliar feeding your crop, we want to apply products when the plant is best available to receive them. In the mornings, when the stomata are open, stay away from the day's heat stress. If a foliar dries on a leaf, it must re-wet to become available again. It is also advantageous to feed a healthy crop and fend off stress instead of waiting to see the stress and deficiencies prior to a reactive application. It is also essential to understand how nutrients move via diffusion. So, when we can keep our foliar fertilizer in solution for a more extended period, the concentration increases during water evaporation, allowing the fertilizer to be taken into your crops. Applying with a purpose is what I continue to strive to learn, causing me to read, experiment, and incorporate new ideas along the way. Take our ALPINE K20-S, for example, a 3-0-20-8S-0.2B-0.1Mn-0.002Mo blended foliar. Nitrogen works as an adjuvant to enhance nutrient uptake and increases the formation of amino acids required to develop protein along with sulfur and molybdenum. The ALPINE Bio-K, a potassium acetate source, increases plant metabolism, nutrient uptake, and feeding microbiology. As a result, the package, which also includes boron, is designed to improve uptake and assimilation to better equip your crop for success. When combining ALPINE K20-S with ALPINE CRN-B later in the vegetation season, we can stimulate crops to greater success. If the rain continues, this combination has proven to strengthen crops struggling with root rot and K & B deficiencies. I would also like you to consider working with your nitrogen applications, knowing that straight N is not always your plant's best friend. As we continue to look at humic and fulvic acids, along with Boron, Magnesium, and Calcium, in blended situations, there will be much more to write about in the near future. If you have further questions, don't hesitate to contact your ALPINE DSMs and Dealers. I wish everyone a safe and prosperous Summer ahead. Steve McQueen, Agronomy Manager
May 23, 2024
The Amplification of ALPINE F18 Max
ALPINE Liquid Fertilizer Blog
March 21, 2024
The movement to ALPINE’s newer in-furrow starter, ALPINE G241-S continues to happen across Eastern Canada...
March 6, 2024
ALPINE Bio-K Enhanced Feed Quality
More Posts
Share by: