Update from the Field: Back in Black
Posted by Dave Dyson, Agronomist on January 15, 2019
This post may reference products and/or services only available to our Retail Farm Center customers. For more information contact your Territory Manager at The Andersons.
This past week, I attended the National No-Till Conference in Indianapolis where The Andersons was a Title Sponsor of the event. While talking to many producers and suppliers at the event, two products from The Andersons kept cropping up in our discussions: UltraMate® LQ liquid humic acid, and NutraSoft® DG pelletized gypsum.
Humic acid is a natural soil conditioner that acts as a carbon chelator and microbial stimulant. It has a unique carbon matrix which includes a high concentration of trace minerals and organic acids. Humic acid enhances the plant’s ability to take in essential nutrients and improves soil structure. UltraMate LQ is The Andersons liquid humic acid solution. It contains 12% humic acid, which is a sulfonated potassium humate derived from leonardite. It completely mixes when added directly to liquid fertilizer, micronutrient, or pesticide formulations over a wide range of pH values. UltraMate LQ allows plants to utilize applied N, P, and micronutrients more efficiently. This is why we are seeing yield increases in our plots as well as third-party plots.
Gypsum is a naturally-mined material that contains 21% calcium and 16% sulfur. True gypsum will have sulfate (SO4) as its sulfur source. I have seen “snake oil” salesmen try to pass off lime/elemental sulfur (SO2) as gypsum, but buyer beware! Sulfate (SO4) is the magic in the medicine.
Dr. Shaun Casteel, Associate Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University, has shown in a multi-year and location sulfate study to increase soybean yields with the addition of sulfate (SO4) immediately before planting soybeans. At his research site in LaCrosse, Indiana, Dr. Casteel has shown an increase of over 10 bu/ac when gypsum was applied prior to soybean planting (figure 1). NutraSoft DG pelletized gypsum from The Andersons is a high-quality material mined from natural deposits. It is ground to a flour-like powder, then granulated into pellets. On contact with moisture, the pellets disperse and release calcium and sulfate (SO4) into the soil. With a density similar to potash, NutraSoft DG can be mixed and spread with your plowdown.
Figure 1: Associate Professor of Agronomy at Purdue University, Dr. Shaun Casteel, created an experiment to study the effects of different forms of sulfate (SO4) applied immediately before planting.
It would be almost as exciting as a second Christmas if we could combine these two products and have the benefit of humates while applying calcium and sulfate. HO, HO, HO!! We have a solution to meet your needs. Black Gypsum DG® granules, another product from The Andersons (figure 2), contains 70.0% calcium sulfate and 10% humic acid from oxidized lignite (leonardite) which will supply 15-30 pounds of humic acid per acre when applied at the suggested rate of 150-300 pounds per acre.
Figure 2: Black Gypsum DG can provide humate, calcium, and sulfates to the soil in a convenient, pelletized form.
Black Gypsum DG granules are homogenous and combine natural gypsum and humic substances to form a unique bio-amendment. Dispersing Granule (DG) Technology creates a dust-free, spherical, ultra-dry granule that rapidly disperses into thousands of microparticles upon contact with moisture. The DG technology allows for reduced application rates, as compared to other agricultural-grade gypsum products, which makes this a very economical soil amendment.
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Dave Dyson is a regional agronomist for The Andersons’ Farm Centers which are located throughout Ohio, Michigan, and Indiana. He is an Indiana native and grew up on a dairy farm in Miami County. A graduate of Purdue University with a degree in Crop & Soil Science, Dave has a deep knowledge of various agronomic topics and is committed to helping growers improve their crops. If you have any questions, Dave can be reached at david_dyson@andersonsinc.com.
Black Gypsum DG, NutraSoft, and UltraMate LQ are registered trademarks of The Andersons, Inc.
