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The nitrogen that stays put. The innovation farmers have been waiting for.
The planting season of 2019 was one most farmers want to forget. Wet conditions delayed or prevented planting in many areas. Nitrogen applications were also subject to the weather. In some cases, the nitrogen applied to fields was partially lost due to heavy rainfall.
Finding a nitrogen source that would remain stable throughout the season was important, yet hard to find. “You needed something that would stay put, weather or not,” says Ernie Sanders, vice-president of product development for Pivot Bio. Sanders spent 37 years at Monsanto with positions in technology and research. He came to Pivot Bio because of the great promise he saw in the technology the company is bringing to farm fields.
The company’s product, Pivot Bio PROVEN™, is known by the slogan, “The nitrogen that stays put, weather or not.” The 2019 growing season was one that proved the product’s worth.
To understand why the nitrogen supplied from Pivot Bio PROVEN™ can withstand Mother Nature, it’s important to first understand the science behind it. Sanders explains, “It takes nitrogen out of the air and through the use of a bacteria, it makes ammonia. That bacteria lives on the roots of corn and it feeds a daily dose of ammonia that’s equivalent of about 25 pounds of nitrogen per acre.”
The process sounds similar to how nodules on soybean plants put nitrogen into the soil. While the end result may be similar, Pivot Bio PROVEN™ uses a different process. “This is not the same system as soybeans,” explains Sanders. “Because the bacteria live on the roots, no matter how much it rains, our product stays on the root system.”
Proven, in the field
Kevin Poppel farms in Blue Earth County, Minn. He says, “We’ve had an opportunity to test a lot of different products from many different companies and this product is by far, over the last five years, the largest net return on investment that we’ve seen.”
Poppel has noticed a yield boost due to the extra nitrogen Pivot Bio PROVEN™ is supplying to the corn plant throughout the season. “We know that we’re going to get that nitrogen throughout the season and that’s something we cannot say with any other product we use currently on our farm today,” he says with confidence.
Zack Rendel farms in Ottawa County, Okla. He noticed the ability of Pivot Bio PROVEN™ to supply nitrogen to the crop, replacing his need to put on as much side-dress nitrogen during the season. “The average across the whole field was about a 5 to 6 bushel an acre benefit having the PROVEN™ out there,” he says. “Not only is that more money in my pocket with bushels per acre, it was less money I had to spend on fertilizer up-front … and wear and tear on my side-dressing sprayer going across those fields.”
Because the bacteria attach to the roots as root growth begins, growers are assured that this source of nitrogen will remain right where it was planted throughout the season. Bryan Tomm, who farms near Carmi, Ill., witnessed the power of that nitrogen source first-hand in the 2019 growing season. Despite the setbacks, he was amazed at the Pivot Bio PROVEN™ results at harvest. “We saw greater than a 30 bushel per acre response from the Pivot Bio PROVEN™ product,” he says. “In a lot of fields, nitrogen was definitely our limiting factor but the product stayed put and provided that extra nitrogen. It gives you that peace of mind that you’re going to have 25 to 40 pounds of nitrogen that’s there and safe.”
Partners in the Field
Sanders says he truly sees his work as a “partnership” between Pivot Bio and each farmer. “We have been on the farm with every producer that has used our product,” he says. By talking with growers, he’s seen several ways Pivot Bio PROVEN™ has been incorporated into corn systems. “There’s a set of growers that have reduced their synthetic nitrogen by 25 pounds and they are yielding just as much with our product as if they had applied an additional 25 [pounds of nitrogen].”
In other cases, producers have continued to apply the same amount of synthetic nitrogen but also used Pivot Bio PROVEN™, in-furrow at planting. In those situations, Sanders says, “They’ve seen an average of 6 bushels per acre increase when they do that.” A Winner. Weather or Not. Pivot Bio PROVEN™ is a relatively new product in the field, but its impact has already been noticed. It represents new technology allowing corn plants to produce nitrogen on their roots during the growing season. The importance of what is taking place in Kevin Poppel’s cornfields is not lost on him. “It’s an innovation that I never thought I’d see. It’s been awesome for our operation.”
Partners in the Field
Sanders says he truly sees his work as a “partnership” between Pivot Bio and each farmer. “We have been on the farm with every producer that has used our product,” he says. By talking with growers, he’s seen several ways Pivot Bio PROVEN has been incorporated into corn systems. “There’s a set of growers that have reduced their synthetic nitrogen by 25 pounds and they are yielding just as much with our product as if they had applied an additional 25 [pounds of nitrogen].”
In other cases, producers have continued to apply the same amount of synthetic nitrogen but also used Pivot Bio PROVEN, in-furrow at planting. In those situations, Sanders says, “They’ve seen an average six bushels per acre increase when they do that.”
A Winner. Weather or Not.
Pivot Bio PROVEN is a relatively new product in the field, but its impact has already been noticed. It represents new technology allowing corn plants to produce nitrogen on their roots during the growing season. The importance of what is taking place in Kevin Poppel’s cornfields is not lost on him. “It’s an innovation that I never thought I’d see. It’s been awesome for our operation.”
How Pivot Bio PROVEN™ Works
For decades, farmers have applied nitrogen to their fields as a critical part of their crop nutrition program. Enter Pivot Bio PROVEN™, the first commercially available microbial product that captures nitrogen from the air, converts it to a form corn can use and applies it to the corn plant directly, every day of the growing season.
Weather or Not: An Overview of the Nitrogen that Withstands Mother Nature
Watch as Andrew McCrea, a farmer/rancher and a Farm Journal TV and radio personality, interviews Ernie Sanders, vice-president of product development for Pivot Bio. Sanders gives an overview on how Pivot Bio PROVEN™ adds nitrogen to your corn and the best way to use it for your operation. Pivot Bio PROVEN™ … a winner … weather or not.
