Answering the question: “Does it work and how much does it cost?”
How much might a dairy operation pay above their normal dry potash application and what would be the outcome on alfalfa production? The researchers at the North Central Research Station (NCRS) set out to answer that question.
The entire experiment area received a broadcast application of 225 lb/A of 0-0-62 after first cutting. AgroLiquid treatments were designed at $10, $15 and $29 per acre, plus a no-foliar check, based on local retail prices in 2020. Fertilizer treatments were applied to six-inch regrowth after first cutting in fifty foot plots with two replications.
Plots were cut and weighed on July 6 with samples sent to Rock River Laboratory in Michigan for quality analysis. Based on lab analysis, milk production can be calculated from cows feeding on hay from the different treatments.
Yield results showed that lower cost treatments can have a positive result IF you apply a balance of nutrition. Application of Sure-K® alone was not much different than no foliar. But addition of microLink® micronutrients show benefit. The biggest response was from the addition of accesS™. In fact, the alfalfa and milk yield with the $15 treatment with accesS was statistically significantly higher than that of all the other treatments at the 90% level. This is consistent with our message on the benefits of sulfur for multiple crops. It’s not clear why the higher- priced treatment was somewhat lower, but why dwell on the negative? Lower cost AgroLiquid nutrition programs can have a substantial return!
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accesS is our high-efficiency liquid sulfur fertilizer. Our formula allows plants to more efficiently absorb sulfur and keeps more plant-usable sulfur in the soil. At the same time, accesS uses a lower concentration of sulfur at lower rates, but provides the same or better results compared to commodity fertilizers. This makes it an economical and environmentally responsible choice.
Micronutrients play a pivotal role in crop development. If micronutrient deficiencies persist year after year, they will continue to damage crops regardless of the nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium applied. That’s where our microLink family of products can come in. From boron to molybdenum, we have a full line of micronutrients.