New Microbial Product Unlocks Nutrients, Reduces Costly Field Stover

Trash, stover, residue — regardless of the term, postharvest debris is increasing and causing more frustration and detriment to overall soil and plant health. Excess stover blocks surface soil, damages equipment and, worse yet, withholds valuable crop nutrients. Fortunately, a new microbial product was just introduced to growers, Humi-Till, helping growers break down field trash without sacrificing advantages that come with stacked hybrids.

“Today’s higher plant populations, conservative tillage practices and better-yielding, more-resistant stacked hybrids can benefit profitability, productivity and crop performance,” says Joe Dedman, vice president of agronomy from Monty’s Plant Food, which manufactures Humi-Till. “However, these progressive practices create more field trash than ever before.”

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Trash Blocks And Locks Crop Potential

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Excess trash blocks surface soil from both sunlight and air. This lowers soil temperatures, which keeps soils cool and wet — delaying planting and hindering germination and early growth. Rolling in deep stover damages tires, equipment and hinders seed-soil contact resulting in inconsistent stands — all costing growers time and money.

There’s also a fertility opportunity loss: The trash contains substantial locked-up nutrients. Trash left over from a single acre of 200-bushel corn, with a 1:1 grain/stover ratio at 15.5% moisture, can contain more than $37 of nitrogen, $12 phosphorus and $46 potassium (totaling $95) — nutrients only available to crops once stover begins decomposing. Without microbial activity to digest the residue, nutrients sit unavailable for months (even years).

Keep The yields, Lose The Trash

To maintain profits, growers cannot sacrifice the advantages that come with stacked hybrids. And now, Humi-Till is an option to help overcome challenges that come with heaping stover by expediting crop residue decomposition — unblocking the trash barrier on surface soil and unlocking valuable nutrients.

Humi-Till’s activated humic technology and microbial digesters of lignin and cellulose, saves potential nutrient loss, equipment damage and inefficient planting — supporting performance and profitability and improving overall soil health. Additionally, it offers growers flexibility and a low application rate of three to four quarts per acre. It is ideal for fall, postharvest application and can be used with liquid nitrogen and herbicide application — both fall and spring.

To learn more about Humi-Till, other natural soil enhancement and plant fertility products — including Monty’s activated humic technology — visit montysplantfood.com or call 800-978-6342.

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