Combining Chemistry and Biology is the Future for Row-Crop Production
By Alex Cochran, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, DPH Biologicals
Who remembers the seed treatment boom of the early 2000s?
Before then, seed treatments were known but not commonplace. Fungicide and insecticide treatments were used as early as the early 1900’s for some crops, but it wasn’t until high-yielding corn hybrids and premium soybean seeds moved from $50 or $100 a unit to $300 or more that seed treatment technology became the norm.
Today, it’s almost unheard of to plant seeds that don’t come with a high-tech seed treatment package tailored to farmers’ specific growing conditions to maximize yield potential. Protecting every seed is key to risk management, and the bottom line.
We’re seeing the same shift with fertilizer. High fertilizer costs are a key driver for adoption of new, better, and more flexible options in biofertilizers. And for farmers, seeing is believing to have confidence before the switch.
Biofertilizers Boost Soil Biology
Fertility doesn’t happen automatically. Even when we add it. We depend on the native flora and fauna in the soil, aka our soil microbiome, to solubilize the nutrients mineralized in fertilizer and convert them into a form plants can use.
But, as is the case in many U.S. agricultural soils, we’ve lost a lot of our natural soil biology. According to a peer-reviewed study published in Advancing Earth and Space Science, about one-third of the annual nitrogen fertilizer applied by U.S. corn farmers is needed to compensate for natural soil fertility lost through erosion and organic matter loss, resulting in “over a half a billion dollars of year in extra fertilizer costs to U.S. farmers.”
So, even before prices shot through the roof, U.S. farmers have been spending money on fertilizer they could have avoided if they had better soil biology. Many farmers recognize the importance of soil health, of course. Hence, between 1987 and 2017 adoption of conservation tillage practices resulted in soil erosion rates on cropland decreasing by 35%. And from 2012 to 2017, acres farmed under conservation tillage practices increased by 28%, while conventional tillage decreased by 24%.
But working to improve soil health can take time farmers don’t always have. On the other hand, US-made biofertilizers are readily available, are competitively priced and are an immediate soil health solution, especially when combined with traditional fertilizers.
Missouri corn and soybean grower Derek Davis said, “We’ve been using SP-1 the last 7-8 years for the improved soil tilth and quick green-up. Now with all the challenges we’ve faced so far this year, it makes sense to tap into SP-1. I tell people it’s like a saltshaker, use a little bit on everything.”
Last year, DPH Bio expanded access to this trusted biofertilizer to growers across the country. TerraTrove™ SP-1 Classic™ delivers a diverse collection of microbes, plant extracts and algae that work in harmony to improve soil structure, make more nutrients available and ultimately increase yield.
As we move into fall harvest, biofertilizers can help farmers looking for a late-season fertilizer side-dress or after-harvest application to lower their fertilizer bill without jeopardizing yields. Plus, the positive benefits of reducing fertilizer applications without jeopardizing yield go far beyond price in the long term.
As farmers begin to plan for next season, the unique properties of TerraTrove™ Residuce® Complete should be taken into account while making plans. Residuce Complete is an ideal post-harvest application in the fall or spring. Residuce Complete accelerates the breakdown of crop residue to nourish the soil, unlocking carbon and enriching the soil more naturally for the next planting season. In addition, Residuce Complete captures nutrient value that would otherwise volatilize and accelerates soil aggregation leading to enhanced nutrient uptake and improved soil health.
In addition, multi-function biofertilizers like DPH Bio’s newly released BioNutrients 7-0-5 is a fertilizer and soil amendment designed to provide N and K while aiding in the conversion of inorganic fertilizer into plant available forms. BioNutrients increases microbial populations in the rhizosphere and enhances resiliency to abiotic stress by aiding in nitrogen fixation and supporting other symbiotic relationships between soil microorganisms and plant growth.
Essentially, biologicals prime the pump for fertility success today and into the future, creating the natural biology that mineralizes nutrients and allows expensive fertilizer inputs to function at peak performance – just like seed treatments do for high-yielding seed genetics.
Soil Amendment Made Easy and Affordable
Farmers depend on soil amendments like compost that are good for their soil. Still, they often end up in an either/or scenario, choosing between buying and spreading a soil amendment versus fertilizer. While in the past they often bet on fertilizer, the best choice would have been both.
That’s where the soil amendment benefits of biologicals shine. TerraTrove SP-1 Classic and biofertility products in the TerraTrove family include multiple strains of beneficial rhizosphere bacteria, humic acid, and kelp extract as well as an NPK 7-0-5 fertility bonus for a combination of soil conditioning products that improve cation exchange and promote a healthier root system. When we package soil-conditioning biofertilizers with traditional fertilizer, growers don’t have to choose between amending their soil versus fertility. They get both while reducing costs and time ultimately improving ROI
For Overall Fertility and Soil Health – Seeing is Believing
DPH Bio have been delivering biofertilizers to farmers for more than three decades. But with fertilizer prices 110% higher than they were in 2020 and no sign of long-term relief in sight, according to the World Bank’s May commodity report, biofertility technology is experiencing a massive surge.
The good news is that biofertilizers are a renewable resource that are not subject to many of the market constraints associated with synthetic fertilizers, which are imported from unstable regions around the world. All DPH Bio products are grown and produced in the U.S. and measures have been taken to scale production to ensure that market demands are met.
Fertilizer prices will (probably) eventually go down, but farmers will always benefit from better farm efficiency. And efficiency, ultimately, is what biologicals have been all about – ensuring farmers get the biggest nutrient bang for every drop (or buck) of fertilizer they apply.