AgroFocus Customer Success Story

Upgrading your in-furrow starters to ALPINE G241-S

 The movement to ALPINE’s newer in-furrow starter, ALPINE G241-S continues to happen across Eastern Canada. ALPINE DSM and Certified Crop Advisor, Pierre Pinsonneault works with growers and dealers in Southern Ontario. He does everything he can to bring programs to crop producers that will maximize their fertilizer efficiency, maximizing their economic returns.

Neal Miller, an ALPINE customer who farms near Jerseyville, Ontario, grows corn, soybeans, and wheat. Neal uses 10-34-0 as a starter fertilizer on his corn, which provides some early nitrogen and phosphorus. However, Pierre felt improvements could be made to this program by adding ALPINE Bio-K potassium and ultimately moving to a more available phosphorus source. For the first year of the conversion, Neal added ALPINE K24 to the 10-34-0 to bring potassium in the most soluble form available. The Bio-K form of potassium also contains acetate which is the preferred source of food for soil mycorrhizae. By feeding the soil microbes, nutrient uptake is enhanced, and larger root growth occurs, which in turn brings higher yields when ALPINE Bio-K products are used. Neal was pleased with the mixability of ALPINE K24 and the agromonic performance.

Moving forward a year and striving for even more fertilizer value, Pierre discussed ALPINE G241-S with Neal. This premium in-furrow starter fertilizer contains Bio-K potassium, which Neal had become acquainted with previously, but also has 1% Sulphur and an 80/20 ratio of ortho/poly phosphorus, which has many advantages over the 30/70 ratio provided by the 10-34-0. Plants need phosphorus in the ortho form to be taken up by seedling roots. 

Providing a starter fertilizer with a higher amount of ortho phosphorus ensures young plants get a healthy dose of phosphorus into them and off to a great start. The poly form of phosphorus needs to be converted to the ortho form before it can be taken up by seedling roots. This conversion relies on soil biology, which in turn depend on soil temperature to become more active. Typically with cooler spring soils, the conversion of poly phosphate to ortho can take upwards of three weeks. 

Neil is very pleased with the performance of ALPINE G241-S and how is brings the Bio-K advantage to his corn crop while eliminating mixing two different products together in the busy spring season. He also enjoyed the consistent high quality of ALPINE G241-S compared to 10-34-0.

To learn more about “Maximizing Fertilizer Efficiency” from ALPINE’s qualified team contact your local DSM who can be found by visiting ALPINE’s website, www.alpinepfl.com.