Thirteen years of Consistent Results with ALPINE Liquid Fertilizer
By: Larry Balion
Comments: 0
Thirteen years ago, soil chemistry and agronomy led Brad Hanmer to use ALPINE liquid fertilizer to provide in-furrow liquid orthophosphate in his farm’s challenging soil. He still uses ALPINE G22 today because he’s seen it consistently deliver results, and he’s benefited from the ability to use his ALPINE delivery system to easily apply other nutrients and inoculants to his crops if he needs them.
Hanmer chose to move to liquid fertilizer because of the science behind the product. His farm in Saskatchewan has high pH, high Ca and high Mg soil that ties up nutrients, so he needed a way to deliver available phosphorous to the plants during seeding.
ALPINE G22 does not require warm soil and moisture to convert to plant available orthophosphate unlike other phosphate sources. It is readily available and can be used up by emerging seedlings regardless of the soil condition. Its benefits are magnified in cold, dry soil, but Hanmer has seen it work consistently in his farm’s challenging soil conditions regardless of temperature or moisture levels.
While Hanmer originally used ALPINE G22 liquid fertilizer because of the science, its performance along with consistency and quality has made the company a trusted partner.
“ALPINE is a true hot mix product,” says Hanmer, speaking of the manufacturing process the company uses to create its liquid fertilizer. “They provide a new molecule from clean sources as opposed to a suspension-based orthophosphate or by-product based liquid fertilizers.”
After his ALPINE District Sales Manager helped Hanmer set up the equipment to store and deliver the fertilizer, he found he had a mechanism that made it easy to deliver beneficial ingredients, like micro-nutrients or inoculants, at seeding and in foliar nutrition programs developed in concert with the ALPINE technical team. That ability combined with one-on-one support has helped him get the best crop possible, even in the most challenging years.
While Hanmer’s operation runs five drills each seeding about 6,000 acres, he believes the advantage of ALPINE liquid fertilizer is the same regardless of the farm size simply because all crops require quality nutrients to reach their agronomic potential. ALPINE allows him to deliver them in the right form, at the right rate, in the right place, at the right time.
“I have not forgotten when my first ALPINE rep told me that in our type of soil their ALPINE G22 would provide a highly available, concentrated, safe phosphorous as a solution to the limitations caused by my soil,” says Hanmer. “That holds true 13 years later.”
LOOKING AT THE DATA
As crop growers, it must be nearly a full time job at times of the year trying to analyze all the plots, side-by-side trials and government information to make an informed and economically beneficial management decision regarding management practices for your operation.
SOYBEAN TOP PODS…. WHAT ARE THEY WORTH?
We’ve all walked soybean fields and observed how sometimes the top cluster of pods is finished nicely and sometimes they aren’t. Many use the term “Florida pods” to describe these, since the yield from them represent the extra profit that can take the family on a trip to Florida.
PROTECTING YOUR INOCULANTS AND BIOLOGICALS
This is a must do!!
REMEMBER – These are living organisms that need to be protected and handled with care!!
BABY STEPS TO BIGGER YIELDS
It’s the time of year when all of us in crop production start doing the analyzing about what we did right or wrong in this year’s cropping program. ALPINE’s the same in that we look over yield data from the many plots we put out each season, trying to find new and different products to boost grower’s profits.
WHEAT PLANTING 2017
Wheat planting season will soon be upon us and it is important to plan ahead before putting the first seed in the ground. The previous crop has a part to play in planting this year’s wheat.Read more
4R’S ON YOUR FARM
On the educational circuit this winter, discussion around the 4R’s is in the forefront of cropping systems topics. By now hopefully everyone understands what the 4R’s represent in managing a crop fertility program: 1) the right source 2) the right placement 3) the right rate and 4) the right timing.
2 X 2 EQUALS?
In today’s agriculture, the buzz word is “precision”. Sometimes we jump over the basics and directly to “high tech”.
ROOTS ‘R US
When was the last time you dug a corn plant or soybean plant in a field to take a look at the roots? They are out of sight and they are quite often out of mind.
MY TOUGHEST CRITIC
During the course of any year on our farm we usually go through a similar cycle. I come up with some crazy idea that I heard at a farm show somewhere or my favorite – from a customer who is having good results with something that is a non typical approach to a common problem. Really the direct interaction with the farmers I interact with makes me a much better farmer. The passion, ideas, drive and ability never stops inspiring me – but I digress. The cycle then continues with selling the idea or concept to my dad, some fail and some succeed. The next step is me figuring out a way to put the approved idea into action. Once the combine rolls in the fall the proof will be in the pudding so to speak, and then comes the judgment phase of our cycle when my dad determines whether he feels it was a success or a failure. This is also the point where I try to quantify the changes and resell him on why we did what we did.