A long-term experiment at Iowa State University shows that producers making the switch to organic crops to meet growing market demand fetch premium

prices, build healthy soil and sequester

carbon, making organic agriculture a strategy for

addressing climate change, according to study results

published April 30 in the journal Crop Management.

Organic cropping systems can provide similar or greater yields, higher soil quality and much higher economic returns than a conventional corn-soybean rotation, according to 13 years of data from a side-by-side comparison experiment led by Kathleen Delate, agronomy and horticulture professor at Iowa State University’s Neely-Kinyon Research and Demonstration Farm.

Iowa State University’s Long-Term Agroecological Research (LTAR) experiment began in 1998 with support from the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and is one of the longest-running replicated comparisons of organic and conventional systems in the country.

The LTAR site also has been used as a demonstration plot for U.S. Department of Agriculture studies. Cropping systems at LTAR were designed based on local organic farmer input and practices. Delate’s study found that soils in the organic plots (three- and four-year rotations of corn, soybeans, oats and alfalfa) had significantly higher quality compared to the plots using a conventional two-year rotation of corn and soybeans.

The organic plots had up to 40 percent more biologically active soil organic matter, which is

important for fertility and nutrient availability. Organic soils also had lower acidity and higher amounts of carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous and calcium.

Healthy Soils Increase ResiliencyHealthy soils also hold more water and improve

water infiltration, increasing a farm’s resiliency to drought, heavy rainfall and extreme weather events. Farming practices that build soil health also increase carbon storage in soil, which buffers climate change and contributes to better water quality. The LTAR experiment, located on 17 acres near Greenfield, Iowa, compares four crop rotations using identical varieties that are repeated four times in 44 plots.

The conventional rotation received synthetic nitrogen, herbicides and insecticides according to Iowa State University recommended rates. The organic corn plots received composted manure from a local chicken operation. Weeds are managed by timely tillage, longer crop rotations, cover crops and allelopathic chemicals.

(Source: Organic Trade Association on Organic Farming Methods, Summer 2013)

Organic Producers Fetch Premium Prices, Build Healthy Soil

Fall 2013

Dealer Greg Johnson

NEWS

Organic Plots Show Higher Quality Soils

The AGGRAND Garden Guide (G1292) and the AGGRAND Crop Guide (G2793) recommend frequent fertilization; however, these application rates may stretch the limits of cost effectiveness and convenience for large-scale planting. Profit margins are low enough on many commercial crops that fertilizer applications must be reduced to the absolute minimum necessary to still generate a profitable yield. It’s also important to limit the number of passes over the field to minimize soil compaction.

Research shows that it is important to provide crops with nutrients at specific growth stages to assure the nutrients will be in the plant at the right time to produce enough flowers, fruit and seed as it matures. Crop nutrient uptake rates are different at each growth stage, and crop growth rates vary with crop, variety and growing conditions. So, it makes sense to key fertilizer applications to the growth stages of each crop.

In grains, for example, more than 50 percent of the nutrients required for seed or kernel development come from the stems and leaves, and not the roots, so that’s why it’s important that the plants are adequately supplied with nutrients during early development.

“Plants need extra nutrients during transplanting, early growth and development, pre-bloom, early bloom and fruit formation. Foliar applications are effective in situations where a soil chemistry imbalance, cold soils or low soil fertility limit the root uptake of nutrients. Most plants respond to foliar applications when they are timed to coincide with seedling emergence, 3 -to -6-inch height after two to four true leaves have formed; two to three weeks before first bloom, legumes such as snap beans or soybeans; first bloom, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons; runnering, cucumbers, melons; cluster formation, tomatoes; and fruit fill, tomatoes, melons, cucumbers.” — AGGRAND Foliar Feeding Guide (G2790)

Use the same foliar feeding guidelines outlined above with fruit trees like apples, plums and cherries, and fruiting shrubs like blueberries, currants and chokeberries (aronia). These fruits all exhibit high nutrient demand when leaves open (leaf-out); just prior to blooming; and during fruit fill (as fruit enlarges).

Another key time to apply AGGRAND fertilizers is in late summer or after harvest, when leaves are sending available nutrients back down to the root system for winter storage for next season’s crop.

In a hay or pasture crop, rapid nutrient uptake occurs once some leaf development has taken place, and transpiration of moisture creates an upward flow of soil moisture (and nutrients) into the leaf. So, recommended AGGRAND applications are for when 4 to 6 inches of new growth have appeared in spring or after cutting or grazing.

In the case of corn, which is a very heavy feeder, there are several growth stages where a good response can be obtained by the timely application of AGGRAND. An in-ground, or banded, application at planting assures nutrients will be available for seed germination and early growth.

The next application of fertilizer, at 4 to 6 inches, is timed to coincide with the development of the first true leaves, and rapid early-root development.

An application at 10 to 12 inches is timed to coincide with rapid uptake of nitrogen during stalk elongation and the all-important determination of the number of kernel rows per ear. The last practical application is recommended at 18 to 24 inches, when stabilizing roots are forming, and the number of potential kernels per ear, as well as the size of the ear, is being determined. The rest is up to the weather and how well that variety is suited to the growing environment.

Every crop will respond more vigorously to fertilizer applications that are timed to coincide with critical stages of growth, when the plant is genetically primed for the maximum uptake of nutrients. The timing of these stages will differ from year to year. For the best results, growers need to do whatever they can to get nutrients into the plant as close to those times as possible.

To learn more about the benefits of working with AGGRAND, contact 715-399-6419 or by email at info@aggrand.com.

Fertilizing With AGGRAND: When and WhyBy WALT SANDBECK | FERTILIzER SPECIALIST AT AGGRAND

2 FAll 2013 AGGRAND NEWS

From Walt’s Corner

EvEry crop will rEspond morE vigorously to fErtil-izEr applications that arE timEd to coincidE with criti-cal stagEs of growth, whEn thE plant is gEnEtically primEd for thE maximum uptakE of nutriEnts.

AGGRAND customer Peter Redick of Rochester, Minn. is a commercial garlic grower and the CFO of Annie’s Garlic Ranch. Redick grows organic Chesnok red hardneck garlic to sell in niche markets.

He first used AGGRAND Organic Series Formula and AGGRAND Natural Kelp and Sulfate of Potash in the 2013 season. Redick plants the garlic in raised beds that are 150 feet long and about 6 feet wide. Redick applied AGGRAND organic fertilizer at a rate of 1 quart per 850 square feet. “There’s less spice and more flavor in the hardneck varieties,” he said.

He added AGGRAND Kelp and Sulfate of Potash to his regimen because of unusually wet conditions.

“This year was a bad year for garlic,” Redick said of the 2013 growing season. “It was too wet in the Midwest.”

He followed recommendations from AGGRAND to add Kelp and Sulfate of Potash to his regimen. The kelp product helps protect plants from the potential for diseases that may develop under excessively wet conditions.

Redick said growers in Iowa lost as much as 95 percent of their garlic crops because of the wet conditions. Adding the sulfate of potash helped Redick save as much as 50 percent of his crop. “I grow in raised beds, but there was still too much water,” Redick said. “The season was crazy with the weather.”

Garlic is typically planted in the fall, so Redick has already planted his garlic for the 2014 growing season. “I saved the largest bulbs to continue the crop lines,” Redick said. “My soil is better with the AGGRAND and manure tilled together.”

The best plan is to start small and to add varieties year after year, Redick said.

He used soil analysis results to get specific recommendations for applying AGGRAND fertilizers. He increased fertilization rates when the garlic started to bulb.

Redick said he likes the consistency of the AGGRAND formulas. “you don’t have to worry about it, the formula is the same every time,” he said. “It’s mild, it doesn’t burn the plants and I can put it on as often as I want.”

Another benefit of AGGRAND fertilizers is the ability to apply it to the leaves. “It doesn’t hurt the fruit, and it washes right off without leaving any taste. That’s a key positive, I think. There’s no harmful residue,” he said.

As with many crops, there’s more to garlic than what one finds in the grocery store. “Most of the garlic found in the store is non-organic and grown on a large scale,” Redick said. “The taste is nothing like the organic garlics grown for niche markets.”

Garlic originated in the wild in Central Asia and has more than 5,000 years of history as an important horticultural crop.

The number of genetically different garlic clones under cultivation today is difficult to determine, according to an article by Boundary Garlic Farm, a producer of organic seed garlic varieties. Garlic is extremely adaptable and after a few years in a particular locality it will take on a shape, size, color and flavor characteristic of its new location.

The differences include softneck and hardneck garlics, with many varieties under each classification. Garlic is increasingly popular as consumers discover its health benefits and high antioxidant content, Redick said.

Redick is looking forward to a better season in 2014. “I just know we’re not going to get that kind of weather again,” he said. “We’re not going to get that May snow.”

AGGRAND Fertilizers Help Garlic Farmer Save Crop in Wet Season

AGGRAND NEWS FAll 2013 3AGGRAND application rates and experiences featured here have been submitted by sources independent of AGGRAND. Individual experiences may vary. Optimal application rates can vary due to soil condition, crop type, weather patterns and many other factors. AGGRAND recommends and supports soil analysis to determine optimal application rates.

4 FAll 2013 AGGRAND NEWS

Give Your Display Give Your DisplayAGGRAND has added four new sales tools to its inventory for Dealers. These 24”x18” posters provide a professional look and unifying message for a variety of AGGRAND customers. They can be used in display booths at trade shows and agriculture shows fair displays and anywhere Dealers want to promote AGGRAND products.

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NEWSAGGRAND News is published by the AGGRAND Division of AMSOIL INC.AGGRAND Product and Dealer Information is available from your independent AMSOIL/ALTRUM Dealer, or write to AMSOIL INC., 925 Tower Avenue, Superior, WI 54880 Order AGGRAND Products quickly and easily.Call 1-800-777-7094 and use your VISA/MASTERCARD.

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