Optimizing nitrogen with microbes

Optimal N is difficult to achieve, but when farmers can make it happen, they reap rewards. Pivot Bio PROVEN^®  can help farmers achieve optimal N with microbes.

A good grower always knows where their nitrogen is. It makes sense then, that farmers manage this nutrient meticulously to ensure that the crop gets enough nitrogen throughout the growing season. The weather makes for an unreliable partner though - Mother Nature will send water and wind to carry off the nutrients without much warning. There hasn’t been anything growers can do about that except apply synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in enough excess that the crop is guaranteed to have access to the nutrient throughout the growing season. 

Nitrogen is the cornerstone of a robust agronomic practice. Today’s synthetic nitrogen fertilizer is lost to the environment as a potent pollutant and can also harm the crop itself. Too much nitrogen can cause leaf scorch, with the excess fertilizer burning roots and tender new growth. Applying synthetic nitrogen fertilizer in excess can also mean changes to the pH and salinity of the soil, making it harder for a grower to maximize their yield. Excess nitrogen doesn’t help anyone, not the crop, not the environment, and least of all the farmers who are paying for something they never get to use. We are at nitrogen’s turning point. 

Pivot Bio PROVEN^® makes the conversation about optimum nitrogen possible. Nitrogen-fixing microbes for cereal crops allow farmers to tailor their nitrogen plan by providing daily nitrogen to  the plant that weather cannot access. That means that nitrogen is available during critical growth stages, regardless of what Mother Nature throws at the field. That consistency gives growers the confidence that their crops will have enough nitrogen no matter what and lets growers scale back their application of synthetic nitrogen fertilizer.  

One of the benefits of working with soil microbes is that they are able to help farmers maintain optimal nitrogen conditions without the additional expense that often comes with intensive nutrient management. Pivot Bio PROVEN^® goes down at planting and does its work every day afterwards. There are no additional passes through the field to make, no additional labor to contract, no extra chemistries that need to be purchased to increase the efficiency of an inefficient product. The microbes take care of all four Rs themselves - producing the right rate of nutrition at the right time in the right location. That makes them the right source for grower nitrogen needs. 

By using nitrogen-fixing microbes, farmers can begin to truly optimize nitrogen for their crops, ensuring that the roots have access to this critical nutrient every day. It’s a sustainable practice that means less money gets spent on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer and more money returns to the farmer at harvest. You can see the compiled results of five million data points, hundreds of soil types, commercial growers like yourself, and 6 land-grant universities here. I’m looking forward to visiting even more growers in 2020 and seeing what a difference Pivot Bio PROVEN^® can have on their operations.