Once the calendar turns to spring, the pressure is on. In many growing regions, the ideal planting window can be frustratingly short, forcing a difficult choice of waiting for perfect conditions that may not arrive, or getting the seed in the ground when you have the chance. It’s a challenge that puts a sharp focus on the ultimate goal of successful planting.
Planting into cool, wet soils can be a gamble. This challenging environment slows the seed’s metabolic processes, leading to delayed, uneven emergence and a stand that struggles to catch up all season. A vulnerable seedling has a harder time accessing soil nutrients. It is more susceptible to early-season diseases, putting yield at risk before the plant is even out of the ground.
To manage these risks, growers need tools that give the seed a built-in advantage. What if you could provide supplemental nutrition directly on the seed coat to fuel early growth while also improving planter performance?
PROTIVATE™ nutritional seed enhancer was developed to meet this exact need. It’s a dual-purpose solution that delivers a package of plant nutrition specifically designed to fuel early-season growth. It supports the crop and replaces the need for talc or graphite to improve seed flow. This combination of benefits is foundational to the PROTIVATE advantage, providing proven yield gains.
Here are five reasons growers are making PROTIVATE a standard part of their planting operations:
1. Delivers targeted early-season nutrition
Cold, damp soil conditions can limit nutrient availability for a newly planted seed. PROTIVATE helps seedlings overcome this early-season stress by placing a highly concentrated source of nutrition directly on the seed coat. This targeted application supports germination potential and promotes vigorous, uniform emergence.
“The first few weeks of the growing season are everything,” said Ben Van Roekel, Iowa corn and soybean producer. “Getting that crop out of the ground uniformly gives you a foundation for the entire season. We see a noticeable difference in early vigor.”
Retailers see that early-season support as a clear advantage for their customers as well.
“There's a lot of stress as we're planting earlier and earlier all the time,” said Cliff Bailey, owner of Sunset Seeds, Inc. of Missouri. “Products like PROTIVATE add a lot of value when those crops are planted to get them up, get them going and get them established.”
2. Improves planter performance and seed flow
Beyond its nutritional benefits, PROTIVATE improves lubricity and flowability when added to the planter box. By replacing talc and graphite, it helps achieve better seed singulation, which is key to avoiding costly skips and doubles that can compromise final stand count. It performs reliably as a seed-fluency source, even in high-humidity conditions.
“My earliest seed treatment that I used to put out, I had problems with it either caking up and causing the seed not to flow into the seed tubes,” said Bud Price, grower, South Carolina. “Since I've changed over to PROTIVATE, I have not had any problem with the seed coating. It allows the flow of my seed.”
3. Provides a consistent yield advantage
A strong, uniform start frequently translates to a stronger finish at harvest. Data collected over five years and across 19 trials shows that corn treated with PROTIVATE had a 4 bushel per acre (bu/ac) yield advantage.¹ In soybeans, PROTIVATE demonstrated a 2.2 bu/ac yield advantage when the planting date was moved 10 to 14 days earlier than the standard date, a time when conditions are often challenging.2
For Nebraska corn grower Seth Mangels, that yield advantage begins with getting more plants out of the ground on day one.
“We saw more plants emerging from the PROTIVATE-treated corn plot on Day 1 and continuing on Days 2 and 3 compared to the untreated,” said Mangels. “At the end of the season, there was a huge difference between the Day 1 and Day 3 ears. Ultimately, we saw increased yields.”
“My biggest takeaway from the growing season and going through the trials is the consistency,” said Van Roekel. “When you think back to when we pulled back ears, the consistency in ear length, ear width and amount of kernels was notable on the PROTIVATE side.”
For other growers, this consistent performance provides valuable peace of mind by eliminating costly setbacks.
“The benefit from our seed treatment is we have not had to replant corn in the last four years,” said Price. “None at all.”
4. Offers flexibility for any operation
There is no one-size-fits-all approach to farming, and PROTIVATE was designed with that in mind. Its multiple formulations accommodate a wide variety of crops, including corn, soybeans, cotton and wheat, and can fit the equipment available for growers or retailers.
While the application methods offer flexibility, the core nutritional package is consistent. Each formulation contains phosphate, manganese and zinc. These nutrients help support shoot and root growth during crop establishment, aid photosynthesis and drive the metabolic reactions a plant needs to reach optimal yield potential.
“This is a great product,” emphasized Chris Buckentin, Minnesota corn grower and KAS product service advisor. “Number 1, I get the 80/20 talc-graphite product to help the planter run smoothly. Number 2, I get nutrients on every seed. It’s like a bonus.”
5. Delivers a clear return on investment
Every input needs to justify its place in the budget. The yield benefits of PROTIVATE create a clear financial return. Based on five years of corn trials, the 4 bu/ac yield advantage can equal a return of more than $15 per acre from a $2.50 per acre investment.* This positive ROI makes it a sound agronomic and economic decision.
“We had a positive financial return the first year we used it,” said Mangels. “It's an economical, easy-to-use enhancement to what we are already doing.”
“At the end of the day, the numbers have to work,” said Van Roekel. “When you see a consistent return like we do with PROTIVATE, it’s an easy decision to make it a standard part of our program.”
By providing both early-season nutrition and improved plantability, PROTIVATE helps establish a healthier, more uniform crop that is better positioned for higher yields and greater profitability potential. Learn more about the proven yield gains seen across multiple crops and talk to your local KAS representative to find the right formulation for your operation.
¹The underlying data was provided by AgRevival, Agrithority, Michigan Ag Commodities, Alpha Ag Research, SGS North America, Stoneville R&D, and Tidewater Agronomics under a Research Trial Financial Support Agreements with Koch Agronomic Services, LLC. Neither the universities, institutions, nor the individual researchers referenced, endorse or recommend any product or service. Improvements in yield and nutrient use efficiency may not be observed in all cases.
²The underlying data was provided by AgRevival, Agrithority, Michigan Ag Commodities, Alpha Ag Research, SGS North America, Stoneville R&D, and Tidewater Agronomics under a Research Trial Financial Support Agreements with Koch Agronomic Services, LLC. Neither the universities, institutions, nor the individual researchers referenced, endorse or recommend any product or service. Improvements in yield and nutrient use efficiency may not be observed in all cases.
*Calculations are based on MSRP price. Prices will vary by location. Cost of seed per acre is an example based on market price and average seeding rate of 35K seeds per acre. Seeding rate and kernels per bag will vary by
