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Using a nitrogen stabilizer is one way you can help to ensure your nitrogen investment and protect yourself from whatever this spring may have in store for you.
"Talking with your retailer now is a good idea," says Jared Miller, master agronomy advisor for MKC. "It gives you time to look at what worked, what didn’t, and what your options are for the next growing season."

Putting a plan in place and then knowing what to do if conditions change should give you peace of mind that you’re prepared for what may come your way.

Tim Laatsch, a farmer for more than 20 years in southern Illinois, is the director of North America agronomy for Koch Agronomic Services (Koch). He begins by following the best practices of 4R Nutrient Stewardship on his operation and supports having nitrogen management conversations in advance.

"Each grower needs to think through their options for managing nitrogen in order to reach their optimal yields," says Laatsch. “Knowing that you are doing all you can to prepare for whatever spring will bring and not having to rush into a decision should put your mind at ease.”

Laatsch says he knows there are growers who unfortunately aren’t protecting the nitrogen they’re putting down in either spring or fall.

"Depending on the source, nitrogen is vulnerable to losses immediately following application or shortly thereafter," he says. "If spring weather favors loss, nitrogen stabilizers will protect a grower’s nitrogen investment — preventing losses of valuable inputs to the water and the air, while avoiding added costs for rescue applications and sizable opportunity cost of lost yield."

SPRING NITROGEN PROTECTION

There are many nitrogen loss myths — from false thinking that cold weather prevents loss of fall-applied nitrogen, to spring-applied nitrogen being safe from loss since it’s being applied closer to planting. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your nitrogen needs protected.

"The weather in spring can be unpredictable," says Ed August, operations manager for Meherrin Ag. “A nitrogen stabilizer in general is pretty necessary. And at the end of the day, it’s the right thing to do.”

According to August, the vast majority of his growers are protecting their nitrogen with a stabilizer. Roughly 95 percent of them are using ANVOL™ nitrogen stabilizer to keep their investment safe.

ANVOL provides the longest-lasting protection against above-ground nitrogen loss — ideal for your spring applications.

Like its predecessor AGROTAIN™, ANVOL minimizes ammonia volatilization but has proven to extend the window of protection even longer. Dual active ingredients make the difference. NBPT, the same active ingredient found in AGROTAIN, blocks the hydrolysis of urea as soon as it’s applied. Then Duromide, Koch’s patented molecule, kicks in to keep that protection going longer than NPBT alone. That gives your fertilizer even more time before it has to be incorporated, helping to maximize nitrogen availability in your fields and providing a higher return on investment.

ANVOL YIELDS

In a 2019 Michigan study¹, UAN treated with ANVOL yielded 27 more bushels per acre of corn than untreated UAN. This yield increase was due to Duromide, which increases the window of inhibition by up to 27 percent compared to NBPT alone.

August added that there are several operational benefits to using ANVOL due to its higher active-ingredient concentration which enables a lower application rate. Benefits include fewer delays from spinner blade buildup compared to other products where you use twice as much product as ANVOL.

According to August, his team and the growers they work with are both very happy using ANVOL.

"Almost every ton that left my facility was treated with ANVOL to try to keep that nitrogen available for the plant as long as possible," he says. "Our growers saw positive results. We cut the best corn crop we have ever grown."

¹The underlying data was provided by Michigan State University under a Research Trial Financial Support Agreement with Koch Agronomic Services, LLC. Neither these 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.
The 4R approach is endorsed and supported by the International Plant Nutrition Institute, The Fertilizer Institute, the Canadian Fertilizer Institute and the International Fertilizer Industry Association.

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