Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84 Page 85 Page 86 Page 87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92 Page 93 Page 94 Page 95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108 Page 109 Page 110 Page 111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114 Page 115 Page 116 Page 117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122 Page 123 Page 124 Page 125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130 Page 131 Page 132 Page 133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138 Page 139 Page 140 Page 141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148the seedlings to get out of the ground and protect against pests found in the soil. This helps to improve early seedling vigor, enhance root growth and more uniform emergence — all leading to higher yield potential. FMC and Bayer aren’t the only ones focused on provid- ing the seed protection in the furrow. West Central Distribution, in Willmar, Minn., has part- nered with BASF, Dow AgroSciences, FMC and Nufarm and created Leaders of In-Furrow Technology, or LIFT, to educate the agricul- tural industry about the ben- efits of an in-furrow system that includes a total program of crop nutrients, plant health products, fertilizer compatible insecticides and customized seed treatments. West Central offers the LIFT package to retailers in 23 Corn Belt states. “Against the backdrop of lower commodity prices and the intensified focus on production techniques, LIFT capitalizes on new findings in nutrient-efficiency manage- ment and delivery technol- ogy,” says Dean Hendrickson, LIFT vice president of mar- keting. Delivering Nutrients In the area of plant nutrition, Brian Kuehl, West Central director of product develop- ment, says there have been recent developments with fertilizers possessing new or different combinations of plant food analyses with advancements in the science of formulating fertilizers. “Many opportunities still exist in providing the right amount of the right nutri- ents at the right place and time,” he says, explaining that starter fertilizer was one of the first attempts to recog- nize that nutrients placed close to the developing seed- ling can provide the young plants with easy access to important nutrients at a rela- tively stressful time. Kuehl says that starter fertilizers take advantage of placement, formulation, and timing to provide develop- ing seedlings with important nutrients when and where they need them. “Modern liquid formula- tions are more easily and conveniently metered and are also capable of being placed in the furrow with the seed,” he says. “This has opened the door for the ultimate in early seedling access to important nutrients. “Placing nutrients in the furrow with the seed means immediate access to certain macro and micronutrients that assist with the enzymatic breakdown of seed starches resulting in quicker access to energy reserves and faster germination and emergence. Additionally, placement in the furrow requires minimal addi- tional iron or plumbing on the planter compared to a more traditional 2 x 2 placement.” When one considers the agriculture revolution of the last century, there were sig- nificant crop yield advance- ments made due to major advancements in farming equipment, fertilizers, pest control products, genetics, and most recently genetic engineering. Kuehl says that over the next century, we will be asked to continue this agricul- tural revolution and this will certainly require continued synergies across agricultural arenas. Under Achieving? But one University of Illinois plant physiologist points out that today’s elite corn genetics have the potential to hit 400 and 500 bushels per acre. It’s helping farmers figure out how to preserve the yield potential that already exists. Fred Below points to national corn yield contest winners to illustrate how much potential today’s corn genetics offer. “There’s a huge yield gap between the yields most growers get and what is pos- sible,” says Below. Last year, the winning yield in every category of the National Corn Growers Association yield contest exceeded 300 bushels per acre. Six winners topped 400 bushels per acre, and the overall winner surpassed 500 bushels per acre. “We are starting to see the synergistic effect of where a fungicide combined with an insecticide and a starter fer- tilizer enhances and protects the plant or seedling growth,” Below adds. “Having the nutrients there can start the plant off on a faster growth trajectory.” Kuehl agrees. “In-furrow placement of crop inputs fits into this strategy perfectly when you consider that it not only provides excellent placement opportunity for nutrients, but it also provides a mechanism for the placement of other important synergistic crop inputs including fungicides, DECEMBER 2016 SEEDWORLD.COM / 39 Maximum yield potential is said to exist before the bag of seed is ever opened. In-furrow technology may help farmers realize that potential.