Strip-Till & TerraNu® Fertilizer: A Q&A with Duane Siegenthaler

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Where does TerraNu® fit in my current strip-till program?

TerraNu MicroPack™, TerraNu Calcium™ and TerraNu Ignite™ will fit conveniently into your dry fertilizer program. They can be used as a standalone or added to your dry fertilizer program. TerraNu fertilizers use a new technology, combining fertilizer nutrients with carbon and biological stimulants that result in improved nutrient use efficiency and better soil health. 

Can I blend TerraNu with other fertilizers that I apply?

Yes. TerraNu Ignite can be used as a stand-alone fertilizer or blended with your dry fertilizer at rates of 100-200 lbs./acre. It is a homogenized, low chloride, complete fertilizer blend that works in the root zone to maximize soil and root health while providing balanced nutrition for your crop. TerraNu MicroPack and TerraNu Calcium are excellent additions to your current P and K dry fertilizer blend. TerraNu MicroPack provides a balanced blend of micronutrients that maximizes plant uptake to get the most out of your fertilizer dollar. TerraNu Calcium provides sulfur and calcium along with boron as an essential micronutrient that works with calcium to build strong cell walls and healthy roots.

What is the bulk density of TerraNu? How does that impact application?

The bulk density ranges from 40 to 48 lbs/ft3, with Ignite on the lighter side and MicroPack on the heavier side. The TerraNu manufacturing process produces a hard granule (for good dust control) with a good bulk density for blending with other dry fertilizers. Many strip-tillers used TerraNu this year and application went smoothly.

Will using TerraNu improve soil health in my strip zone?

Yes. TerraNu fertilizers are designed to provide soil health benefits in an easy-to-apply granule that maximizes nutrient use efficiency. The carbon base of TerraNu, combined with natural biological stimulants, feeds your soil biology and promotes a strong population of beneficial soil organisms and better soil health.

What kind of results are you observing in the field?

The TerraNu products are showing good results so far this year. Strip-tillers in particular like what they’re seeing. A strip-till farmer from Indiana applied TerraNu to over 1,000 acres this year. They blended TerraNu with other dry fertilizers and reported the fertilizer flowed well and was easy to handle. Their crop has looked great during the growing season, and they are excited to apply TerraNu again on the acres they strip-till on their 4,000 acre farm.

Chad Peterson of Peterson Grain Farms in Illinois said, “We applied 100 lbs./acre of TerraNu Ignite on our corn acres in a spring strip-till refresh pass using our Soil Warrior. TerraNu Ignite was easy to load and metered flawlessly through the machine. The crop looks great, and we are excited to see the results this fall.”

More results will be coming in over the next couple of months, but if what we’re seeing in early results holds true, we’re going to have some great yields along with the added soil health benefits from the TerraNu products!

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