Biology is Fertility™ - A new approach to boosting the impact of biologicals for more nutrients and better soil health

Date:08-01-2023

Meristem Crop Performance^® today announced ″Biology Is Fertility™″, a comprehensive systems approach designed to fully harness the power of biologicals to boost plant nutrition and soil health.

Photo courtesy of Professor James F. White Jr., Rutgers University.
CULTIVATING MICROBES: A cloud of bacteria circle the root tip where bacteria enter root cells.

″These biologicals have all been around and working since God created the earth,″ said Mitch Eviston, Founder and CEO of Meristem Crop Performance in making the announcement. ″It’s only now that we have the technology needed to apply them effectively. Real-farm results across millions of acres show the power of these microbes,″ he continued, ″and it’s because we’ve found ways to keep them alive and boost their concentration with our two patented delivery systems, Bio-Capsule Technology™ and Microbilize™.″ Eviston says it’s time for more farmers to break out and make biologicals the centerpiece of a crop fertility program to:

Enhance Nutrient Use Efficiency. The right biologicals can unlock nutrients tied up in crop residue and build healthier soils through increased biological activity. In essence, they can help you access more of the NPK you already own.

Build Strong, Healthy Plants Faster. Biofertilizers and biostimulants are redefining the term ″starter.″ When added to the furrow, they boost plant nutrition by fixing nitrogen, solubilizing nutrients, and building robust root systems.

Optimize Genetic Potential All Season Long. In-season use of biologicals – enzymes, amino acids, and other plant extracts – along with fungicides and micronutrients, will minimize stress in the crop and maximize yield.

″Plants are cultivating, or farming, these microbes in their roots,″ explains James F. White, Ph.D. professor of Plant Biology at Rutgers University, who has been studying this sustainable cycle for more than 10 years. ″They are essentially attracting these microbes to their roots, internalizing them, extracting nutrients, and then ejecting those microbes back out into the soil to acquire more nutrients.″

Eviston says the ″Biology is Fertility System″ will be centerstage at Meristem’s Breakthrough to Excellence Dealer/Parter event next week in Delavan, Wisconsin, where more than 300 dealers and farmers will gain details and insight from David Hula, Dr. Fred Below, Dr. Conor Sible, Jeff Sommers, Ed Corrigan, Brian Haschemeyer and others.

″Biology is fertility,″ agrees Dr. Brewer Blessitt, a crop consultant and founder of Blythe Bayou Research and Consulting, who will also speak at the meeting. He helps manage 40,000 acres of crops in the mid-south. ″We can put the microbes out there and they will provide nutrients to the plant, and the plant, in return, provides those bugs with energy. This can be a very powerful plant nutrition factory, but you must give it a jump-start.″

Given the benefits, farmers and their agronomists should consider moving $30 out of their traditional fertilizer budget in the fall and at the planter, says Peter Rousonelos, Senior VP of Business Development for Meristem. ″Put those dollars toward igniting this ‘biology-is-fertility’ system. We’re confident it will pay dividends.″ Rousonelos speaks of his own proven step-by-step approach:

1. Make The Most of Nutrients You Already Own.

″Unlock valuable pounds of NPK trapped in crop residue with EXCAVATOR^®, powered by MICROBILIZE™; you may save even more fuel and labor with one less tillage pass. This stuff works.″

2. Manage Nitrogen for Just-in-time Delivery.

″Meristem’s MAINTAIN™ ELITE with Micro-Chain Technology captures and maintains more nitrogen in the upper root zone, increasing nitrogen uptake and utilization at planting time.″

3. Boost the Plant’s Focus on Building Massive Root Systems.

″At planting, use REVLINE HOPPER THROTTLE™, powered by ETHER™ Enzyme Technology, to deliver active, lively microbes to build massive root structures and boost nutrient availability. Growers that have liquid systems on the planter should use UPSHIFT^® C liquid fertilizer concentrate to dramatically reduce the cost compared to traditional starters and jumpstart biologicals that make nutrients available.″

For a complete Meristem ″Biology is Fertility″ position paper, visit www.MeristemAg.com.