Fall has always been my favorite season of the year! Growing up, I loved those days of riding with Grandpa in the combine or going with Dad to the elevator in the grain truck. I stepped outside just this week, and the smell of harvest made me smile. But, the fall season is much different today than those years ago. Today, we have combines that are twice the size, grain carts that hold more corn than the old straight truck we would take to the elevator, and semis carry grain up and down the country roads. Not only has our equipment changed, but our technology and yield potential has also has changed. With all of these changes, does it make sense to use the same fertilization practices of thirty or forty years ago?Updating your fertilizer practices is key to growing more bushels and becoming more profitable.
The ASK® fertility system can help you do just that. ASK is a fertility system that can be customized to your farm's needs and goals. Most fertility recommendations simply look at individual soil test levels and a single yield goal to generate a fertilizer recommendation. An ASK recommendation will take into consideration multiple factors regarding your current fertility levels. ASK will provide nutrient recommendations beyond just phosphate and potash; it provides nutrient recommendations that are unique for every field you farm. The ASK system has the ability to incorporate actual yield data from your yield maps, and if you have multiple years of yield data, the system can even incorporate yield trends from each field. ASK recommendations are the advanced technology needed to re-charge your soils and protect your profitability.
The ASK fertility system doesn’t stop at just advanced fertility recommendations. It also incorporates high-efficiency fertilizer blends. These blends are designed to meet your soil’s fertility needs for phosphorus, potassium, sulfur and micronutrients. An ASK blend is unique in its ability to activate the fertilizer for your crop, maximize fertilizer efficiency, and deliver optimum plant-available nutrition to your growing crop throughout the year.
As you reflect on the changes your farm has seen in the past twenty, thirty or forty years, now is the time to also consider updating your fertility system to a program that will make your fertilizer work harder for you, leading to greater yield potential and higher profit margins! Contact your local Helena representative to learn more.
— Emily Swartz, Helena Product Specialist