Yara's Crop Nutrition podcast

In our last podcast, we looked back in history with a couple Ag Leaders, Dr. Bill Easterwood and Dr. Steve Petrie. In this episode, we speak with Brian Kenyon, VP of Innovation and Sustainable Solutions. How can we move from short-term to long-term profit through innovation and a circular economy? Brian give us his top innovations that can lead us to a nature possitive food future. Brian Kenyon retired at the end of 2022 after 14 years with Yara where he has held many roles from product and market development to commercial, to his last role as VP of Innovation and Sustainable Solutions. His perspective and experience give him a wholistic view of agriculture into the future. Brian mentioned Paul Pulman's book Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take. Check out this article on Yara's leadership in Green Ammonia.

One of Yara's goals is to grow the knowledge of our community. Today we are fortunate to talk with Dr. Bill Easterwood and Dr. Steve Petrie. Both have been working in agriculture for over 70 year combined. They have learned a lot and seen a lot of changes over their carrers. We sit down with them to give us perspective on our industry and what amazing opportunities we have in the future. Dr. Bill Easterwood is retiring this year after 31 years with Yara. Dr. Steve Petrie retired from Yara last year. We are fotunate to have all worked and learned from them.

This is the fourth episode in a series that will help us understand soil analysis and how it can be beneficial as you create a complete nutrition plan. In this episode, we discuss what we do with the soil analysis report we get back from the lab. How do we interpret these results and create a nutrition plan that will create the optimal ROI for your field and crop. It might be beneficial to listen to the previous episodes: Is There Value in Soil Analysis What You Need To Know When You Are Taking Soil Samples Soil Analysis - Lab Considerations and Analytical Processes If you have any questions or want to learn more, please visit Yara US or Yara Canada If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment

This is the third episode in a series that will help us understand soil analysis and how it can be beneficial as you create a complete nutrition plan. In this episode, we talk about how to select a lab, what types of tests a lab can run, and what you should know about the process that might help with the interpretation. It might be beneficial to listen to the previous episodes: Is There Value in Soil Analysis What You Need To Know When You Are Taking Soil Samples Check out this 2:00-minute VIDEO that shows what happens when your soil samples arrive at the lab. Here are a couple of organizations that make sure labs are proficient in their protocols and a list of labs that have been certified: NAPT North American Proficiency Testing Program ALP Agricultural Laboratory Proficiency Program If you have any questions or want to learn more, please visit Yara US or Yara Canada If you have any comments or suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment

This is part 2 of our soil analysis series. In this episode, we discuss when, where and how to take soil samples that you will send to the lab. We discuss the differences between grid sampling vs. zone sampling and composite sampling. Listen to our first episode when we discussed why or if you should do soil analysis HERE

Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara North America's Director of Agronomic Services, helps us understand the origin of using phosphorus for plants and how this has changed over the years. We discuss what the future of phosphorus might look like too. Read Dr. Rob's article we reference HERE Check out a couple of our favorite episodes: An Unsung Hero: Norman Borlaug The Alchemy of Air with author Thomas Hager

We have stated that soil analysis should be your baseline & starting point for developing a good nutrition plan for your crops. Is this still the case? Are there better ways to determine what the plant needs to maximize its genetic potential? Are soil tests accurate? What about spatial variability? Do they cost too much money? Are tissue/petiole tests better? In this part 1 of a series of episodes focused on soil analysis, Dr. Rob Mikkelsen and Markus Braaten discuss these questions and if and how soil analysis should be integrated into your workflow. As we work through these topics, we would love to hear from YOU. If you have comments or questions, please submit them by clicking HERE or emailing [email protected].

There are many variables in farming. Distruptions are a challenge that growers are atuned to recognizing and making decisions that can minimize the impact. Gary Vogen, Yara North America's VP of Corporate and Regulatory Affairs joins Dr. Rob Mikkelsen and Devin Clarke to discuss some of the new regulatory issues that are specific to fertilizers and how they might effect agriculture.

Permanant Crop Manager, Devin Clarke, talks about the importance of post harvest irrigation on almonds relative to carbohydrate production and storage. It is the only time that we can build carbohydrates in excess of what the tree is demanding and store for the coming bloom resulting in improved yields. This episode originally aired in the fall of 2018 when we weren't in an extreme drought. In this episode Yara's Regional Sales Manager, Peter DeBoer, and Spencer Cooper, formerly with the Almond Board of California discuss strategies to properly irrigate almonds post harvest. If you would like further information, please visit This article on Yara's web site The Almond Board of California's Irrigation Continuum Get in touch with the field outreach team at the Almond Board of California

Crop Manager Delaine Mandziak, gives us an update on the activities on one of our four North America Incubator Farms. Listen to our introduction to this farm on our initial episode about this Farm. Delaine talks about the devestating drought conditions they have endured throughout Western Canada and they unexpected learnings from this. She also updates us on the 2022 observational data and the importance of a complete nutrition program during these challenging times. The Saskatoon incubator farm is 80-acres of row crops that feature Western Canada's cropping system including canola, wheat, barley, peas, lentils, etc. To find out more about the Saskatoon field click HERE Yara has created these incubator farms in North America with collaborative efforts with customers, partners, and various technology providers, Yara plans to utilize these farms to study and advance insights into all aspects of the cropping system. To find out more about the incubator farms click HERE.

One in three people in the world suffer from a tragic condition called hidden hunger. Hidden hunger is when a person might appear healthy but their diets are low in nutrients and vitamins making them vulnerable to illness and disease including blindness, reduced cognative development, stunted growth, etc. Agriculture and the food channel can help solve this problem by using seed varieties that are more nutritious and using a balanced nutritional plan when growing these crops. Dr. Rob Mikkelsen joins us to discuss what biofortification, why it is important and how our industry can improve the diets of the worlds population.

Dr. Trey Cutts, Market Development Manager for Yara North America, gives us an update on the 80-acre incubator farm we are working in Auburn, Alabama. This is the 4th growing season for the farm that grows corn, cotton and soybeans. Listen to our past episode on this incubator farm Learn more about the incubator farm

Dr. Bill Easterwood, Kelsay Gunthorp and Richard Newman help us understand citrus nutrition, how to manage HLB and some of the new research that has been done in the last year with Yara and with the University of Florida. Check out or previous Citrus episode, "Complete Citrus: Good Agronomics Always Win" Learn more about Yara's Complete Citrus solution HERE Learn more about Citrus from University of Florida

Erika Wagner, Yara Crop Manager, updates us on the 130-acre Columbia Basin Incubator Farm focused mainly on potato. She discusses the weather challenges they had early in the year and some of the preliminary findings from the 2022 season. Watch this short video about the Columbia Basin Incubator Farm Listen to our previous episode on the Columbia Basin Incubator Farm Learn more about Yara's Top Potato Program HERE

Into our third full year at our Modesto, California Incubator Farm, Devin Clarke, Crop Manager, stops by to give us an update on what we are learning. Here is the episode where we explain the purpose of our incubator farms. To find out more about the Modesto almond field click HERE Learn more about almond nutrition HERE Learn more about the Better Soil Alliance

Alfalfa is an important crop for us: grown on an extimated 74 million acres world-wide. North America is the highest producer, representing 41% of the world-wide total. Among US crops, alfalfa is the 3rd in value after corn and soybeans with over $8 billion annually. However, this doesn't include the value of dairy and other animal products. One of the unique properties of alfala and other legume crops, is that they can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere via nodules on the roots that contain bacteria. This process is called nitrogen fixation. So why would we want to add suplimental nitrogen and other nutrients to the crop? Yara agronomists, Jimmy Ridgeway and Markus Bratten,CCA help us understand why. Check out the article Jimmy wrote on alfalfa nutrition.

This week, Sales Agronomist, Brady Stover 'tees-up' all the tips and tricks that he's learned over the years for pulling soil samples - from transporting your probe to creating a randomized pattern in the field. 00:00 Intro 01:16 What is soil sampling 04:03 Determining a sampling pattern 06:44 In-field considerations 07:54 Pulling a sample 11:16 Bagging the sample 12:53 Selecting which test to run

Yara has added a fourth incubator farm to our North America efforts to collaborate and learn. This one is located in the Columbia Basin in Washington in some of the highest yielding potato acres in the world. In this episode, Erika Wagner, Crop Manager, and Brady Stover, Sales Agronomist will join us to explain what we are trying to accomplish on these 130-acre fields. Watch this short video about the potato farm Through collaborative efforts with customers, partners, and various technology providers, Yara plans to utilize these incubator farms to study and advance insights into all aspects of the cropping system. To find out more about all our incubator farms click HERE.

Agriculture is a dynamic business. Food security and farming sustainability are key for our growing population and issues with inputs. What should we be thinking about and how can we collaborate to find solutions?

This week, Yara's Sales Agronomist Brady Stover takes advantage of a warm day to drop the top and hit the field. Find out what you need to consider when applying fertilizer early in the spring.

In this episode we play the introduction to a new podcast, Carbon Farming Podcast, a podcast produced by Agoro Carbon Alliance. Agoro Carbon Alliance is taking action across the global food value chain to grow a permanent, farm-based carbon solution through Farm Carbon Credits and certified climate-smart crops. One question that we hear more often than any other is: so what is carbon farming, anyway? In this introduction of the Carbon Farming Podcast, Alex Bell, co-founder and CEO of Agoro Carbon Alliance and Anastasia Pavlovic, co-founder and COO of Agoro Carbon Alliance help us understand what the carbon marketplace is and how it works. Agoro Carbon Alliance was formed to help farmers and ranchers, in future episodes, we'll chat with individuals in the carbon farming value chain so that we can better understand how to strengthen our farms and ranches while sustaining our future. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe to the Carbon Farming Podcast If you have comments or suggestions, please the Agoro Carbon Alliance's website or call 888-224-7423. And be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn

In the final video of our nutrient series, Yara's Sales Agronomist Brady Stover comes clean on the use of magnesium in crops.

When managing your turf nutrition program, it is important to know your soil Ph. This will help you determine the correct 4Rs for your comprehensive program. Yara's turf team of Neil Mayberry, Crop Manager for T&O, joins sales agronomists Brian Grill and Cole McNally to help us understand soil Ph and why it is an important factor before deciding on your nitrogen program. Learn more and sign up for our Optimum Turf Newsletter at our Optimum Turf web page.

In this video podcast, Yara Sales Agronomist Brady Stover, explains the importance of Boron in crop Nutrition.

Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara's Director of Agronomic Services, joins us again to bust a common myth that organic fertilizers are preferred by plants. To learn more about Yara please visit us at https://www.yara.us https://www.yaracanada.ca

When we think of pennys, we typically think of copper, but in the last 40 years, Zinc has been the main ingredient in manufacturing US pennys. In this video podcast, Yara Sales Agronomist Brady Stover, explains the basics of zinc as a fertilizer.

2022 is another challenging year for farms. Input costs are rising and availability might be limited. As we look to be more efficient with these inputs, change is critical. Peter DeBoer, Yara Regional Sales Manager for Northern California, helps us understand three strategies to be more efficient with our inputs while ensuring profitability and sustainability.

We recently received a comment and question on our podcast web page that had to do with how Iron (Fe) interacts with turf and how it can help with greening. Yara's turf team of Neil Mayberry, Crop Manager for T&O, with sales agronomists Brian Grill and Cole McNally address this question and help us all understant the interaction of Fe on Turf. Learn more and sign up for our Optimum Turf Newsletter at our Optimum Turf web page. Brian mentioned THIS article about Fe on Turf.

Here is a statement that I read on the internet recently, "...while fertilizers make crops grow better and faster, half of the fixed nitrogen we add is lost. Imagine that--we lose the equivalent of 12 million nitrogen elephants (~165 billion pounds) every year" Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara's Director of Agronomic Services, helps us understand this statement and bust this myth. Submit a comment, question or suggestion by visiting our podcast webpage

This week, Yara's Sales Agronomist Brady Stover explains how Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel has impacted the availability of sulfur fertilizer and discusses the benefits of an often-overlooked nutrient. If you have a question, comment or suggestion, please go to our podcast webpage and let us know.

Dr. Rob Mikkelsen insists that good science rules the day. We look at the statement that mineral fertilizers are poisoning the soil and reduce agricultural productivity and is food grown with mineral fertilizers are less nutritious. He explains that an integrated nutrient management system to acheive the best results. Dr. Rob helps us understand the chemistry, plant physiology and the science-based research in order for us to understand and bust these myths. Rob mentions the Rothamstead Research Center, one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843. If you have comments or suggestions on this episode or this podcast, please comment on our web site

In Episode 3 of this VIDEO PODCAST, Yara's Sales Agronomist in the Pacific Northwest, Brady Stover, provides insight on the origins of potassium. He explains potassium's essential roll in plants, its various forms and how to best apply it.

Should we be afraid of sythetic fertiilzers? Are synthetic fertilizers bad for us? Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara's Director of Agronomic Services, helps us bust some myths about fertilizers and agronomy. In this episode, Rob takes on the statement that mineral fertilizers are not natural. There are many different categories/definitions of fertilizers: organic, natural, mineral, sythetic. Rob helps us define and understand these terms and understand IF there is a danger with mineral fertilizers.

In our second installment of the video podcast series, Yara's Sales Agronomist in the Pacific Northwest, Brady Stover, tests out an unconventional healing method and breaks down the mystery of phosphorus.

Drought in the western United States will continue to be a problem in 2022. What are your strategies for improving water productivity? In this episode, Dr. Karl Wyant discusses how soil microbes can help your soil structure and biology allowing for effective penetration and better infiltration. Once the water is in the soil, the soil bacteria and fungi produce sticky gluelike substances that bind the soil particles and improve the water holding capacity of the soil. Spring is a great time to begin or renew your healthy soil program and take advantage of the water you are applying. You can read more in Dr. Wyant's article in Progressive Crop Consultant and visit these web sites: Better Soil Alliance Phycoterra Our other soil-related episodes with Dr. Wyant: Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt part 2 Reducing Drought Stress with Healthier Soils Dr. Wyant is the Director of Ag Science for Heliae Ag. He earned a PhD in Biology from the Arizona State University with an emphasis in soil science. He also earned a Master of Science in Soil Ecology from Colorado State University and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from University of Northern Colorado.

Yara Sales Agronomist, Brady Stover, explains that our air is 78% nitrogen but our plants cannot use it. Why? He explains the industrial process that was discovered 110 years ago that allows us to convert this atmospheric N to a form that is usable by plants. He continues to explain how to effectively use different N sources by using the 4 R's of nutrient stewardship.

Why are the prices so high and limited availability? How can we maximize our economic yeilds? Yara's Dr. Rob Mikkelsen and Chris Gallo join to discuss pricing and availability issues. We look at the 2022 forecast and what growers and their advisors can do to manage. We talk about Difference between maximum yield and maximum economic yield How to maximize fertilizer use efficiency Role of balanced nutrition Value of soil and tissue samples Focus on ALL of the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship not just the Right Rate Value of staying flexible and dynamic as the season rolls out

In modern farming we need to use synthetic fertilizers in order to grow enough food for our world's population. Are these fertilizers healthy of our soils or hurting our soils? Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara North America's Director of Agronomic Services. Like any tool, we need to use these fertilizers properly. If we don't, we can harm the soil. However, if we implement the 4 Rs of nutrient stewardship to maximize our nutrient use and improve the soil health. We mentioned a couple episodes regarding soil health with Dr. Karl Wyant: Don't Treat your Soil Like Dirt -Part 1 Don't Treat you Soil Like Dirt - Part 2

Sulfur is a constituent of amino acids in plant proteins and is involved in energy-producing processes in plants. Sometimes a deficiency can be mistaken for Nitrogen deficiency. Dr. Rob Mikkelsen helps us understand how a plant uses sulfur and how to diagnose a deficiency. We also talk about the 4Rs of this nutrient to maximize its efficient use. Find out more about specific crop deficiencies HERE Find out more about Yara's solutions for sulfur, AMIDAS

Extremely dry conditions in 2021 at our Saskatoon, Canada incubator farm were looking grim for the research we were conducting. 15% of the average rainfall resulted in poor crop growth on the canola and wheat crops. But looking at some of the data, we found that the Yara complete nutritional treatments showed that the plants were actually able to use more of the water they did receive resulting in earlier root development and access to the stored water in soil deeper then the grower standard. Delaine Mandziak, Yara Crop Manager, and Markus Braaten, Market Development Manager, join us to talk about the preliminary results. Click HERE to see the initial report. You can get updates on the incubator field and other activities in Canada by subscribing the the Western Canada newsletter.

Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara's Director of Agronomic Services, helps us understand the interdependence of water, soil and nutrients. Can a better management of these three components improve water use efficiency in a time of drought? We refer to an article he wrote in September 2012 for the International Plant Nutrition Institute called, "What about Water?" Dr. Mikkelsen explains that an important step towards improving water use efficiency is to encourage healthy plant roots. Maintaining proper soil conditions will allow a larger 'home' for the roots to grow and be healthy. Likewise, a balanced nutrition program can improve how the roots and plants use the available water.

Nitrogen is a very important nutrient for growing crops and can be one of the most expensive inputs. Using this valuable input efficiently can help with overall crop health and environmental sustainability. Dr. Rob Mikkelsen, Yara North America's Director of Agronomic Services, helps us understand The concept of nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) The difference between maximizing and optimizing NUE How to measure NUE Some practical measures that can be done to monitor NUE How an individual grower can improve their NUE The consequences of failing to improve NUE

There is a connection between microbiomes, soil health/structure, and drought resilience. Dr. Karl Wyant, VP of Ag Science at Heliae Agriculture helps us understand how to build healthier soils that can mitigate drought stress improve water holding capacity improve erosion resistance improve nutrient use sequester carbon reduce externalities improve profits Find out more about soil health at the Soil Health Institute Article on drought-resilient crop production Dr. Wyant's previous episodes on soils: "Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt" delt with the physical and chemical components of soil "Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt Part 2" delt with the biological components of soil To learn more from Karl, email him at [email protected] or visit Phycoterra's web site

Everywhere you turn, you bump into talk about carbon market, carbon footprint, carbon credits, etc. What does all this mean and why is it important to us in agriculture? Carbon footprint is the total greenhouse gas emissions caused by an individual, event, organization, service, place or product, expressed as carbon dioxide equivalent. Agriculture is responsible for 10% of the greenhouse gas emissions Yara recently created the Agoro Carbon Alliance to take action on a global scale to reverse the effects of climate change by decarbonizing farming and restoring carbon to the world's soil. In this episode, Anastasia Povlovic, Managing Director of the Agoro Carbon Alliance, explains what their group is doing, why it should matter and how you can learn more and participate as a grower and retailer.

The Pacific Northwest and many other areas are experiencing record high temperatures. How does heat stress and water stress affect plants? What can we do to manage these plants through these stressful times? Jimmy Ridgeway and Kacey Kiehn, Regional Sales Managers, help us grow our knowledge. Learn more from this recent article, "Heat Stress: Let Calcium Help" Download and use Yara's Farm Water Advisor FREE! In less than 1 minute you can have your first field set up and calculating an optimal irrigation schedule for the next seven days based on hyperlocal weather and over 100 years of agronomic modeling. And it's FREE! Download it here

The days of limitless water are far behind us. Dr. Sebastian Braum joins Yara's Dr. Rob Mikkelsen to discuss how water is the number one driver of growth and yield. Dr. Braum talks about the improvement in the irrigation equipment being installed and that we now need to improve how we use this equipment. He also looks into his crystal ball of what farming might look like in 15-20 years. Dr. Braum is the Director of Agronomy at Farm(x) and a soil scientist. He is experienced in nutrient management, irrigation and soil management. Check out the Irrigation Association's resources and certifications. Download and use Yara's Farm Water Advisor FREE! In less than 1 minute you can have your first field set up and calculating an optimal irrigation schedule for the next seven days based on hyperlocal weather and over 100 years of agronomic modeling. And it's FREE! Download it here

Dr. Tim Ellsworth is a professor at West Hills College in California. He has many years experience working as a soil scientist with the USDA and over 30 years of teaching experience in agriculture. He has expertise in soil science, geology and irrigation. Tim joins us to talk about how irrigation can improve plant health and yield, what effects the drought might have on crops and some golden nuggets that might be implemented if you are dealing with a deficit of water. You can reach Tim at [email protected] or by phone 559-934-2711. If you are looking to learn more visit Cal Poly's ITRC - Short Courses and Classes Fresno State Center for Irrigation Technology UCANR's California Institute of Water Resources UCANR's Pistachio Short Course & Almond Short Course Irrigation Association's publications including, Irrigation- 6th ed. Download and use Yara's Farm Water Advisor FREE! In less than 1 minute you can have your first field set up and calculating an optimal irrigation schedule for the next seven days based on hyperlocal weather and over 100 years of agronomic modeling. And it's FREE! Download it here

Soil structure and health is critical growers to improve crop productivity and sustainability. Dr. Karl Wyant, VP of Ag Science at Heliae Agriculture helps us understand the importance of soil health and quality in a two part series: Our first episode from Feb 23, 2021, "Don't Treat Your Soil Like Dirt" delt with the physical and chemical components of soil This episode we talk about biological components Karl shares five strategies that you may implement to improve your soil health which will lead to sustainable profitability. We refer to Karl's articles in the Progressive Crop Consultant magazine, Part 1: "Managing Soil and Structure Quality"published in the January/February 2021 Part 2: "Managing Soil and Structure Quality" published in May 2021 To learn more from Karl, email him at [email protected] or visit Phycoterra's web site Download the FREE Farm Water Advisor to help improve your irrigation efficiency. Download it here

Richard Kreps and Robert Smith, UltraGro, both consult with growers in California but are also growers themselves. They help uncover some great strategies for the areas that are most affected by the drought and shortage of surface water delivered and ground water. How are you creating your irrigation schedules this year? Yara's Farm Water Advisor calculates your field specific plant water use for the next week and then advises you how long and frequent to irrigate. And it's FREE! Download it here Article on irrigation maintenance

2021 looks like it might be a continuation of one of the worst geographical droughts in the last 20 years. 80% of the Western U.S. in drought and nearly 1/2 in "extreme" or Exceptional" drought. This series of episodes will be focused on the drought, the challenges and some strategies that might help advisors and grower manage through the drought. In this episode, William Bourdeau joins us to help us understand the severity of the drought in California. William is a grower (EVP at Harris Farms), director of Westlands Water District, and Chairman of the California Water Alliance. How are you creating your irrigation schedules this year? Yara's Farm Water Advisor calculates your field specific plant water use for the next week and then advises you how long and frequent to irrigate. And it's FREE! Download it here Links we mentioned: Film, "Pray For Rain" Film, "Beyond the Brink" California Water Alliance California Sun Newsletter