Parsippany, NJ (June 16, 2022) – With the largest single-site ammonium sulfate (AMS) production facility in the world, AdvanSix knows a thing or two about sulfur nutrition, and what it can mean for crop yields.
To demonstrate this fact and to show that AMS is pound-for-pound the most efficient crop sulfur source available today, AdvanSix is announcing the second year of its Supplement Your Soybeans program. Through Supplement Your Soybeans, seven farmers across key soybean-growing regions will conduct in-field trials to determine the advantages of using AMS as an efficient and effective nitrogen and sulfur source.
In 2021, the inaugural program was launched with six soybean farmers determined to find ways to enhance their crop nutrition plans and increase yields. Unfortunately, severe weather conditions dumped nearly 20 inches of rain in just a few short weeks in both Missouri and Michigan, likely washing away key nutrients with it. The key lesson learned was that AMS offers flexibility that other fertilizers lack, allowing it to be applied at different times during the season to ensure key nutrients are available to the crop.
This season looks to have similar weather challenges as last year.
“Our planting window has become extremely tight,” said Marc Kaiser, a soybean farmer from western Missouri who participated in the 2021 and now 2022 Supplement Your Soybeans program. “The cool and wet spring kept pushing our planting opportunities back, which forced us to prioritize what happens when. Knowing that AMS could be applied as a post-emergence fertilizer or during the mid-season made us more comfortable putting seed in the ground as soon as we could. We know the soybeans will still get the right kind of nutrition from AMS later this summer.”
AMS provides the right balance of readily available nitrogen and sulfur that high-yielding soybean varieties today require. AdvanSix has invested in decades of laboratory, university and field trial research to determine that AMS is a proven fertility solution that shows consistent yield responses. It blends well with other dry fertilizer formulations, making it a perfect complement to crop nutrition programs.
“We’re excited to start on another year of learning with farmers to prove that AMS is pound-for-pound the most efficient crop sulfur source available today,” said Mike Hamilton, Vice President and Business Director of AdvanSix Plant Nutrients. “What we learned last year is that AMS is a trusted source of nutrition that can be used in new ways, proving that what’s old may just become new again. These forward-thinking farmers are real-life examples of how to maximize soybean yields.”
“In pod counts last year, we found the AMS-treated soybeans developed more pods per plant,” said Keith Schrader of Nerstrand, Minn., another second-year participant in the program. “Plants that were top-dressed with 110 pounds of AMS in June saw an average of 50 pods per plant, while the untreated soybeans saw an average of 40 pods per plant. That’s enough of a difference for me to keep learning during this second year of the program.”
The farmers participating in the 2022 Supplement Your Soybeans program are:
The Supplement Your Soybean farmers will provide in-season updates as AdvanSix follows their trials. Keep up as the year unfolds at supplementyoursoybeans.advansix.com. For more information or to learn more about AMS, visit asbenefits.advansix.com.
AdvanSix is a global manufacturer of plastic resins and films, fertilizer, chemical intermediates, solvents and more. Through integrated manufacturing processes, many byproducts and waste streams are monetized or used as inputs to produce strategic, value-added products. The plant nutrition division uses this approach to manufacture ammonium sulfate. In fact, AdvanSix boasts the largest single-site location of AMS production in the world, ensuring a consistent and reliable supply of the popular fertilizer and the quality and technical expertise you need each growing season.
AdvanSix Sulf-N® ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24S) is a high-analysis fertilizer that provides efficient nitrogen and readily available sulfur to crops. Available in granular, mid and soluble grades, it is designed to fit the needs of your specific application.