Following recent major weather events which have delayed and potentially cut off part of the cotton planting window, resellers and advisers will be eager to help growers across both dryland and irrigated sectors maximise opportunity while managing the risk around planting in this highly volatile weather environment.
Jeff Rohrlach, managing director of AgroBest Australia, says pop-up starting fertilisers are an ‘insurance’ policy for growers, significantly boosting the emergence and early start for crops at a relatively low cost.
“Even in areas that have been treated with urea, a pop-up starter is a valuable investment as the continuing wet weather has impacted nitrogen holding capacity. “Even in very heavy soil, up to 30% of the nitrogen disappears, and crops can struggle in waterlogged soil,” he said.
“A pop-up can be a good option to recommend, especially with some growers having already paid up to $1200/tonne for urea, as it can help ensure the sunk costs are not wasted.”
Mr Rohrlach said those growing dryland cotton may find themselves in a position to plant additional areas – cotton or otherwise, with soil moisture in reserve for most of the growing season.
“One of the big benefits of a pop-up is that application timing is very flexible. If an adviser is helping a grower to decide whether to plant out country they might not have previously considered, it’s good to know a pop-up can be applied at seeding, so there’s not a long period of preparation and pre-planning required.”
As a renowned Australian manufacturer of crop nutrient products, Mr Rohrlach said AgroBest can be responsive, often working with growers to get product to their properties on behalf of the reseller or agronomist, to make it even easier.
“AgroBest is locally produced, so the business can rapidly respond to orders on short notice, even when a large volume of product is required.
“We monitor seasonal conditions so we can forecast product requirements, but every reseller, agronomist and grower knows that sometimes needs change on short notice. We’re happy to support agronomists and resellers to respond to those rapidly changing needs by doing whatever is needed to get the job done.
“We know that for growers the day is as long as it needs to be – and that’s our philosophy too.”
Mr Rohrlach said that as a family business, Agrobest has a lot of flexibility to meet quick turnaround times. “Recently we took an order on a Thursday for 80,000 litres. The materials came in on the Friday and my team and I worked across the weekend to get it formulated so it could be delivered on Monday.
“We’re also happy to communicate directly with the grower, on behalf of the agronomist or reseller, which can make life a lot easier for them in very busy periods. We’ll communicate with the grower to arrange delivery, sometimes delaying or speeding it up as things change on-farm, but always respecting the customer relationship with the agronomist or reseller.”
AgroBest offers many variants of its Liquid Starters range to meet the specific nutrient needs of growers looking to improve the establishment of seedlings. Popstart NP is specifically formulated as a neutral pH pop-up starting fertiliser blend of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to improve the establishment and early growth of seedlings. Its variations include the PZ formulation with zinc.
AgroBest also produces Phozzstart ZZ, a soil-applied starter designed for vigorous healthy growth during the establishment phase. Phozstart ZZ is a premium liquid fertiliser formulated to supply crops with readily available nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and zinc when planting, which may help growers get a good head start in a delayed planting window.
“It’s been a challenging period, with some growers not getting their entire crop off this year, while others, especially dryland growers, are looking at positive conditions heading into the summer planting season,” Mr Rohrlach said.
“Growers are now making decisions about getting the next crop in to cover losses or capture opportunity, while trying to manage the risks that come with high-cost planting programs.
“Pop-up fertilisers help ensure plants get out of the ground and given their relatively low cost, it makes sense to use them to optimise the investment in seed. It’s a critical time for growers who have been exposed to some very high costs recently and will be looking for a bit of insurance for their investment.
“If you’re looking for a reliable, effective pop-up fertiliser that can be at your grower’s gate when they need it, AgroBest can help.”
