Retailer Q&A: Jed Chickadaunce, Malden Agronomy

Something went wrong. Please try again later...

• Jed Chickadaunce is an agronomist at Malden Agronomy in Valparaiso, Indiana.
• Jed has seen success in his role by using nitrogen stabilizers in a variety of applications.
• He recommends other retailers and farmers use nitrogen stabilizers for the boost to bottom-line ROI and because they are proven to
work.

Give a brief overview of your job and what you do

My name is Jed Chickadaunce, and I am the agronomist as well as the sales specialist for Malden Agronomy in Valparaiso, Indiana. We are part of Co-Alliance, LLP, which is a partnership of five established co-ops that focus on the areas of energy, agronomy, grain marketing and swine and animal nutrition. I also work with other customers from some of our other northern region.

What does a typical day look like for you?

December through February, most days consist of meeting with growers to take care of crop plans and inputs for the coming up year. March through August, we are very involved in day-to-day operations, including dispatching, crop scouting and fertilizer/chemical decisions. September through November, we are focused on fall fertilizer applications and involved with day-to-day operations at our grain elevator.

What is your experience working with nitrogen stabilizers and how do you use them?

Eighty percent of our preplant nitrogen on corn gets either N-Serve or Instinct nitrogen stabilizer. We are beginning to play with using some Instinct in our sidedress nitrogen applications.

Why is this? What are you looking for in your trials of Instinct with sidedress?

Normally, when we sidedress, it is not until mid-June. During that time, we don’t feel that we need to slow down the denitrification process. Our trials are being used to see if we see a different yield response with stabilizer or without at time.

Would you also use a nitrogen stabilizer that protects against volatilization?

I would be very interested in an NBPT nitrogen stabilizer for our no-till acres. Most of our ground is conventionally tilled, and thus volatilization is not that big of a concern. However, on our no-till acres, the new NBPT stabilizer, PinnitMax, may have a nice fit.

Things to consider when selling nitrogen stabilizers?

N-Serve or Instinct should be used in every preplant application. Nitrogen fertilizer will be one of the top two costs per acre to a farmer, and he or she should definitely protect this investment. Agronomists continue to show studies and evidence that late-season nitrogen is vital to a corn plant for maximum yield. The only way for this nitrogen to still be available to the plant (if preplanting) is to stabilize it with N-Serve or Instinct. Of course, we still run into the challenge of the cost per acre of the stabilizer. Certain segments of growers are “input” farmers and are not interested in the “bottom line” necessarily but are more concerned with how much money the crop will cost to put out.

How do you recommend nitrogen stabilizers as part of a nutrient management plan?

Bottom line: It should be part of every plan if the grower is preplanting his or her nitrogen.

The top things retailers should know about nitrogen stabilizers?

It is agronomically sound to recommend stabilizers as part of the plan. It is not “smoke and mirrors,” and the grower will benefit.
N-Serve and Instinct can be one of your best margin makers. It is relatively inexpensive to the retailer and can be sold to a grower for good margin. Yet, it will still be cost effective to the grower’s operation.

The top things farmers should know about nitrogen stabilizers?

The ROI for stabilizers will justify use.
Nitrogen is a farmer’s No. 1 or No. 2 cost on the farm. Stabilizing this high-dollar input is a no-brainer. Protect the investment.
It works. Late-season nitrogen is key for top bushels. In this struggling farm economy, “bushels pay bills.”

How has incorporating a nitrogen stabilizer impacted your bottom line/ROI?

We have been using stabilizers for several years. It has definitely affected our bottom line on a positive side. Nitrogen stabilizers are a relatively inexpensive input for the farmer and data shows that a grower will increase his yields using stabilizers, thus increasing his profitability per acre.