Farming Video | Evaluating Graphite-Based Talc Alternatives for Soybean Root Mass | XtremeAg

9 Apr 254m 6s

In this video, Matt Miles of XtremeAg discusses the use of a new graphite-based talc alternative from SprayTec, designed to enhance seed flow and early root development, particularly in soybeans. Conducted under challenging weather conditions, their 80-acre plot trials showed improved root mass in treated rows, although stand counts remained similar to untreated rows. The talc alternative, which contains 100% graphite along with micros, macros, enzymes, and nutrients, performed well under humid Southern conditions and did not require additional talc. While in-furrow application hasn’t yielded strong ROI in soybeans, this dry planter box treatment shows potential as a low-cost input to support root development without added complexity.

This video includes paid sponsors of XtremeAg.farm. The views & opinions expressed in this video are those of XtremeAg.farm and are based solely on the experiences of the XtremeAg team. The use of brand names and/or any mention or listing of specific products or services herein is solely for educational purposes and does not imply endorsement by XtremeAg.

00:00:00 Hey guys, this is Matt Miles with Extreme Ag. I've got Chase Garner here today, uh, from Spray Tech. We're sitting here in a, in, in his warehouse simply 00:00:09 because we went out, we looked at the, at the plot that we did. Uh, the wind's blowing 28 to 30 miles an hour. 00:00:15 Today they're talking about major thunderstorms here in about three or four hours, supposed to get six inches of rain. 00:00:21 So things are looking a little bleak as far as the weather is concerned, but maybe it'll change. One thing we're talking about today of their lineup is this, 00:00:28 uh, what, what I call a talc pale. And, uh, and over less than 20% of the people in the United States have in 00:00:35 furrow on our planters. We run infer on our corn. We run infra on our cotton. We hadn't seen a whole lot of ROI in running infra on beans. 00:00:43 One thing we have played with some is these tug pales and, and we've seen some pretty good progress with those. 00:00:49 Several companies today have a tug palle. Each one of 'em do something different with their talc palle. 00:00:53 We went to the field. We had a plot with Chase is 80 acres, I think is where we put it out. 00:00:58 We got it also on corn too. Did stand counts. Didn't see a lot of difference in stand counts. Now we had pretty decent weather. 00:01:04 We were fixing to have a really good test because we planted the beans, got an inch and a half rain wind blew 00:01:09 for 20 plus mile an hour for five days. Got a three quarter inch crust on the crop. Beans were starting to have to push at that point. 00:01:15 We could have seen if there's any little bit different vigor. Got a little shower, come in, soften the ground up. 00:01:20 All the beans pretty much came up at the same time after that, which is a positive thing. Good or bad wasn't great for you, but it's good for me. 00:01:27 Yeah. Uh, we didn't really get to see the pushing power. What we did see, and we've got some 00:01:31 B roll of it, is the roots. We went and dug up some roots and definitely a difference in the root mass. 00:01:36 Absolutely. There's a better root mass on the treated side than there was on the untreated side. 00:01:40 We've got two different pale tests that we've looked at so far where the beads are emerged. We found that on, on both companies 00:01:46 that the, the root mass is better. This pale is basically micros macros, uh, as acids and, um, enzymes. 00:01:54 Enzymes. Yeah. So the cool thing about the spray tech pale, and I don't know how much you can see this, 00:01:59 but it's a hundred percent graphite. Some of the other pales that we've used in the past, you put it in there as a tout, 00:02:05 you still have to have more tlc. So you're paying for the tout plus you're paying for the extra TLC with the, with the nutrients in it. 00:02:10 One thing we've seen with, with spray text pale is that we didn't have to add any more tout. Uh, so that that was a plus in itself. 00:02:17 But, uh, like I said, the beans look good. The root mass is pretty big. That is one thing. Like I said, we don't use a lot of infer, infer on soybeans. 00:02:25 We've tried it. We can't make it work. We can see a little bigger, bigger root mass, but that's about it. 00:02:29 We're gonna use talc anyway no matter what. So this is a pretty relatively cheap product as you can see. You know, it's very, if you, if you grab it, 00:02:37 it's going turn your hands black Chase. If you wanna kind of explain what's in this PAE and what problem this solves for a farmer, 00:02:44 especially if you don't have in furrow. Yep. Uh, let us kind of tell us about that. Yeah. So this is, like he said, this is 100%, uh, 00:02:52 graphite don't have any talc in it down here in the south. What we deal with a lot with our talc is we have moisture. 00:02:58 Just like right now the floor is halfway wet in here 'cause we're about to get these thunderstorm. Yep. So with this product, what a lot 00:03:03 of guys have like about it is, you know, humidity, moisture. Mm-hmm. It don't affect it. 00:03:08 So we got, like you said, micros and macros in it. Uh, some nitrogen, some phosphorus, some borons, some cobalts and molly also. 00:03:16 So biologicals and bacteria are the big thing now. Yep. We've took it a step further and went to enzymes, so you get that. 00:03:22 So we're helping with, like you said, the root structure of the plant. Um, low use rate, 00:03:28 3.2 ounces per hundred, per hundred weight. It's really easy to use. Um, just measure it out, dump it on the seed and you're good to go. Yep. 00:03:36 So there you got it. This is one of the, the new pals that have come out. Spray tech's done a good job with every product 00:03:42 that y'all had so far. Uh, we love to run the boron. Uh, we love to run the full tech adjuvant. It is kinda like Superman when it comes up, you know, 00:03:50 from the realm of adjuvant. So we're gonna take this to yield. Like I said, the emerge is there. 00:03:54 We've seen a root structure difference, lot more massive roots. And on the check, uh, 112 00:03:58.985 --> 00:04:00.845

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