Application Variations

In order to keep weeds and pests from destroying our crops and to add more nutrients to the soil, we use many tools in our tool box. Specifically, three of the tools are different kinds of pesticides; herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. All three of these pesticides are used to kill different kinds of pests that can be found on the farm. 

Believe it or not, weeds are one of the biggest pests we have to manage making sure they do not interfere with the production of crops affecting quality or yield. In order to manage weed pressure, we use herbicides to mitigate crop damage caused by these pests.  

Since insects make up 3/4 of all species on earth, they can be a big problem as well. Insects such as worms and beetles can infest a crop and destroy it. To keep this from happening we spray our crops with insecticides. 

Protecting yield and maximizing profit per bushel at the any stage is critical. Disease, inefficient photosynthesis, or environmental stresses can rob the crop of yield potential. Fungicide helps protect the crop from these yield limiting factors by controlling disease, increasing photosynthesis, and protecting against environment stress. 

Application of crop protection products have traditionally been applied over the top – fungicides, insecticides, foliar nutrients, etc. 

In order to make all of this more efficient and cost-effective, we have earned our Commercial and Private Applicator’s License so we can deliver any application whenever it is needed. 

 Plants are like humans, they need the right nutrients at the right time to grow in the right way! So if soil nutrients are missing or in short supply, plants suffer from nutrient deficiency and stop growing just like people. In addition, plant requirements constantly change depending on factors like available soil water and rainfall. To adjust and manage the nutrients, it is natural for us to turn to fertilizers because these substances contain plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. 

Within the last few years, technology has blossomed into a new area of being able to apply nutrients like nitrogen during different growth stages directly to the plant, in addition to, being able to apply variable rates of nutrients. One area particularly that is getting attention is how nitrogen levels can be a prime limitation of yield, thus adequate nitrogen is essential for optimum crop production.  The key is managing when, how much and how to apply the nitrogen.

Runge Farms is a proponent of applying nitrogen throughout the planting process. To accomplish this goal, we are capitalizing upon greener solutions through new technologies like Green Lightning. This on-farm, nitrogen, totally green, plasma technology creates nitrate fertilizer on-site and on-demand with a simple combination of air, water, and electricity, replicating the natural nitrate creation process found in thunderstorms. This process draws nitrogen from the air and into water where it can then be used for crop production allowing us to maximize the benefits of creating rapid nutrient absorption and amazing growth in all plants, while reducing carbon emissions, improving soil health and being cost effective.  In other words, Green Lightening, which is being referred to as, “Gatorade for the plant,” is in the simplest form – fertilizing naturally!