Gregg Sauder, 360 Yield Center founder and former CEO of Precision Planting, invited farmers to his farm in Tremont, Ill., to see field demos of the nitrogen management products released by the company he formed a year ago. Attendees also got a sneak peek at some products to be released this fall, as well as some still in the design phase, to further expand the company’s growing arsenal of products that pick up where Sauder’s former planter attachment company left off.

“If you know me, I never walk away from a cornfield,” Sauder says. “There’s no question that the planter sets the yield potential. But once you’re done with planting, there is a lot that you and I can do from that day forward to foster crop growth. And that is why we are here today — to talk about how to capture the most potential, no matter what nature has done for us. It is about listening to your corn and creating happy corn.”

That’s where Sauder’s products fit in.

360 Yield Center makes product retrofits designed to fine-tune nitrogen application. Sauder believes split application, or dividing up the amounts throughout the crop cycle rather than all at once, is the key to high yields. Therefore, the company makes nitrogen equipment add-ons and tools that allow farmers to do that.

“For those of you who are here today, I’m telling you if we are going to get to 300-bushel yield, we’re not going to do it with a single application of nitrogen in the fall. Split N application is the future.”

JUST ADDED: Check out the video of the 360 Yield Cross Cut Sampler and learn more from Ron Lloyd, director of agronomy, at the company (click to next page)>>>

Applications make debut

The company unveiled two products that are new for this fall.

One is a free field app called 360 Yield Patrol that maps where soil samples were pulled. The iPhone app works in conjunction with a portable soil lab called 360 Soilscanthat analyzes soil to determine nutrient content. The results are used in a formula that calculates where additional nitrogen should be applied, and how much more. “We believe measurement is as important as modeling in determining what a crop actually needs,” says Ron Lloyd, company agronomist and field research lead, in reference to formulas that predict yield response to certain variables such as weather. “Forecasts aren’t always accurate.”

Another new product, born out of the purchase of the Liquimatic system by aNH3, is 360 Equi-Flow, an NH₃ application system. The product, which is designed to work on anhydrous ammonia toolbars, uses a gas separation method and pump pressure to keep anhydrous ammonia in a liquid form, so less is lost to the environment.

“Anhydrous ammonia is very mobile,” says Josh Messer, 360 Yield Center regional agronomy manager. “It turns into nitrate, which is nonbonding, and you will lose it.”

The current system will have a limited release this fall. The complete, redesigned system will be available in 2016.

This new tool, called the 360 Cross Cut Power Sampler, is designed as a retrofit for your chain saw. The blade is used to gather soil samples in place of a more time-consuming soil probe.

Sprayer demos

360 Yield Center also gave field demos of some of its sprayer retrofit products, the 360 Y-DROP and the 360 Undercover. Both add-ons allow you to more accurately apply products. 360 Y-DROP applies nitrogen to within 2 to 3 inches of the stalk base, and 360 Undercover sprayers plant protection products under the plant canopy.

For one of the test runs, a test sprayer was outfitted with two tanks and two pumps to show how the 360 Y-DROP and 360 Undercover systems could be used to apply both nitrogen and fungicide at the same time.

This fall, you will be able to buy such a sprayer. Hagie Manufacturing is outfitting its DTS 10 sprayer for dual application. The product, equipped with two tanks, two pumps and the 360 Y-DROP and 360 Undercover units, was on display the 360 Yield Center event.

Also demoed was the 360 Chainroll, a new stalk roll used in place of OEM stalk rolls on combines. It will be available this fall. The 360 Chainroll opens up the stalk to expose it to microbes for the purpose of making more nitrogen available to the crop.

Prototypes in the works

“At these events, we always like to give you a sneak peak of what we’re working on,” Sauder says. “And this time is no different.”

The staff talked about two new prototypes the company is working on. One is called the 360 Cross Cut Power Sampler, a product retrofit on chain saws that uses the blade to grab and collect a sample of soil 10 times faster than using a soil probe.

The other one is the 360 Yield Saver, a gathering belt for corn heads that recovers loose kernels. It uses rubber flighting to catch the kernels and siphon them to the auger, for an approximate two-thirds reduction in head loss, the company says.

Both products are scheduled to be released in fall 2016.

Nearly 1,500 farmers attended this event, which was held over the course of three days. Some of the farmers had followed Sauder over from his Precision Planting days and had used the company’s planter add-on products. Others were locals wanting to see what’s new.

“It’s interesting,” said one farmer from Illinois, while he was riding the shuttle to one of the demo tents. “The event has got me thinking about how I should be applying nitrogen, even if it’s for the cost savings alone.”

360 Yield Center - Product List

Gregg Sauder, the founder of planter retrofit company Precision Planting, started 360 Yield Center a year ago with the recognition that yield has as much to do with proper planting as it does with getting nitrogen to the plant. The company’s products are designed to fine-tune nitrogen application and availability throughout the entire crop cycle, from the time the crop gets planted to the time it is harvested.

Here’s the company’s growing circle of products.

(Prototype) 360 Cross Cut. Chain-saw-powered tool to collect soil samples.

360 SoilScan: Portable soil lab that measures nitrates (2014).

360 Yield Patrol: Field app that maps soil sampling locations (limited release this fall; full release, spring 2016).

360 Commander: Data management system that calculates and maps nitrogen prescriptions (2014).

360 Commander Bridge: Wireless interface that sends prescription maps to the cab monitor (2014).

360 Y-Drop: Sprayer attachment for nitrogen application at the stalk base that allows a wider window of application.

360 Undercover: Under-canopy and multidirectional sprayer attachment system for plant protection products. (2014).

360 Equi-Flow NH₃: Anhydrous ammonia application system (limited release this fall; full release in fall 2016).

360 Chainroll: Stalk roll replacement for combines that opens stalk to microbes (2014).

(Prototype) 360 Yield Saver: Combine gathering belt that captures loose kernels (Available fall 2016.)

Contact 360YieldCenter.com or call 888-512-4890.