From plant to harvest Illinois grower talks Poncho Votivo 2-0 seed treatment system

Illinois farmer hits the 300-bushel marker

Brad Walk is a sixth-generation farmer from Sigel, Illinois. He grows corn, soybeans, wheat and a small amount of hay. In 2018, Walk used Poncho® Votivo® 2.0 seed treatment system* on a portion of his corn acres and was eager to learn more about the product and see how the crop turned out.

 

“We’ve been using seed treatments my whole life,” said Walk. “It makes things easier, in the sense that you might not have to apply liquids in the furrow. I planted corn with Poncho Votivo 2.0* because I was looking for improved plant health and exceptional yield.”

 

Walk was hoping to see larger root masses, while also maintaining disease and pest control. Seed treatments, in general, can protect a plant against unforeseen weather events. He was also hoping it would help with his return on investment (ROI).

 

“I would say there’s a ROI on using a seed treatment,” said Walk. “With all the expense and investment just to put the crop out, you are taking a larger risk to not include a seed treatment.”

At harvest, Walk’s fields demonstrated the benefit of using a seed treatment, specifically using Poncho Votivo 2.0* on his corn crop. Compared to other seed treatments, Walk was able to see a difference.

 

“Comparing seed treated with Poncho Votivo 2.0* to other varieties without the seed treatment, I could see more girth in the ears. I could see kernel depth was a little better,” said Walk. “That carries over all the acres and really adds up. That’s a huge, huge benefit for our bottom line.”

 

Walk was able to hit the 300 bushels-per-acre marker while using Poncho Votivo 2.0*. In addition, his yield trial showed a 10 bushels-per-acre benefit compared to other competitive seed treatments.

 

“It’s just a great feeling,” said Walk. “You’ve been working your whole life to try to hit that number. It’s always felt like something that may never happen.”

 

When asked what he would do next year for his corn seed treatment, he said, “I plan to use Poncho Votivo 2.0* in the future because of the results from this year: Exceptional stock health and yield.”

Listen to Brad's interview here.

 

To learn more about Poncho Votivo 2.0*, please visit ponchovotivo2.com.

 

Always read and follow label directions.

 

*Poncho Votivo 2.0 is a seed treatment system composed of the federally registered Poncho Votivo and the state registered TWO.O

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Poncho/VOTiVO 2.0