Grasshopper Fertilizer on Wheat

[bumpercrop]

Has anyone used Grasshopper liquid fertilizer on wheat?

This is somewhat of a follow up to:
"fertilizer question" on 4/21/08
[I have 12 acres of Giant bermuda hayfields and 10 acres of Alfalfa here in hot and dry West Texas. I have to irrigate all the time which is no big deal and I don't mind paying for that but fertilizer prices have gotten way out of hand this year so I began looking for another company to buy from.]

Response:
[I read this thread earlier this summer regarding Grasshopper fertilizer and became interested. I later had it recommended to me by an Ag Teacher in East TX. Since then I have used it on a few fields.

I have used ammonium nitrate for decades and have also tried a number of liquid blends. Grasshopper seemed appealing because you will absorb and use 100% rather than the 20% with traditional fertilizers. A fertilizer that can be absorbed without rain and could be mixed with herbicide seemed worth a try.

The actual weight of the dry mix per acre was 12-13 lbs. It seemed light at first compared to 250lbs of dry commercial fertilizer. Then again, this 12-13lbs was going directly into my grass vs the 250lbs of commercial going into my soil. I was advised that applying more at one time would burn my grass. The grass greened up within 2 days and within 21 days - I was cutting hay. I have since used it on Coastal Bermuda, Bahai, and mixed grass pastures.

My horse hay has maintained its quality 17-18%. Although I have not yet tested my soil to see its effect. From what I understand, soil should maintain its mineral levels. With grass being fed directly with a foliar fertilizer, less nutritional demand is placed on the soil.

It may not be as stout as Ammonium Nitrate - but this year I will be able to sell my hay for less and have a larger profit margin.]

 

[bumpercrop]

Just a follow up:

I tested my soil after using Grasshopper Liquid Fertilizer last year. My soil has maintained it's mineral levels. In fact, some pastures I sprayed had a slightly higher amount of N.

I also sprayed 50 ac of wheat last week with their 30-10-10.

 

[bumpercrop]

Back in Feb I sprayed some wheat with Grasshopper Liquid Fertilizer. I took some pics and collected some data but have been too busy to get back to this discussion board until now.

I have attached a 'with' and 'without' picture to this post. I have not attached pics before so I hope this works.

The 50 acre plot with Grasshopper had a significant improvement in color, thickness and height (6"-8" difference).

The remaining acreage was not sprayed at all. I usually apply UAN on my wheat which may have performed equally. However, I did not receive any rain until 12 days after this application. I believe the UAN would have produced less improvement under these conditions.

My original intent was to compare a section to UAN and nothing at all. But after the results on these 50 acres, I sprayed the entire field. We yielded 41 bpa which is good for our area. We are usually in the 30-35 range.

Since this application the cost difference between Grasshopper and UAN has narrowed, but I still have a higher margin with Grasshopper.