Taurus Agronomic Bites

Learn More at www.taurus.ag

Have you ever wondered what happens inside your cereal crop right after pollination? Its physiological priorities completely change, shifting all energy away from the roots to focus exclusively on the developing seed. This triggers a natural, programmed countdown to death as the plant scavenges nutrients from its lower leaves and moves them up the stem to fill the grain.In this episode, we dive into the complex biology of the grain-filling stage and reveal how you can hit the pause button on this plant self-destruction. We break down the agronomic strategy of extending the "stay green" period to keep your flag leaf and peduncle actively photosynthesizing for as long as possible.What you will learn in this episode:

• The Biological Shift at Anthesis: Understanding the critical transition where the plant redirects all its resources to the seed.
• Building a Powerful Sink: How the plant growth hormone Kinetin delays senescence, promotes active cell division, and helps smaller, later-forming grains accumulate mass to match primary grains.
• Targeted Late-Season Nutrition: Why your plant needs a precise mix of Nitrogen and Sulfur to maintain leaf structures and build proteins, alongside Potassium to remobilize starches and provide essential stress tolerance.
• Mitigating Hidden Stress: How free amino acids and vitamins (like ascorbic acid) act as cell pressure regulators to help your crop fight off abiotic stress. We also cover the benefits of added Boron (found in GrainFILL B) for uniform grain set and floret fertility.
• Timing & Tank-Mixing: Best practices for applying products like Active GrainFILL right alongside your late-season fungicide pass (BBCH 60-65) to maximize your spray.
• The Final Results: We share third-party field trial data showing how hacking this cycle creates plumper, heavier grains, driving wheat yield increases from 9.5% up to an impressive 23%, plus measurable bumps in protein.

Tune in to learn how to feed the plant, defy senescence, and protect your season-long investment all the way through the final fill!

The Invisible Yield Thief: Why Your Herbicide Pass May Be Costing You Bushels

Every spring, growers are managing more than weeds. Cold soils, excess moisture, wind, heat, and early season stress can all slow a crop down before the sprayer ever enters the field. Then comes the herbicide pass.

Herbicides are necessary, but they are still a stress event. When a young plant is already fighting through tough conditions, that chemical pass can force it to pause growth, divert energy into survival, and lose momentum at one of the most important stages of the season. That setback is often called herbicide lag, and while it may not always be obvious from the road, it can quietly show up later in the yield monitor.

In this episode of Agronomic Bites, Aqueena Clennett, Chief Strategy Officer at Taurus Ag, introduces a conversation built from Taurus Ag’s agronomic insights, trial work, and product analysis. The discussion is generated through NotebookLM using content from our team of experts, including trial data, lab analysis of Active VPR Plus, and the plant physiology behind why balanced foliar nutrition matters at herbicide timing.

The episode explores what actually happens inside the plant after a herbicide application, why stressed crops need more than straight nitrogen, and how standard UAN can sometimes add to the stress instead of helping the crop recover. The conversation then breaks down why a balanced macro nutrition product like Active VPR Plus 14 10 10 can help support cell integrity, keep plants functioning, and reduce the hidden yield drag that can come from herbicide stress.

Backed by third party trial data from Horizon Ag, 2021, researcher Michael Steckler, this episode looks at the yield impact of different tank mix choices and explains why the right nutrition at the right timing can make a measurable difference.

Spray to control weeds. Feed the crop to keep it growing.

Episode Breakdown

00:00 to 01:41 | Introduction: The Invisible Yield Thief
Aqueena Clennett, CSO at Taurus Ag, introduces the episode and sets up the hidden yield risk that can occur when stressed crops face herbicide timing.

01:41 to 04:45 | What Herbicide Stress Does Inside the Plant
A look at herbicide lag, plant stress response, toxin scavenging, cell integrity, and why early season stress can limit yield potential.

04:45 to 09:15 | Why Nitrogen Alone Is Not Enough
The discussion explains why UAN 28 0 0 may not be the best fit for a stressed crop at herbicide timing and why balanced nutrition matters.

09:15 to 13:30 | How Active VPR Plus and Active BUILD Support Recovery
A practical breakdown of how targeted foliar nutrition can help crops move through difficult growing conditions and regain momentum.

13:30 to 17:15 | The Trial Data: Understanding the Yield Swing
A review of the Horizon Ag trial data and the nearly 3 bushel per acre yield difference observed between treatments.

17:15 to 19:41 | Timing, Application, and Final Thoughts
Practical agronomic considerations for supporting crop health while maintaining effective weed control.

Trial Referenced: Horizon Ag, 2021
Researcher: Michael Steckler

Note: This episode features a NotebookLM generated conversation between a male and female voice, created using Taurus Ag expert content, trial information, and product analysis. Background Audio music used is licensed by Shutterstock.

In this keynote presentation, entomologist Mike Dolinski M.Sc. M.P.M, Director of Science & Innovation at Taurus Agricultural Marketing, discusses how insights from plant physiology can be applied to human health, focusing on the prevention of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. He highlights the importance of mitochondrial health, insulin resistance, and the impact of modern dietary habits.

Special guest Les Henry brings to light the facts about soil salinity.  Les takes us through what he has seen in the past and what he is seeing now in the prairie soils and he provides education around the causes, how to measure it, how to “fix” the problem and coping if it’s not fixable.  A renowned ag speaker with 30+ years of experience in field soil fertility and soil salinity, Les is a Canadian authority on the subject, and has also authored and published 2 books.

Related Taurus Products: SUL4R-PLUS​

Craig Davidson and Mike Dolinski bring you another fired up discussion with special guests, Ryan Immerkar, RSI Agri-Coaching/New Era Ag Technologies and Meghan Rose, New Era Ag Research.

Listen in as we dig into the research perspective examining what we have seen and what we have learned with these two crops. And delve into the consultant and commercial field perspective, to look at where we can take these crops, what holds us back, and the must-have’s to produce high yielding, high quality peas and faba beans.

Related Taurus Products:

Active PLS​

What does it take to grow a 100 bushel crop? 

Ken, Craig Davidson and Mike Dolinski will discuss what the key ingredients are to achieve 100 bu success, the limiting factors and barriers to overcome to get there.  Many growers already possess what it takes to make the 100 bushel club, they just need to utilize it better.

Join our special guest speaker Cory Willness, President of CropPro Consulting and Craig Davidson, President of Taurus Agricultural Marketing as they tackle one of agriculture’s greatest production limitations- salinity. This deep dive will take you into uncharted territory with Cory and Craig both bringing their extensive knowledge, experiences and perspectives to the table. A must-listen event!

Want to learn more about Nitrogen?

Our team of Taurus experts dive into a conversation around Nitrogen management and the challenges that Western Canada will face this spring. The in’s and outs of nitrogen management, ways to mitigate N loss scenarios like a wet fall and wet spring; alternative options for application with late seeding; understanding your Nitrogen needs.

Taurus brings the conversation to new levels as we answer your questions and discuss nitrogen options currently available.

Growers spend large dollar amounts per acre to get a winning crop, but only seed into 2% of their soil, barely reaching the wealth of nutrients and water that lie deeper.   Learn more about the life beneath the soils surface and the incredible benefits they offer your crops.

Join our Taurus experts and special guest Marc Béland, Senior Director, Premier Tech Agriculture, for a deeper conversation into mycorrhizae, rhizobium and how they work together to extend the reach of your roots to gain access to more water, more nutrients and increase soil and plant health.