Fertilizer or Pixie Dust?

Fertilizer or Pixie Dust?

Tim Hammerich
Tim Hammerich
News Reporter
It’s time for your Farm of the Future Report. I’m Tim Hammerich.

A term like “pixie dust” might be used to describe an ag product that doesn’t live up to the hype. But when the product is a potassium silicate based fertilizer and the agronomist behind the product is Dr. Curtis Livesay of Dynamite Ag, it could carry a lot more merit.

Livesay…. “For most farmers, not for all, but for most farmers, you know, if the local co-op doesn't sell it, and if the local extension agent hasn't studied it. Then they tend to write it off as snake oil or foo foo juice or pixie dust. And a lot of times that's with good reason. I think there's been a lot of over-eager sales reps out there kind of taking that approach I mentioned, which is just, Hey, try it everywhere, and we'll hope that it works. But at the same time, I really focus on, or I specialize in what I would consider to be fringe agronomy. It's the stuff that there is actual published university data that says, Hey, this works. But it's not in the Canon of literature, right? It's not just sort of NPK and let's call it good.”

This led Dr. Livesay to find some literature about the value of potassium silicate to reduce both biotic and abiotic plant stresses. He’s developed the product and found some promising results in on-farm trials.

Livesay… “PiKSi dust, obviously we spell that P I K S I, and that's because in my little logo you can see it right on there, it is a potassium silicate based fertilizer. That's not all that's in there, but that is what I would consider that's doing the lion's share of the work or doing the heavy lifting.”

Learn more about PiKSidust.com.

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