Improving crop protection and nutrient products is one of the primary goals of the CHS agronomy team.
“There’s always potential for formulation improvements and innovations,” says Amy Carter, a product development chemist with CHS. “As new crop challenges arise, we’re always looking for creative solutions.”
CHS Level Best® Pro is one result of that continuous improvement mindset. CHS Level Best®, an adjuvant that improved herbicide efficacy, was introduced in 2015. However, growers discovered it was difficult to use as temperatures dipped.
“Farmers found CHS Level Best tough to pump when it got cold. We were able to develop an improved adjuvant with less viscosity to take it to the next level,” says Brian Kuehl, director of product development with CHS.
CHS Level Best Pro replaced its predecessor in 2019. In similar fashion, CHS researchers discovered additional uses for the ortho-ortho EDDHA chelate originally used in Soygreen®, an enhanced efficiency product to overcome iron deficiency chlorosis in soybeans. Besides iron, they discovered the chelate works to free up other positively charged nutrients in the soil, including zinc, manganese and copper. The chelate also prevents phosphorus from binding with positively charged micronutrients, making that nutrient more readily available to plants.
That learning led to development of CHS Lumen®, an advanced starter fertilizer that includes the ortho-ortho EDDHA chelate, micronutrients and an advanced enzyme to enhance plant growth.
“CHS Lumen is a groundbreaking differentiator from common starter fertilizers,” says Vitor Favoretto, a technical products specialist with CHS. “The chelate has a dual benefit of protecting micronutrients and liberating phosphorus.”
Check out the full Summer 2025 C magazine with this article and more.