Exploring Tar Spot and Real-Time Plant Data with Jeff Kleypas
By John Kempf
PermaNews Brief
Key Takeaways
Exploring innovative agricultural practices through biologicals and AI technology.
- Pinion significantly reduces tar spot in corn crops.
- Cutting phosphorus and potassium too much causes corn tip back.
- AI tools enhance data interpretation for better farming decisions.
- Biological fertilizers outperform standard nitrogen applications.
- Live demos showcase real-time plant data applications.
Why It Matters
The integration of biologicals and technology can enhance crop yields and sustainability.
What to Do Next
Listen to the episode for deeper insights on plant health management.
Permaculture Context
What Jeff Kleypas is describing at scale has direct implications for anyone managing even a quarter-acre food system at home. The core insight — that biologically active soils amplify the effect of inputs like sugars at dramatically lower rates — validates what permaculture practitioners have long understood intuitively: a living soil is a force multiplier, not a passive medium. But the emergence of tools like CropTix and FieldLark means that this biological intelligence can now be read in real time rather than guessed at, closing the feedback loop that has historically made regenerative transitions feel risky to growers still tied to yield-based economics. For homesteaders and market gardeners especially, the lesson about phosphorus and potassium balance causing tip back is a pointed reminder that reduction strategies require as much precision as the conventional inputs they're replacing — ecological farming is not simply farming less. The deeper takeaway is that AI, used wisely, can help practitioners recognize patterns across seasons and systems faster than experience alone allows, without surrendering the observational literacy that makes a good grower irreplaceable.
Recommended for: Farmers and agricultural professionals interested in innovative practices.
Jeff Kleypas is Distribution Manager and Senior Agronomist at Advancing Eco Agriculture, based in South Texas. He began his career 20 years ago as a crop consultant walking South Texas vegetable fields that were sprayed weekly with insecticides and fungicides. He started working with biologicals in 2009 and joined AEA four years ago. He also runs a 1.5-acre market farm at home, where he tests new tools himself. Jeff works with row crop growers and dealers across the Midwest and South, many of them now in year three or four of a full AEA program. This season he helped calibrate the CropTix sap sensor on cotton and corn and ran live demos at Midwest grower events. He uses FieldLark and other AI tools to turn sap, soil, and imagery data into faster recommendations. In this episode, John and Jeff discuss: A 3,000-acre Illinois corn farm that saw 5% of the tar spot with Pinion compared to its conventional fungicide check. How cutting P and K too hard led to tip back in Illinois corn. How the Croptix sensor returns full sap results in minutes. A grower with a 58-bushel soybean break-even who is averaging over 80, with some spots near 100. Pinion results from Jeff's own cut flowers, including a full month without disease. Why AI should make farmers better at seeing patterns in data, not replace them. Why sugars give a much bigger response at much lower rates in biologically active soils. A biological in-furrow program that beat a 2x2 of 40 units of nitrogen by 25 bushels. Additional Resources To learn more about FieldLark, please visit: https://fieldlark.ai To learn more about Pinion, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/product/pinion/ To learn more about Croptix, please visit: https://www.croptix.ag/ To listen to Jeff's earlier podcast short, please visit: https://advancingecoag.com/podcast/podcast-short-10-breaking-away-from-traditional-agronomy-with-jeff-kleypas/ Learn more about AEA's regenerative programs and products: https://www.advancingecoag.com About John
Source: advancingecoag.com
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