Thurston Manufacturing Company, producer of BLU-JET fertilizer application and tillage equipment, announced today that it has been working with the American Farmer television series and will be featured in an upcoming episode. The program is slated for Fall 2011 and will be broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Specific dates and times are not yet scheduled.

An aerial lift was used to film BLU-JET’s 60 foot NH3 applicator, the AT6020. Much of the equipment filmed was provided by local operators, who were also interviewed.

The episode will concentrate on the role of precision agriculture within modern farming practices. Today's implements can inject nutrients near the root zone, cover wider swath widths, perform multiple opera-tions in the same pass, and leave residue on the surface nearly undisturbed. These are all keys to maxi-mizing yield while lowering costs associated with over application, runoff, and unnecessary field passes.

Today's StripTill implements, for example, accomplish root zone nutrient injection while preparing a narrow seedbed in an otherwise undisturbed field; this cuts both field passes and fertilizer rates versus traditional crop production practices. Other implements, such as BLU-JET's SubTiller 4, can be operated with almost no surface disturbance while alleviating compaction prob-lems within the soil profile.

“As agriculture looks for better solutions to feed a growing population, advanced tillage and nutrient placement practices must be developed and perfected,” said Nick Jensen, Chief Marketing Officer at Thurston Manufacturing. "BLU-JET is on the front line, developing equipment that helps farmers raise yield, lower inputs, and be better stewards of their land. BLU-JET's Commercial Class Nutrient Injection Applicators, Award Winning StripTill Systems Implements, and State-Of-The-Art Conservation Tillage Tools are all designed with these principles in mind."

BLU-JET offers other products that help farmers to reduce waste, as well. Its line of side dress applicators allow farm-ers to split apply nitrogen, which can reduce los

ses in the time between application and absorption. Split-apply side dress injection involves putting some of the crop's required nutrients in the soil prior to planting and the rest in the soil as the crop is growing. This allows farmers to make nutrient application deci-sions after the growing cycle has begun; and hone their side dress rate based upon factors that affect the plant's yield potential. For example, if spring conditions were not favorable, the farmer might determine that a crop will no longer yield 225 bushel corn and instead it is more likely to yield 175 bushel corn. He would then reduce his side dress fertilizer rate accordingly based on the new information.

“Precision agriculture is the future of farming. It is important for farmers to understand what options are available to them to help increase productivity and sustainability in their individual operations,” said Adrien Aniceto, senior producer for the American Farmer series. “We are pleased to be partnering with Thurston Manufacturing Company to share some of the innovative technologies offered by BLU-JET.”

About American Farmer:

American Farmer is a breakthrough program on a mission to showcase the latest advancements in agri-culture and farming. From seed to harvest to food production, their producers have traveled the coun-try covering the people, places and issues impacting all areas of farm country. American Farmer is pro-duced and distributed by DMG Productions, an award-winning content provider of educational pro-gramming to the television industry. For more information visit: www.dmgproductions.org or call: (866) 496-4065.

About Thurston Manufacturing Company:

Located in Thurston, Nebraska, Thurston Manufacturing Company has produced Fertilizer Application and Conservation Tillage Equipment for 40 years. During this time, BLU-JET has been proud to be an industry leader in design innovation for both product categories. Other products produced at Thurston Manufacturing Company include Circle R Side Dump Trailers for the Construction Industry and OEM components for Agricultural, Construction, and Military applications.