Getting an ext bushel or two of yield is well worth the effort and investment these days — and a double-digit boost is like hitting the lottery.

That’s why Phillipsburg, Kan., crop consultant Jim Cole is excited about what he’s been seeing with a relatively new product to the Midwest — Carbon Boost-S.

In 35 years that he’s watched products come and go, Cole believes this additive offers no-tillers a new level of technology as it helps plants utilize nutrients and improve yields.

Until recently, the product was more likely to be seen in the shed of a potato, onion, tomato or apple farmer in California, but it’s now showing up alongside corn-seed sacks in the Midwest.

Carbon Boost-S is added to fertilizer or herbicide applications to improve plant efficiency. It’s promoted as allowing more efficient use of applied nutrients, reducing soil chemistry tie-ups and reducing plant stress.

Besides some zinc, it’s not clear what exactly is in Carbon Boost-S, and the company’s Web site doesn’t offer much more insight. But Cole says the results he’s seen in fields are enough to make the product a standard recommendation for his consulting company.

Yield Booster. Used at a rate of 8 ounces per acre as part of a 2-by-2 at-plant fertilizer placement, strip-till pass or in-furrow popup mix, Cole sees significant emergence benefits.

“I have one client that planted corn at a 24,400 seed population with Carbon Boost-S and ended up with a plant count of 24,100. Normally you lose 1,000…