Patrick Reed, Customer Solutions Manager, North America for Novozymes was busy at 2012 Commodity Classic showing farmers how to produce more with less. Reed tells Brownfield Novozyme products are very friendly, convenient, provide great return on investment and maximize yields per acre.
Corn and soybean growers learned about new products from Novozymes as well as some longstanding products farmers know and trust.
Burrus Seed Company exhibited at 2012 Commodity Classic. Farmers visiting the exhibit had plenty on their mind, according to Todd Burrus. From seed supply to weather, the corn/bean ration in 2012 to what’s left in flex acres, farmers have much to think about. Todd Burrus told Brownfield that Burrus Seed Company is the right choice for farmers because Burrus consistently does things right, so can be trusted; the product quality is high; Burrus has access to technology and genetics farmers need today; and Burrus focuses on putting the right crop on the right acre.
Jim Call, a farmer from Western Minnesota and Secretary for United Soybean Board (USB) was busy at the 2012 Commodity Classic educating those attending about the work of the USB and success of the soybean checkoff. As International Marketing Chairman for United Soybean Board, Call gets exciting talking about the work of the 9 offices USB has overseas and the work being done to convince customers to buy soybeans from the United States.
Currently, 60% of soybeans raised in the United States are exported. Customers overseas are attracted to our banking and transportation systems as well as the reliability and quality of the product.
Call told Brownfield if we are to double our yields by 2030, it is extremely important to keep a strong checkoff program in place.
Farmers visiting the Wyffels exhibit at Commodity Classic told Matt Barnard, Skill development and recruitment manager for Wyffels Hybrids, that they are anxious to get in the field. Weather and seed availability is a concern they voiced. Barnard said at Wyffels, they partner with their farmer customers and try to keep an open line of communication.
Barnard said farmers expressed their appreciation and excitement that a family owned independent seed company is competitive in the seed industry.
Propane equipment is much more efficient today than it was just a few years ago. The Propane Education and Research Council (PERC) exhibited at Commodity Classic to talk to farmers about some new grain dryer technology and irrigation technology powered by propane.
Mark Leitman, Director of Business Development and Marketing for PERC told Brownfield, “We’re doing a lot to develop new technologies with manufacturers that are more efficient and save the farmers money.”
Russ Berndt, Product Manager for Inoculants told farmers stocking by the Becker Underwood exhibit at Commodity Classic to treat their soybeans right by treating them with an advanced biological innoculant like VAULT HP which can give them a better return on investment of genetic value and the fungicide and insecticide value they are putting on their seed.
With over 3 years of testing with VAULT HP, Berndt told Brownfield, they have seen consistently a 3 to 3 1/2 bushel advantage over untreated seed and an advantage of about a bushel advantage over the nearest competitor’s product.
In areas that experienced extreme heat and lack of moisture or excessive moisture, the use of a product like VAULT HP is extremely important to replenish the soil after a year like 2011.
Koch Fertilizer, LLC, and its subsidiaries are collectively one of the world’s largest producers and marketers of fertilizers. The company owns or has interests in fertilizer plants in the United States, Canada, and Trinidad and Tobago. Its distribution network covers global demand through state-of-the-art terminals in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, France and the United Kingdom.
Koch Fertilizer’s expanded product portfolio includes ammonia, urea, UAN, phosphate, potash, and sulfur-based products, in addition to a variety of high-performance fertilizers including AGROTAIN® nitrogen stabilizer, AGROTAIN® PLUS nitrogen stabilizer, SuperU® nitrogen stabilized fertilizer, Nitamin® and Nitamin Nfusion® slow-release fertilizers, blended fertilizers from J&H Bunn, and Koch Advanced Nitrogen™ fertilizer.
A scant year ago, once the corn market hit $4.40 a bushel, farmers could make a profit. This year, steep input costs have jacked up the break-even price to $5.20. “We have a shrinking margin this year,” said Darren Frye, president and CEO of Water Street Solutions, referring specifically to corn. “What farmers are going to have to do is to sell their grain in a shrinking margin time frame, which they haven’t been wanting to do in the last couple of years because they haven’t had to,” Frye told Brownfield Ag News, at his booth at the Commodity Classic. Farmers, added Frye, will have to increase margins through crop insurance or increased production.
Jeff Morgan, Marketing Director with Stoller USA told Brownfield that most farmers today are going further than NPK when it comes to caring for their crops. He said farmers are making a significant investment in seed and are working to manage their crop through its entire lifetime.
Foreign grain buyers can often use some instruction on the ways of buying grain from the United States. Enter Carlos Compabadal with the Kansas State University International Grains Program. He was at the Commodity Classic talking about the consulting work, much of it sponsored by farmer supported checkoff organizations, provided to those who are in the market for what U.S. farmers produce. Compabadal is among the people who teach foreign buyers about grain storage, flour milling, feed manufacturing and grain marketing at the International Grains Program. The more efficiently foreign customers process U.S. grains into flour, Compabadal told Brownfield Ag News, the more additional ingredients they’ll need.
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