ACLF Fall 0810 Web

8/8/2019 ACLF Fall 0810 Web

1/12Fall | 2010 1

Inside This Issueof LIQUID

PLFP Crop Focus OnResponsible Nutrients 1

Commitment ToGrowth Shows Up 2

Di erent Taste ToVegetable Fertility 3

Whats Going OnIn Your Fields? 4

Fertile BlueprintFor Success 6

ACLF ScholarshipWinners Announced 8

Sharing The FaithIn East A rica 9

NNTC HighlightsBusy Show Season 10

Customer Q&A,Whos Who 11

Your Area SalesAccount Managers 12

Managing Editor: Albert Bancro t

By Stephanie M.Zelinko,

Field AgronomyResearchManager

W ith this springs expansiono the North Central Re-search Station (NCRS) andthe companys ocus on ResponsibleNutrient Management, this yearsPro essional Liquid Fertilizer Program(PLFP) tour will take place betweenthe new arms and ocus on respon-

sible nutrient programs or eld crops.During the event, an a ternoon will bespent on the new Farm 8. Here, dem-onstration plots in corn and soybeanshave been established looking at variousaspects o ertility programs. Participantswill be divided into groups.

The research and agronomy sta willlead hands-on activities and learningdemonstrations at six di erent stops.Station 1 ResponsibleNitrogen Management

This comparison looks at di erent ni-trogen sources and rates, along with rescuenitrogen application options or corn.

During the tour, Field Agronomy Research Manager Stephanie Zelinkowill provide tips on how to best esti-mate yield in-season and participantswill have the opportunity to do yieldchecks.

A ter estimating yield, comparisonsamongst treatments will be made,

which will be summarized with theother groups and compared to actualharvest data this all.Station 2 ResponsibleFertilizer Placement

There are a number o options whenit comes to ertilizer placement. Inthis demonstration, participants willobserve the di erences in corn growthbased on ertilizer placement.

Pro-Germinator and Pro-Germinatorplus High NRG-N were placed eitherin- urrow; 2x2; tube (similar to the Totally Tubular system); or broadcast at planting.

NCRS Manager Doug Summer will alsodisplay our six-row Monosem planter withtwo rows set up with each o the variousplanter placements.Station 3 ResponsibleCorn Programs

Growers have many choices when itcomes to ertility programs on corn.Many times, little di erence is seenwithin the plants growing above-

PLFP Field Crop Focus: Demonstrationof Responsible Nutrient Management

Fall 2010 www.agroliquid.com 800.678.9029

Continued on page 3

ResponsibleNutrient

Management

ResponsibleNutrient

ManagementDoes It Better!

FIELD TRIP. Hands-on activities in researchplots highlight the annual PLFP meeting.

www.agroliquid.com


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2 www.agroliquid.com 800.678.9029

As Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers looks to the uture,we are committing resources to acilitate growth.When you look at increasing sales, one o the mostimportant aspects are the people.

Strategic growth can somewhat use the same theory as the4-R management theory o crop nutrition. The 4 Rs o nu-trient management are right source; right rate; right place;and the right time.

The Right PeopleIn committing to sales growth, the right source becomes

the right person. This is o ten a critical decision. In sales, abroad range o skill sets is needed.

The process o nding the right person is taken seri-ously. We evaluate what we eel is the primary skill neededto manage a speci c area. This can vary depending on how

products are sold and the primary crops involved.In our growth initiative in the Corn Belt, we elt thatocusing the e orts o one o our sales account managers,

Adam Beck, to acilitate growth in Indiana, Illinois and Mis-souri was the best t. We elt his experience and knowledgewould best be utilized in that geography.

We also added Kurt Fisher to cover existing business, aswell as oster growth in Michigan and Ohio. Benjy Conoverwas hired to handle the northeastern states.

In Cali ornia, we selected Jim Mills to work the lower hal o the state, as well as much o the Coast. Jim has worked inagriculture in these areas or much o his li e and we elt he

t that market well.

We hired Armando Gutierrez to cover northern Cali or-nia and also to utilize his bilingual skills to help with ourgrowth in Mexico.

So the right source, or person, was determined by looking at what was needed or the area.

The Right RateThe right rate can also be challenging. In the Corn Belt,

it seemed pretty easy when we evaluated geography andskills, along with where the potential or growth lies. InCali ornia, it wasnt as easy.

We were ortunate to have multiple candidates with skillsthat we elt we could utilize. Cali ornia has a lot o diversityin crops and climates and we decided that two people wouldbe the right rate to accommodate growth.

The Right PlaceThe right place can also take much deliberation. You

de nitely dont want to just hire the best person to sell er-tilizer i they live in the desert and are unwilling to relocate.Maybe i you wanted to sell air conditioners or water, butde nitely not ertilizer.

So the potential or growth is a actor, as well as the ability to deliver ertilizer, the growing season and diversity o crops.It does us no good to grow sales in areas o like climate andcrops i the result is large sales, but a very narrow manu ac-turing and delivery window due to a lack o diversity that

leaves us unable to meet the demands o that market.The Right TimeThe right time is also important. Until a company grows

to a level to be able to support growth initiatives, it really isnt prudent to just randomly grow. In rastructure and per-sonnel take signi cant capital investments, and a company must be large enough to access the necessary capital to givea strategy time to succeed.

Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers ownership has managed thecompany in a way that allows us to strategically look at the 4Rs o sales growth and know that the resources will be there toallow the time to achieve success. As one success is achieved,

then that allows another growth project to be undertaken.While someone rom the outside may not understandour decisions, we actually look at a lot o variables and try to plan or our growth. We owe it to our sellers and endusers the armers to manage our resources and buildgrowth in a manner that allows us to continue to providequality products and service to existing customers, whilealso introducing the company to new markets.

I hope you will continue to nd that we are not only a greatasset to your business, but that you will also sit back and, asour ounder Mr. Cook says, Watch us Grow!

ThePerspectiveBy Galynn Beer,

Senior Sales Manager

Agro-Culture Liquid FertilizersShowing Its Commitment to Growth


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Fall | 2010 3

Yield is important to every grower, but toa vegetable grower, this is only part o what determines value. The basics o cropvalue are measurable actors, such as size, colorand maturity date in order to be rst to market.

Still, there remain quality actors like taste andshel li e that are harder to measure and quanti y.Can a ertility program impact the way a vegeta-ble tastes or stores, or is their value determinedonly by genetics and the environment?

This season, several combinations o conven-tional ertilizers and Agro-Culture Liquid Fertil-izers products have been researched on many

vegetables. The major objective or all trials is to

learn the marketable yield rom the use o Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers products.Still, when variety, growing season and

equivalent nitrogen, phosphorus and potassiumertility levels are used, will the vegetables taste

and/or store the same?Several vegetable trials should be mature and

available or tasting at our Pro essional LiquidFertilizers Program. Will you be able to tastea di erence between Sure-K and standardpotash in tomatoes or cantaloupe? Can the useo LiberateCa or erti-Rain produce a di -

erent favor in green peppers or cause a more

appealing look to various vegetables?These are only a ew o the types o compari-sons that visitors to our research arm will beable to experience.

The actual vegetable plots will not be part o the main tour this year. However, there will bean opportunity at the end o the arm tour ora brie visit o the vegetable plots or anyonewho is interested. Hands-on experience with theharvesting o vegetables will also be available i youre interested.

Taste TheDifferenceOf VegetableFertility

By Dr. Brian C. Levene,Specialty Crops Research Manager

ground, but greater visual di er-ences between programs can beseen belowground.

Here participants will havethe opportunity to dig up plants

rom di erent programs andobserve their root systems. They will then try to match the rootsystems to the corresponding er-tility programs. Senior ResearchManager Dr. Jerry Wilhm will beon hand to point out the di er-ences between the programs.Station 4 ResponsibleFoliar Applications

This stop contains a combina-tion o soybean oliar programsand the use o erti-Rain on corn,soybeans and pickling cucumbers.

The rst part o this tour willbe led by Phil Dush, a NorthCentral Research Station as-sistant (and an Agro-CultureLiquid Fertilizers user on hisown arm). Comparisons o di -

erent combinations o ertilizerdesigned or oliar programs willbe observed.

The second part will be led by Senior Agronomy Manager Cory Schurman. Participants will see

the bene ts o oliar erti-Rainapplications on a wide range o

eld and vegetable crops andlearn how erti-Rain is workingon many crops across the country and beyond.Station 5 ResponsibleNutrient Management

Beyond the NCRSMaking a special appearance

on the tour this year will be BrianHe ty, cohost o Ag PhD.

Brian will discuss how He ty Seed Co. has used Agro-CultureLiquid Fertilizers in their busi-ness and speci cally on a new

arm they call the Blank Slate.This location has very low nutri-ent levels. As a test this year, they are comparing di erent rates o Pro-Germinator and Sure-Kin this low- ertility situation.Station 6 Taste theResponsible Difference

The last stop will ocus onspecialty crops. You can learnmore details in Dr. Brian Lev-enes article, entitled Taste TheDi erence O Vegetable Fertility,in the righthand column.

Continued from page 1

The Rest Of The North Central Research Station!This years Pro essional Liquid Fertilizer Program tour will ocuson about 3 acres o one arm. So what else is going on around therest o the arm?

As always, the NCRS has a wide range o experiments set up ondi erent eld crops. In act, there are more than 2,300 repli-cated plots established this year. Most comparisons are done onthe main crops grown in the area, such as corn and soybeans, butwe also continue to test other Michigan-grown crops like blackbeans, navy beans, sugarbeets, al al a and winter wheat.

To better support our customers, we added plots o milo andsunfowers. Weve grown both crops be ore, with little luck ongetting reportable data due to bird damage. So ar, the crops look

great. Now we have to hope the birds stay away until harvest.To keep up to date with the daily activities at the North Central Re-search Station, go to our blog at http://ncrsresearch.blogspot.com.

Can a ertility programimpact the way avegetable tastes

or stores?


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During the growing season, growers drive past their

elds and notice yellow or stunted spots, or noticehow green or tall their crops appear. The weather

has a tremendous e ect on growers crops, and growers haveno control on this major actor in crop yield potential.

For a grower to be able to work with the stress andweather patterns that each year brings, a thorough under-standing o the role o soil biology, soil balance and nutrientinteraction is critical to making sure armers are helpingtheir soil provide the necessary nutrients to help their crops.

Understanding the role o biology in soil helps a growerunderstand and prepare the crops ability to withstand orper orm in less-than-per ect growing conditions.

Usually, people think o microbes as agents o disease,but in truth they are the tiny workers and miracles o plantgrowth, soil aeration and nutrient availability to your crops.A microbiologist once remarked that a soil devoid o micro-organisms is dead or incapable o growing healthy crops.

Fertile soil contains a wide variety o microbes, includingbacteria, ungi, protozoa and algae. Mostly, these are oundin the rhizosphere, or the region o soil around the cropsroot systems, where they decompose organic matter intohumus.

The 16 nutrient elements that are essential to healthy plant growth and seed production are listed in Table 1.Its apparent rom the table that plants absorb most o theelements in the ionic orms o cation or anion, with a ewbeing absorbed in the molecular ionic orm.

Regardless o the source these nutrient elements beginrom whether organic orms present in the soil or in-

organic orms that come rom ertilizers they must bebroken down into simpler ionic orms be ore they can beabsorbed by plant roots.

The conversion or breaking down o these nutrients thatis carried out by the microorganisms, either directly or indi-rectly, is a process called mineralization.

Mineralization can be visualized as the preparation o ood or a plant by the microorganisms. Imagine that the

microorganisms are cooks working in a kitchen called therhizosphere. Soil organic matter and ertilizers are the gro-ceries, and the enzymes in the soil are the recipes.

The complex compounds rom ertilizers and organicmatter are broken down into simple ionic elements that theplants can then use.

There are several cycles that occur to make nutrientsavailable. The rst is the nitrogen cycle. The primary sourceo nitrogen or plants is rom atmospheric nitrogen gas. Themicrobiology trans orm the nitrogen gas into plant oodthat plants can take up.

The nitrogen fxation cycle is where the cynobacteria,actinomycetes and rhizobium bacteria x nitrogen gas inthe plant through aerobic actions.

The ammonifcation cycle is where the nitrogen- xingbacteria rom the nitrogen- xing cycle above bring atmo-spheric nitrogen as ammonia into the biological world,where decomposition and bacterial processed ammonium isreleased.

During the nitrifcation cycle , ammonium rom the twoprocesses above is converted to nitrates with the help o microorganisms. The rst step is oxidation o ammonium

rom inorganic nitrate and the second is to convert nitriteinto nitrate.

The denitrifcation cycle is an anaerobic process thatconverts the nitrates back to atmospheric nitrogen. This cyclecompletes the nitrogen cycle.

Phosphorus is second to nitrogen as the ood mostneeded by plants. Its ound in both organic and inorganic

orms in the soil.The primary source or organic phosphorus comes rom

the breakdown o vegetation and residue. This orm makesup approximately 15% to 25% o the total phosphorus inthe soil, and is readily available to be released to the plantsby the microorganisms through our processes o alteration,

Whats Going On In Your Fields?By Cory Schurman,Senior Agronomy Manager

GOT GOOD SOILS? Thehealth o your crops andtheir roots depend uponthe microbial activity inyour soils, soil ertilitybalance and critical nu-trient interaction.


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mineralization, immobilizationand oxidation.

Solubilization is how ertil-izer is made available by themicroorganisms in the soil.They produce organic acids thatconvert phosphorus salts intodibasic and monobasic phos-phates that can be taken up by the plant.

Sul ur is the ourth majorelement required or healthy plant growth. Recent researchshows this nutrient is increas-ingly needed due to low sul ur

uel and less sul ur dioxidecoming rom coal-burningplants, along with increasing yields rom crops needing moresul ur.

Sul ur is an essential compo-nent o the amino acids, whichare required or protein synthesisand are required in the nodule

ormation in legumes as well.In the soil, sul ur is present, but at levels lower than crops

need. It can only be released by microorganisms; thus, it tiesin with the nitrogen cycles and can greatly increase nitrogenavailability.

There are our main processes o sul ur metabolism inthe soil mineralization, immobilization, oxidation andreduction. All our are utilized in the biological sul ur cycle.

These bacteria work under anaerobic conditions, and thisis one o the reasons sul ur becomes de cient in water-

logged soils.Potassium occurs in the ionic orm (K+) in the soil and istaken up as such by plants; however, organic and inorganicacids produced by microorganisms help to solubulize potas-sium locked in the soil.

Potassium is required or sugar translocation and starchormation in plants, helps plant root growth and is toxic toungal diseases in the soil. Potassium is noted or increasing

the quality and size o ruits, grains, nuts and vegetables.Micronutrients have been proven to be as important as

the primary nutrients to healthy plant growth.As crop yields increase, a grower needs to make sure the

micronutrients that interact with other nutrients are avail-

able in the soil both or total nutrient uptake and plantmicronutrient needs.Iron is essential or chlorophyll ormation in the plant,

and organically, orms o iron will complex with sugars andsimple organic acids in the soil working with the microbiol-ogy process.

Manganese is essential or chlorophyll ormation andplant metabolism. The unavailable orms o manganeseneed to be trans ormed by the microfora in the soil.

Zinc is essential or metabolism in the plant and is tied tophosphorus e ciency within the plant and soil.

Boron is essential in metabolism and helps plants to setand hold reproductive sites.

Copper is help ul in plant growth and works in plantmetabolism.

Magnesium is a key ingredient in chlorophyll and is theelement to which nitrogen attaches to gain that deep, greencolor growers like to see in their crop.

When a grower understands how soil microbiology systems work, he can till and prepare soil or optimum

aeration; apply the right ratio o nutrients the soil needsor optimum nutrient uptake and soil balance; and createan environment where elds have the maximum level o microbiology needed or high crop yields, even in adverseconditions.

Microbiology is critical to nutrient uptake and availability in the soil, but it cannot carry the nutrient load by itsel .Nutrients rom applied ertilizer are needed. There ore, itsequally important to use high-grade or more usable ertil-izers that cause little or no damage to soil microbiology. Itshigh-salt-index materials or heavy metals that damage soils.

I the ertility program a grower uses is microbiologically compatible, the nutrient availability rom ertilizer sources

and soil organic orms can be increased many times over.This is one o the key reasons the Agro-Culture LiquidFertilizers line o products work so well. With low-saltindexes and microbiologically compatible ormulations, thenutrient availability has been proven to be higher, supply-ing the high levels o nutrients that high-yielding or stressedgrowing conditions require.

To understand the microbiology-promoting character-istics and more-available nutrients that come in ertilizers

rom Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers, contact one o oursales members today.

Table 1. Essential Elements Required By PlantsElement Chemical Form Available Form Available % ConcentrationName Symbol To Plants: To Plants In Dry Tissue

Ionic Common Name

Nitrogen N NO -3, NH+

4 Nitrate, Ammonium 1.5%Potassium K K + Potash 1.0%Phosphorus P H 2PO

-4, HPO 4

2- Phosphoric Acid 0.2%

Calcium Ca Ca2+

Calcium 0.5%Magnesium Mg Mg 2+ Magnesium 0.2%Sul ur S SO4

2- Sul ate 0.1%Zinc Zn Zn 2+ Zinc 0.002%Iron Fe Fe 2+ , Fe 3+ Ferrous 0.01%Manganese Mn Mn 2+ Manganese 0.005%Copper Cu Cu 2+ , Cu + Copper 0.0006%Boron B H 3BO3 Boric Acid 0.002%Molybdenum Mo MoO 4

2- Molybdate 0.00001%Chlorine Cl Cl- Chloride 0.01%Oxygen O O2, H 2O Oxygen 45.0%

Carbon C CO2 Carbon Dioxide 45.0%Hydrogen H H 2O Water 6.0%


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Agriculture, perhaps more thanany other industry, has a strongtradition o amily businessinvolvement. Many never make itthrough the di culties o generationaltransition, while a ew not only makeit, but continue to expand and fourishthrough the vision and dedication o the next generation o amily leaders.

The L.A. Hearne Co.was ounded in 1938 atKing City, Cali ., by Larry Hearne. The company thatbears his name contin-ues to build on the solid

oundation he established:grow as a result o theintegrity o ownership andemployees, provide excep-tional customer serviceand consistently o er the highest-qual-ity products day in and day out.

The rst commodities L.A. HearneCo. handled were dry beans and grains

grown locally in the southern endo the Salinas Valley. Processing andmarketing these commodities contin-ues to be an important division today.

In act, the company is a leading limabean processor and marketer to bothdomestic and international markets.

DiverseProduct Offering

Over the years, the company ex-panded its operations in response tothe needs o its growing customer

base. A eed division was established,providing high-quality eeds or bothcommercial livestock and pet markets.Even Cali ornia Fair Grand Champion

market bee have fourished on a KingFeed diet!L.A. Hearne Co. is also a Cali ornia

Certi ed Seed Producer o ering cover

crop and grain seeds to the statesgrowers.

With more than 200,000 square eet o indoor warehouse space, the company o ers a variety o storage and distribu-tion services. These services are comple-mented by a diverse trucking company also based at the companys headquartersin King City. Its modern feet o trucks

handles all types o bulk andpackaged goods, both liquidand dry.

In addition to servingcommercial growers andranchers, local residentshave the opportunity toshop at two retail stores,one at each end o theSalinas Valley. The storesare known as The Country

Store with More.Top-quality, brand-name Western

wear, livestock and pet ood, supplies,equipment and encing materials, and

a variety o un stu that highlight tharm and agricultural heritage o thearea are o ered.

The L.A. Hearne Co. has a lot goingon and we havent even mentionedtheir ertilizer division yet!

While it looks like a pretty ambitiousagenda, bear in mind that the thirdgeneration o leaders has at least eight

amily members who have decided tomake a career in helping the company grow and prosper.

Low-Salt Fertilizer ValueHaving your name on the door

brings the added responsibility o remaining true to long-held company values while maintaining the fexibil-ity to adjust to changing industry andmarket conditions to ensure continuedsuccess.

One key e ort o L.A. Hearne Co. isensuring the success, development andgrowth o the liquid and dry ertilizer di-

A Fertile Blueprint For SuccessL A Hearne Co has roots as deep as the undergroundaqui ers that nourish the Salinas Valley

By James MillsSales Account Manager

FERTILE VINEYARDS. L.A. Hearne agronomist Michel Hardoy examines vineyards whereAgro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers products are a major component o high-quality grapes.

Featured Area Managers

Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizerslow-salt index and high-e fciencyplant uptake ft per ectly with

what we are trying to accomplishwith our growers


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Fall | 2010 7

vision both conventional and organic.The ertilizer division is overseen by

company president Francis Giudici,with the assistance o respected indus-try veteran and long-time employeeMichel Hardoy. Agro-Culture LiquidFertilizers association with the L.A.Hearne Co. dates back to 2002.

The entire Salinas Valley is irrigatedwith water pumped rom huge under-ground aqui ers, Hardoy says. Thepast 10 years have brought increasingconcerns about both the availability and quality o the water supply. Salt-water intrusion and potential nitratecontamination are issues that we ace.

Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizerslow-salt index and high-e ciency plantuptake t per ectly with what we aretrying to accomplish or our growers. Ialso appreciate the companys commit-ment to Responsible Nutrient Manage-ment. This is a key ocus or Cali orniaproducers, and helps us di erentiateourselves rom our competition.

Monterey County agriculture hada production value o more than$4 billion, according to the 2009Monterey County Crop Report. Elevencrops had a value o over $100 million.The county ranks in the top- our agri-cultural counties in the state.

One crop that continues to fourish,particularly in the warmer southern

end o the valley where Hearne islocated, is wine grapes. O the 34 Cali-ornia counties that grow wine grapes

commercially, Monterey County rankssixth in harvested acreage with justover 40,000 acres o grapes harvestedannually. Thats roughly the same sizeas the Napa Valley.

Over 20 di erent varietals are grownand produced here, with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir leading the way.

Hardoy continues to see great resultsin wine grapes using a combination o

all three Agro-Culture Liquid Fertil-izers benchmark products HighNRG-N with slow-release nitrogen

or eeding throughout the growingseason; Pro-Germinator to providemulti orm phosphorus to producestrong, healthy ruit; and Sure-K toprovide the high-quality potassiumthat grapes require.

The success o these high-e cien-cy products is complemented by

Micro500 and custom blends o micronutrients to create a total nutri-tional program.

Our blending acility has morethan 300,000 gallons o covered liquid

ertilizer storage, Hardoy says. Wealso have signi cant tank storage on

arms and vineyards throughout thevalley where we can deliver blendedproducts or direct shipments rom thecompanys production acilities.

High-Value Crop FertilityIn addition to wine grapes, Hardoy

also trusts Agro-Cul-ture Liquid Fertilizersproducts to satis y the

ertility requirementso tomatoes, peppersand strawberries.

Sustainability inagriculture is extremely important, Hardoy adds. Agro-CultureLiquid Fertilizersproducts are cleaner,with a much higherpercentage o nutrientsactually available oruptake by the plant.

This means lowerapplied rates, and theresults are seen wherethey are supposed to in the quality o the

ruit produced and onthe growers bottomline.

I look orward tovisiting the companysresearch arm to see

whats new, particularly or our cropbase here in Cali ornia.

The L.A. Hearne Co. continues togrow and prosper. Its ocus is on thesuccess o its growers and customers.

And when you live, work andconduct business in your local com-munity or 72 years, isnt that the way it should be?

Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers isproud o our association with L.A.Hearne Co. and looks orward toProspering the Farmer together inthe years and generations to come.

TOP-NOTCH FACILITY. L.A. Hearne has invested in a state-o -the-art liquid ertilizer acility to ensure easy access and high-qualityAgro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers products to its producers.

DIVERSE OFFERING. L.A. Hearnes retail store, located next to the companys headquartersin King City, Cali ., provides customers a wide array o products and services.


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Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizerspresents the Douglas Cook AgLeadership Award to one re-

turning college student pursuing eitheran undergraduate or graduate degreein agriculture or an agribusiness-relat-ed eld.

This individual must be in goodacademic standing and have demon-strated exceptional leadership in thepromotion o agriculture at the state,national or international level.

The Douglas Cook Ag LeadershipAward winner is not required to haveany previous relationship to Agro-Cul-ture Liquid Fertilizers, but is requiredto have had previous involvementin either production agriculture oragribusiness prior to beginning his orher postsecondary education. The re-cipient o this award is selected or themerit o his or her application and alsothe content o their essay submission.

The 2010 recipient o the $3,500Douglas Cook Ag Leadership Award isRyan Rademacher o Eagle, Mich.

Ryan, the son o Thomas and AnnRademacher, will be a senior this allat Michigan State University, where heis studying or a career in production

agriculture. He is currently workingas an intern or Dow AgroSciences incentral Michigan.

The ollowing is his essay.

Impacting Agriculture by Ryan Rademacher As many new technologies emerge

within agriculture and with ood pro-duction becoming a value-added process,it has never been more o an exciting time to enter production agriculture.

I have been raised on a amily armand have learned production practices rom both my ather and grand ather.Being able to experience production ag-riculture practices has led me to pursuea higher education, which will aid my transition to become the third genera-tion o our amily arm.

To prepare mysel or a role in agri-culture, I have majored in agribusinessmanagement and minored in agronomy at Michigan State University.

While attending school, I have takentwo summer internships with Wilbur-

Ellis Co. and will be taking a third in-ternship with Dow AgroSciences during the summer o 2010. The experience that I have gained has defned the desire I

have to makean impact in productionagriculture.

Working heavily inagronomy, it has becomemy passion toutilize researchthrough feld trials and test plots to in-crease crop yields. I have been ascinateby breeding and plant genetics that havereduced our dependence on herbicideand insecticide use.

Not only have plant genetics been im- proving, but the use o ertilizers has albecome very interesting to me.

While working or Wilbur-Ellis Co., Iwas able to take on a project conducting oliar eeding o al al a and soybeansThe boost in production was evident,which has led me to begin incorporating oliar eeds into our nutrient manage-ment program on our amily arm.

My desire to increase crop yields and

productivity has developed rom previ-ous work experience and research that I have been able to help with. As our world population continues to increase,

Rademacher Receives CookAg Leadership AwardBy Lonny Smith,Senior Marketing Manager

Ryan Rademacher

By Lonny Smith,Senior Marketing Manager

The LIQUID Does It Better scholarship is awardedannually to two individuals who are either high schoolseniors or continuing college students at the time o ap-plication. They must be pursuing a degree in agricultureor an agribusiness-related eld.

These individuals must have maintained an average orabove academic record and be either a customer or as-sociate o Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers or an immediate

amily member o a customer or associate.The recipients o the LIQUID Does It Better scholarship

are awarded $2,500 to help de ray their academic expenses.The 2010 LIQUID Does It Better scholarship winners

are Ryan Mathewson o Axtell, Kan., and Brent Sexton o

Rockwell City, Iowa.Mathewson is the

son o Robert andLisa Mathewson.Ryan will be re-turning to KansasState University asa senior pursuing adegree in agricul-tural sales.

Sexton is the son o Keith and Barb Sexton. Brent grad-uated rom Rockwell City Lytton High School and will beattending Iowa State University to study animal science ashis pre-veterinary medicine emphasis.

Congratulations and best wishes to both Ryan andBrent.

LIQUID Does It Better Scholarship Winners Announced

Ryan Mathewson Brent Sexton


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Fall | 2010 9

the need or e fcient ood productionmust increase as well. It has been my passion to work at the production level and try to meet the e fciencies that will be required in the uture to meet our global needs.

Due to our amily arms size, I will not be returning home to be a ull-time armer immediately upon graduating rom Michigan State University. My work experience and college educationhas prepared me to gain a career withan agricultural input supplier.

I will be working within the ertilizer,crop protection and seed business whilecontinuing to build our amily armto an economical size that can support another individual.

It is one o my career goals to helpbridge the gap producers have withsetting a desired yield goal, but not

getting the results. Being involved in retail sales upon graduation will allow me tocontinue with some o my research experience and continue using test plots totest various qualities. It is my goal to takeHigh Per ormance ertilizers and intro-duce such products to maximize growers yields and return on investments.

Many technologies exist today that anolder-generation producer may not betaking ull advantage o . Technologies,such as guidance systems, variable-ratetechnology and grid sampling, are someo the ew emerging e fciencies that needto be utilized by nearly all producers.

I would like to make it my goal toassist those that may be lagging in theadoption process and begin to incorpo-rate possible variable-rate technology into their arm to increase e fciencies inagriculture.

My passion or agriculture remains atthe production level. It is my dream toone day return back home to our amily arm as a ull-time armer a ter workiwithin the agricultural industry.

By continuing to use modern ad-vancements in seed, ertilizer and goodagronomic practices, I can increase pro-ducers e fciencies to help provide ood or our growing world population.

Ryan, we thank you or your com-mitment to the uture o agriculture.Individuals like yoursel , who willde ne and carry agriculture orward,are crucial to the uture o our country and its grati ying to participate in youracademic pursuits.

For more in ormation on thesescholarships, please visit www.agroliq-uid.com/scholarship.

In June, the privilege was given to my wi e, Pauline, andI to travel to Tanzania in eastern A rica or a very specialpurpose. We spent 2 weeks in the city o Arusha teach-ing the word o God in a Bible school totally ree or theA rican students.

We partnered with Faith Tech International Ministry,which has been conducting Bible schools since 1979 here inthe United States and abroad.

This no- rills ministry is completely ocused on setting upand sta ng ree Bible schools that equip the students withthe undamentals o Gods doctrines or a two old purpose that they can live in right relationship with God, and beprepared to teach the lessons to others.

The Faith Tech lessons are the most thorough teachings romthe Bible I have ound. They are simple, yet not incomplete.

This trip to Arusha was the th time I have been to A ricato teach in a Faith Tech Bible school. So ar, my missiontravels include Kampala, Uganda; Lagos, Nigeria; Freetown,

Sierra Leone; Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania; and Arusha, Tanza-nia. Each trip has been very di erent, and has challengedme in my aith in Jesus Christ and has helped me to grow inthat aith.

On a mission trip like this one, we have to completely trustThe Lord to watch over and protect us in everything we do.

A rica is long way rom the USA, and God is absolutely aith ul to us as we ollow and serve Him and others.Its not uncommon or the instructors o these Bible

schools to come back with the sense that they have learnedmore than the students because o the insight gained in

working hand inhand with God.This is de nitely true or Paulineand me, too.

The beauty o thecountry o Tanzaniaand the hospital-ity o the A ricanpeople made ourtrip enjoyable andmemorable.

It would really be a mistake i I did not comment aboutthe Christian people o Arusha. They are truly wonder ul,gracious and generous people. They arranged very goodhousing or us, and charged us hal the normal rate, callingit their missionary rate.

To show their love and appreciation or our coming to

teach there, they ed us authentic A rican ood (we hadbanana stew!) and honored us as special guests. Their avoritegreeting is, You are welcome, and we know they meant it.

The best compliment I can pay them is they show the loveo Christ in a very sincere way. They sacri ced their timeand energy to study the Bible 3 hours a day, 5 days a week

or 8 weeks.Their love or The Lord is clearly seen by all who volun-

teered to teach in this school.We are blessed or having gone, and The Lord willing, we

will return to share with them again.

GODLY LESSONS. Tim Brussel (le t) providesa Bible lesson with the help o a Tanzanianinterpreter during a 2-week mission trip toEast A rica.

Sharing The Faith In East AfricaBy Tim Brussel,North Central Research Station Assistant


10/12


Farm Progress ShowBoone, IA Aug. 31-Sept. 2Clay County FairSpencer, IA Sept. 11-19Big Iron Farm Show & ExpoWest Fargo, ND Sept. 14-16Farm Science ReviewLondon, OH Sept. 21-23Sunbelt Ag ExpoMoultrie, GA Oct. 19-21Pacifc Northwest VegetableCon erenceKennewick, WA Nov. 17-18Amarillo Farm & Ranch ShowAmarillo, TX Nov. 30-Dec. 2Hermiston Farm Fair & Trade ShowHermiston, OR Dec. 1-3

Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable &

Farm Market ExpoGrand Rapids, MI Dec. 7-9Nebraska Power Farming ShowLincoln, NE Dec. 8-10Ag & Construction ExpoBillings, MT Jan. 6-8, 2011National No-Tillage Con erenceCincinnati, OH Jan. 12-15, 2011MAGIE Ag & Industrial ExpoGreat Falls, MT Jan. 21-23, 2011Iowa Power Farming ShowDes Moines, Iowa Feb. 1-3, 2011

Mid-Atlantic Fruit & Vegetable

Con erenceHershey, PA Feb. 1-3, 2011Spokane Ag ExpoSpokane, WA Feb. 1-3, 2011Mid-Tex Farm & Ranch ShowWaco, TX Feb. 8-9, 2011World Ag ExpoTulare, CA Feb. 8-10, 2011Northwest Iowa Ag OutlookSpencer, IA Feb. 16, 2011

Montana Agri-Trade Expo

Billings, MT Feb. 17-19, 2011Mid-South Farm & Gin ShowMemphis, TN Feb. 25-26, 2011Eau Claire Farm ShowEau Claire, WI Mar. 1-2, 2011North American Farm &Power ShowOwatonna, MN Mar. 17-19, 2011

CALENDAROF EVENTS

Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizersis pleased to once again par-ticipate in the premier no-tilleducational event in the nation as aTitle Sponsor o the 2011 National No-Tillage Con erence.

Featuring more than 40 speakerswith top-notch practical no-till tipsand techniques, this 4-day event willbe held rom Jan. 12 to 15, 2011, inCincinnati, Ohio, at the Hilton Hotel.

This is the th consecutive yearthat Agro-Culture has sponsored thishighly in ormative event, eaturing20 general session speakers, 20 no-tillclassrooms and 60 no-till roundtableswith nearly 100 hours o networking.

Agro-Culture takes a high view o re-sponsible nutrient use and has teamedwith No-Till Farmer , the organizers o this 19th annual event, to cosponsorthe 3rd annual Responsible Nutrient

Management Practitioners Program.Three no-tillers will be honored at aspecial luncheon.

We are currently accepting nomina-tions o respected no-tillers practicinge cient, e ective nutrient use (includ-ing sel -nominations) at www.Respon-sibleNutrients.com. Learn more aboutthe program and view past winners atthat site. Recipients o the award willreceive ree registration to the con er-ence rom No-Till Farmer , while Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers will provide

ree transportation and lodging.Here are some o the speakers signed

on to present at this annual gatheringo the no-till nation.

University o Maryland soil sci-entist Ray Weil will present onDealing With Dirt: What You NeedTo Know About Soil Quality, andPractical Steps To Make Plants

Work For You And Your Soils.University o Nebraska ag engineerPaul Jasa will highlight how no-tillers can manage variables to get auni orm crop stand.Western Illinois University soilsspecialist Joel Gruver will discussalternative ways to get cover cropsplanted on time and how to managethe undermanaged nutrients.Renowned no-till consultant JoeNester o Bryan, Ohio, will tacklehow to overcome the troubles seenwith glyphosate and how to usevariable-rate technology to tailor acost-e ective nutrient program.

You can get more in ormation aboutthe con erence or see the completeprogram online at www.NoTillCon er-ence.com. You can register online, down-load a registration orm or call (866)839-8455 or more in ormation.

19th Annual

NationalNo-TillageConference

19th Annual

NationalNo-TillageConference

Cincinnati, Ohio J an 12-15, 2011

No-Tilling Today For Better Tomorrows

Join Us At The 2011 NationalNo-Tillage ConferenceThree no-tillers will be honored by Agro-Culture LiquidFertilizers with the Responsible Nutrient ManagementPractitioners award at the January event in Cincinnati


11/12

Fall | 2010 11

Hines Crunches TheNumbers For ACLF

C lint Thoms started his careerwith Agro-Culture LiquidFertilizers 6 years ago. Theplant in Williams, Iowa, where heserves as site supervisor was nothingthen like it is today, Clint says. Hisstart with the company began withloading trucks. Then he moved intothe products side o the plant.

There was a small containmentand an old mobile home or an o ce.Tasks have changed a lot rom then tonow, Clint adds.

Even the new plant that was built a ter his arrival hasbeen expanded with a second rail spur and the addition o another building or inventory storage, Clint explains.

Clint, who is single, has a brother and sister. He enjoyshunting and shing and raises cow-cal pairs.

In his current position as Iowa Site Supervisor, Clint saysthe most enjoyable part o his job is the diversity o di er-ent tasks he completes throughout the day.

Looking into the uture, Clint looks orward to meetingthe demands o Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers customersas the business continues to grow.

Clint Thoms

Thoms Keeps IowaProduction SiteRunning Smooth I

n 1994, Dave Hines hired on atAgro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers andsplit his time between the St. Johns,

Mich., plant and the research arm. A tera couple o years, the capacity o theplant had increased to the point he tookon a ull-time role.

As plant supervisor, I learned howthe entire manu acturing system works, as well as loadingand unloading trucks and rail cars, he says.

Most recently, Daves duties have changed to that o Inven-tory Systems Manager, working alongside production andutilizing the computerized system. He maintains inventory records or all production sites, assists with orecasting and thepurchase o raw materials, keeps state licenses and registra-tions current, and reports tonnage.

Dave has been married to Rosemary or 33 years. They have two daughters the oldest, Cassandra, resides inSpring Lake, Mich., with her husband, Matt Anderson; the youngest, Susan, is a history teacher in Columbus, Ohio.

The most enjoyable part o his job, Dave says, is workingwith details and making sure the numbers add up correctly.From his point o view, opportunities are endless with thecompany, adding the numbers dont lie.

A program was laid out to grow 20% or 20 years. Were10 years into this plan and ahead o schedule, Dave says.

Dave adds the growth o the company means one per-sons decision a ects more people and is more complicatedthan it used to be.

Whos Who at Agro-Culture By Albert Bancroft,LIQUID Managing Editor

Dave Hines

Tom and Jeff Thompson,Harmony, MN

Weve been using Agro-CultureLiquid Fertilizers on our

arm or around 15 years, and it hasproven to us again and again to be agreat decision. It has improved our yields year a ter year. It has providedus the ability to purchase our ertil-izer early, as well as the opportunity toprice our ertilizer, know our cost andsecure a pro t when marketing ourgrain.

On arm storage means our er-tilizer is here when we are ready tostart planting. Also, having the totalpackage is a big deal or us.

Applying all o our Pro-Germina-tor, Sure-K and all o our micro-nutrient needs on the seed, as well asapplying all o our High NRG-N ina 4-by-2 placement at planting, savesus time. We eel Agro-Culture LiquidFertilizers does what is best or thecustomer and takes pride in the crops just as much as the producer does.

We are now looking at how wecan make the companys ertilizerswork even more e ciently. We haveincorporated variable-rate technol-ogy when applying Pro-Germinator

and Sure-K. We eel this will save usmoney, but more importantly, makethe ertilizer work to its highest poten-tial and increase our average yieldssigni cantly.

These guys are very innovative andwe look orward to any new productsAgro-Culture may come out with tohelp advance arming.

TIME SAVINGS. Applying liquid ertilizerwith the planter is e cient and e ective.

C u s t o m e r Q & A

Why Does LIQUIDWork For You?


12/12

l d

Your Information Source For Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers!I youd like to learn more about high-quality Agro-Culture Liquid Fertilizers,

contact the sales account manager in your region:

PRSRT STDU.S. PoSTage

PaIDMilw uk , WIP rmit N . 496

Galynn BeerSenior Sales

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Bob BaxterNortheast RegionalSales Manager(989) 640-7549bob baxter@

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Reid Abbott I-20 South in Texas,

Louisiana(979) 436-1836reid abbott@

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Adam BeckIllinois, Indiana,

Missouri(765) 491-7576adam beck@

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JayCastlemanAlabama, Georgia,

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Lang FrenchArkansas, Tennessee,

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(501) 776-5273lang rench@

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Kurt FisherMichigan, Ohio(989) 513-3565kurt fsher@

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JacobNowakowskiOklahoma, Arizona,

North Texas, NewMexico

(405) 306-1633jacob nowakowski@

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StuartSchillingMontana, Wyoming,

Idaho, Washington,Oregon

(406) 223-3451stuart schilling@

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Aarron Stahl Iowa, Minnesota,

Wisconsin(319) 239-6325aarron stahl@

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BrianWaugh Kansas,

Colorado, Utah(785) 672-0169brian waugh@

agroliquid com

Benjy ConoverDelaware, Maryland,

New York,Pennsylvania,Virginia

(717) 357-9484benjy conover@

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ArmandoGutierrezNorthern Cali ornia,

Mexico(916) 200-9430Armando gutierrez@

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Jim MillsSouthern and Coastal

Cali ornia(805) 286-5778

jim mills@agroliquid com

www.agroliquid.com

Documents

ACLF Fall 0810 Web