Growers dig for answers

EL PASO – A group of Central Illinois farmers got their hands dirty the other day while learning how to properly diagnose agronomic issues out in the field.

The training event was held at the Beck’s Hybrids El Paso facility in Woodford County.

“This is the first year that we’ve offered this type of training to growers and hopefully it’s something we can continue in the future,” said Timothy Hartman with Beck’s.

This type of training is typically done with Beck’s dealer team so they can be better prepared when handling calls from the ag community. Hartman believes it is more fun for growers to dig plants and walk through a field instead of reading a book or watching a presentation.

“We just wanted to give guys an opportunity to come out.”

With the help of Beck’s employees, the participating farmers figured out certain scenarios and what caused poor crop conditions.

“They are going to walk through rotations on corn and soybeans,” explained Northern Illinois team lead Mark Voors. “The idea is to really take a look at common problems that might happen so we’ve made some mistakes out here in the plots.”

The Beck’s El Paso processing facility is used to get seed to customers but also has a Practical Farm Research site attached where various topics are closely monitored with the idea of helping farmers succeed.

“One of the unique things about Practical Farm Research is that is really has nothing to do with the sales side of our business. It is all about helping our customers understand how to be better at what they do,” Voors added.

Beck’s will hold its Central Illinois farm show at the El Paso location Aug. 15 giving visitors the chance to learn more about the company and its research.