With our warm temperatures and high humidity, Southeast Iowa is an ideal environment for diseases like gray leaf spot, northern corn leaf blight, and common rust. Not to mention the new fungal threats that seem to pop up, like tar spot (see article here). To shield your crop from the high fungal pressure of our region, fungicide application should be considered in your protection plan every growing season. More
As we rounded out the 2019 growing season, we started learning about the threat of a new disease. Since our last update this winter, Iowa State Extension has published more information on where tar spot was found and how it impacts yield. More
Cavin grew up in Williamsburg, IA on his family’s row crop and cattle farm. After graduating from Williamsburg High School, he went on to further his education at Des Moines Area Community College. He graduated in May 2020 with an ag business degree. More
Allyn is a Williamsburg, IA native and a graduate from Williamsburg High School. He recently graduated from Iowa State University with an agronomy degree; learn more about him below! More
Although not new to the Stutsman team, Brogan Schanz recently transitioned into an agronomy sales role and is currently studying for his CCA (Certified Crop Advisor) certification. He enjoys working with growers, providing recommendations, and offering solutions to make their operations successful. Brogan joined the Stutsman team in spring of 2019, driving tender truck and working on fertilizer machinery. More
Meet Parker Werling and Zachary Badtram, our 2020 interns! While they benefit from the professional development our program provides, we are just as excited about the ideas, perspective, and passion they bring to the table. This summer, Parker and Zach can be found serving our agronomy customers through crop scouting services. If you catch them out and about, give them a wave! Learn more about the 2020 interns below: More
It’s pretty obvious farming is a profession that’s not for the faint of heart. Chasing the ever-moving target of healthy crops and high yields is a never-ending battle, especially when dealing with so many unpredictabilities. Even with what you can control, (aka a fertilizer plan that seems rock solid) striping and light green coloration can still pop up. What makes this more frustrating is when your neighbor’s field is the deep, healthy green straight out of a magazine. If you’ve covered your basic N-P-K bases, what could be the missing piece? The potential culprit could be N-P-K’s often forgotten about sidekick- sulfur. More
By: Erin Kolstad, Syngenta | Photography by: Mark Zhu
Like a lion lurking in the grass, bracing to pounce, sudden death syndrome (SDS) could be lying in wait in soybean fields — invisible until it’s too late for growers to defend their yields. This devastating disease infects the plant early, but detecting infection before symptoms typically appear late in the season can be difficult. More
By: Chase Gingerich, ProVantage Specialist and Agronomy Sales
Every year the weather is one of the most challenging aspects of business that every farmer has to deal with. The 2019 growing season reminded us of this and how little control we have. Managing a farm is a balance of making a plan, executing a plan, and calling audibles for the elements that are beyond our control. To learn from the challenges that we faced, we need to ask ourselves how can we turn those challenges into actionable opportunities? What can we learn from our data to maximize the factors that are within our control and to make those audible calls easier to make? More
Although the agriculture industry and our products/services may change over the years, one consistent factor remains; our employees are one of the most important ingredients in our recipe for success. Through our employee spotlight series, learn more about the people who make up the Stutsman team. Miguel Rios, shop laborer, is arguably one of the hardest-working and most optimistic individuals we have on our team. More
