Co-Op Gears Up To Offer Non-GMO Seed

Co-Op Gears Up To Offer Non-GMO Seed CROPS Miscellaneous A new co-op was recently launched by Minnesota farmers to offer non-GMO seed and more Farmers joining Genesys Grain Genetics get a total package of seed and production protocols designed for premium grain markets Members get priority in seed selection and higher discounts than non-members “Our goal is to have seed raised under the same fertility program that it will be planted into ” says Genesys co-founder Jeff Littrell “The fertility program is designed to predict superior characteristics test weight and quality ” Littrell and his partner Keith Schlapkohl previously developed a crop fertility program for their farms Later they expanded their methods into FHR a crop fertility and nutrition company It’s the FHR fertility program that will be used in seed production for the new co-op The FHR program produced better yields and higher quality crops but they feel confident that if the seed they used was raised with that same program the crops would improve even more “We couldn’t get seed providers to follow our fertilizer protocols ” explains Littrell “Genesys brings it all together ” Littrell is also dissatisfied with commercial seed that is largely derived from 5 breeding lines Genesys has identified and is working with unique crop parent lines to develop hybrids that are different and more responsive He and Schlapkohl partnered with Rusty Packer and Jim Nelson Both are from Illinois and have long been involved in the seed industry Littrell says they went with a co-op structure as a way to keep benefits in the hands of participating farmers “With a co-op you can build a company with equal benefits to a guy who raises 10 acres or 10 000 ” says Littrell The co-op’s goal is to have around 300 members with enough diversity to counter year-to-year weather concerns “We are in our second round of the membership drive and now have members from Ohio to Nebraska ” says Littrell Memberships are set at $10 000 for a patron and $25 000 if selected for an initial board of director or seed producer position Littrell says patrons will get first access to seed and dividends projected at 6 to 7 percent after patronage is set aside “If we have sufficient seed beyond what members order we will sell it outside the co-op through dealerships ” says Littrell “Patrons will also have first option on premium market contracts ” Littrell says Genesys will have more than 10 000 bags of seed corn available this year Maturities range from 84 to 116 days Soybean seed has also been grown for Genesys this year with seed maturities ranging from 0 9 to 5 1 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Genesys Grain Genetics 2510 Hwy 63 N E P O Box 157 Stewartville Minn 55976 ph 507 533-7855; www genesysgrain com

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