Bruce Nowlin, of Blue Earth Consulting, inspects soybean plants for pests in a field south of Mankato.
A quest for yields Nowlin helps farmers boost production, lower costs By Peter Steiner Photos by John Cross
S
ome might think of a successful businessman as the guy who occupies the corner office on the top floor of the tallest building in town. But for Bruce Nowlin of Blue Earth Consulting, on most summer days that it’s not raining, his office is his big white pickup that trails two four wheelers. As long as crop stands are small enough to allow him into the fields, he’s busy doing soil sampling for his farmer clients. Nowlin is a certified professional crop consultant. He ranges over a 60-mile radius from his rural home, advising farmers what their fields might – or might NOT – need, to
produce the most efficient yields possible. Farming is big business. Farming is a gamble. The truth of such clichés helps explain the rise of crop consultants over the last three decades. In 1980, the average price of corn was about $2.50 a bushel. Even adjusting for inflation, recent prices in the $7 range represent about twice what that 1980 bushel was worth. And yields have skyrocketed. In 1980, 110 bushels an acre was acceptable. Today, yields of 170 bushels an acre are not uncommon. Some of Nowlin’s clients have fields that in 2011 came in at 230 or more bushels an acre. The numbers start to
Spotlight
24 • august 2013 • MN Valley Business