SUGAR BEET GROWERS: MAXIMIZE YOUR RETURN ON INVESTMENT WITH CALCINE® ANDNANOK®

The Road To Better Soil Health

As aproducer youknowyour crop is only as good as your soil. When things go awry,whether with nutrient profile or soil structureitisoften due to high saltdensities and as aresultyields suffer.Areaproducersare findinganew product, Calcine®,tobeparticularly helpful in getting productivityinthese fields back in thegreen. “Weare about onetoone andahalf leaves further aheadand our standcountsare probably four or fivebeets more per 100 feet of row, whichistremendous,”saidGaryWagner, a local farmer.“We also sawplants aregrowingfaster and healthier.Those things aregivingusencouragement.”

Just ayearearlier Wagnerwas facing high saltlevelsin severalofhis fields, whichwas inhibitinggrowthofhis crops. Conversations with his distributor,Jim Erickson, led him to aunique solution. “Calcine® is amix of proteins, enzymes andnatural acids that releases calcium from thesoil matrix so it can help leach saltf romthe soil, whichcan significantly improvesoil health and production,”Larry Mohr,developer of Calcine® said. “It’sbeen successfully used formorethan 20 years in thegolf industry. We’re excited to see it helpingproducers in theMidwest.”

Add Aboostofpotassium To Your Tank Mix

Increasingsugar contentinsugar beets has alwaysbeen achallenge forsugar beet growers.Overthe past twoyears we have seen the challenge becomeeasier to overcome Theuse of Aqua-Yield® NanoK®onsugar beets duringother spray applications has shownto increase sugar by as muchas.75 points in twoyears of trial work in ElbowLake, MN. Theproducer has seen this increase by addingNanoK® to thespray tank with thelast herbicide application and at least oneortwo applications duringCercosporaspraying. Thehighly available Nano particles of potassium get intothe plant leaves very quickly followingapplication because of thesmall size of theparticle. Thepayback forthe producer has been a$17 investment andareturnper acre of over$100 forthe additional sugar harvest Potassium has longshown to have apositiveinfluence on sugar in most crops andnow in sugar beets. Call us forrecommendations on howwecan maximizesugar andyour bottomlinebyusingNanoK®

Contact:Gregg Johnson 218-779-9079 or PatMuller 701-430-0771

Total Ag Industries •701-636-4524•totalag.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5 manufacturing end and helped out in the peak seasons in the spring and fall.

Craig credits his father for leaving a company that had no debt. Craig’s philosophy was to grow it slowly and build working capital. One key advantage was an ability to test new products on the farm.

“We found niche markets where other people didn’t really want to be a part of,” Craig recalled. In the 1990s, onion producers in western Idaho needed sixand eight-row cultivators. Michigan sugar growers were keen on H&S cultivators.

As the years flew by, Craig appreciated that the two enterprises were somewhat counter-cyclical. “The years farming wasn’t so profitable, the manufacturing would pick up. There was balance between the two.”

In the 1980s, H&S benefitted when farmers shifted to bigger band-sprayers.

They made a scrub-chain elevator that was a winner for retrofitting older Hesston harvesting machines that were common at the time.

The company’s products stood out in the wet 1985 crop season. “That scrub chain elevator really took off,” Craig said. “We had a machine that could clean.”

In the early 1990s, H&S started making sugarbeet carts and pull-type sprayers. In the mid-1990s, H&S started getting lasercut parts from other suppliers, rather than cutting their own with plasma cutters.

Bigger and bigger

Row crop cultivators are getting more popular again, this time to organic farmers in Michigan and elsewhere.

“They’re not 12-row anymore, so they’re building bigger bars,” Craig said.

H&S well known for a range of sugarbeet carts. They’ve increased to 30- and 35-, and recently 44-ton model carts that come standard with tracks.

A typical 30-ton cart starts in the mid$80,000 range, but can range to the $130,000 range, with all the bells and whistles. The options include sizes of wheels, as well as “transfer tracks,” that can be attached to 10-bolt hubs. They also offer an option for a Camso track, a track from a different manufacturer.

Since 2015, H&S has offered “ridging and de-ridging” tillage equipment. Sugarbeet farmers in Fisher, Minn., have adopted the technique which involves making ridges in the fall, fertilizing, knocking down the ridges and planting on top. The soil warms more quickly in ridges and retains the moisture because there’s less tillage.

The Halfmanns estimate perhaps 20% of the beets in the region now are planted with the technique.

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KB Manufacturing, LLC has designed a new aid for loading trucks, carts or other vessels with a primary purpose to more evenly place product for improved stability.

Light

Every unit is measured with sonar prior to loading, establishing a customized center point green light indicated optimal load zone. A red light indicates the load zone is too far out is designed to help reduce operator fatigue and allow more attention on proper harvestor settings

Wireless Direction Light KB-LINX (1 TRANSMITTER, 2 RECEIVERS)

FEATURES:

• Transmitter runs off of a 9-volt battery

Receiver powered by plugging into a cigarette lighter

Easily transfer from one piece of equipment to another

Units are small and install in minutes

Visual light shows direction of movement desired

• Audible alarm to alert driver of a change

Mounts on dash for easy viewing

Start-Stop Application Switch

Automatically shuts off sprayer or planter pump at end of row. Ease your mind with the flip of a switch!

PRODUCT USES:

• Loading trucks, grain carts,beet carts for harvest Loading and unloading of railcars and trucks at elevators and warehouses

• Communicate between two or more vehicles when visibility is obstructed

Have you ever forgotten to flip a switch to start application of a product?

Have you ever accidentally left a switch on?

Reduce your chance of leaving a switch on and burning you crops.

This motion activated switch starts the application when your machine starts moving. Application stops when you stop.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

H&S — and A

Craig estimates the business is 10 times what it was in the 1980s.

“Any business has to increase over time, or you’re going to go backward: you’re going to go broke,” he said, flatly. “You have to increase sales, revenue. The overhead keeps climbing, creeping.”

H&S sold through dealerships in sugarbeet areas — Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Idaho. The Red River Valley always has been the heart of their marketing. Each area involved its own challenges — Michigan and Montana each had their own row spacing preferences.

“We all wear a lot of hats around here,” Brent said. “When Brian and I first started, we were in assembly, helping out as young kids. It’s been fun to transition and to continue to be involved.” Brent and Brian seem to enjoy each other’s company. Brent said there are inevitable disagreements in business, but they agree not to go home angry.

Adolphson adds another dimension. He’d grown up at Argyle and met the Halfmanns’ daughter, Katie, when they were in high school. The couple married in 2005 and have four children. Darin holds a civil engineering degree from the University of Minnesota and worked in building and steel construction until 2017, when he joined H&S.

Adolphson’s main roles at H&S are operations and sales.

H&S has a busy main production shop for fabricating large equipment. They have smaller stations for smaller equipment. There is a wash bay, preparing equipment for a painting, and finally an assembly shop — originally a potato warehouse that was built in 1961.

“We try to find trends for planning ahead, for purchasing,” Adolphson said. “Typically, we’re a smaller company, building products to order.”

Counting blessings

In the mid 1990s, Craig became active in sugarbeet growers associations.

He became president of the Red River Valley Sugarbeet Growers Association, representing American Crystal Sugar Co. grower/shareholders. He went on the board membership in the American Sugarbeet Growers Association, and became vice president of the World Sugarbeet Growers Association, before sticking closer to home, in part to watch the boys play football.

Craig said he and Marlys feel very fortunate, with their kids and seven grandchildren around them.

“I have two sons and a son-in-law that are involved (in the business) and want to be involved,” he said. “They’ve gone to school, have the education, the foundation. Marlys and I are very lucky, we talk about it all of the time.”

CastPro/ ShieldBW-001 Sugar Beet Lifter Wheel

Designed by alifelongbeetwheel re-manufacturing company

Accordingthe designrequirementsbelow:

 Heat-treated8630steel for strength, wearlife andresistanceto rock damage

 Stouterspokes forincreased rigidity

 Cast-in puller-optimizers in theteeth to keep thewheelsturning in tough conditions

 Machinedhub face and bolt-holes for perfect fit andless runoutthe PAIR runningonthe machine will rimasa “true-pair” andnot fighteachother

 Fully weldabletoaccommodatespoke fillers andothercustomers add-ons

 Less expensive than theOEM wheels

 Bolt On Filler Tabs

Directreplacementfor 28”6—boltBeetLifterWheels: Amity Part #300734

AllowayPart #700-3-0303

Red River/ WIC/ WilrichPart #700576

Artsway

Anna Murphy, 33, of Berthoud, Colo., saw her first crop of sugarbeets in 2011 and was surprised at how much they weighed.

“I assisted with harvesting some research plots for Syngenta. I’ve always loved being outdoors, so I brought my lunch and water, strapped on my boots, and helped ensure the beets went into the correct bags,” she said. “I remember being in awe of the whole process at harvest and amazed at how heavy the beets were. They were as heavy as bowling balls!”

Now, 10 years later, Murphy is the new executive vice president of the Beet Sugar Development Foundation (BSDF) and the American Society of Sugarbeet Technologists (ASSBT). She works out of the organization’s Denver, Colo., office and started the position in January of this year.

“Since graduate school, I have been fortunate to spend the past 10 years working in the sugarbeet industry,” she said.

Murphy grew up in Centennial, Colo., a city in the suburbs of Denver.

“My grandfather was a farmer in South Dakota. However, I didn’t set foot onto a farm until my first day of graduate school,” she said.

After graduating from high school, Murphy attended Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in biology. She then went on to pursue a Master of Science degree in plant breeding and genetics, with a focus on wheat.