Foundations for Success

The Foundations for Success workshop was held June 22-26 and June 29-July 2 at the Monsanto Training Center in Monmouth, Ill. The event was attended by 60 crop specialists and agronomy advisors, representing 18 member cooperatives and subsidiaries. Participants came from Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin, as well as Ontario and GROWMARK FS.

During the week-long training, attendees learned about corn and soybean growth and development, insects, plant diseases, soil fertility, weed identification, herbicides, new technology, and sales techniques. Many sessions were hands-on in the test plots at the training center. Foundations for Success has been held in this format since 2002.

(Left to Right): Blake Wilken, Fred Wilker, and Cory Bebensee, all of AGRILAND FS, INC., examine soybeans to determine what caused their poor growth.

Damon Anderson, AGRILAND FS, INC. (left) and Tony Tennant, FS PARTNERS (right) learn how to use a portable GPS unit from Sid Parks, GROWMARK manager, precision farming (in white hat), John Grandin, Western Region seed agronomist (second from right), and Sandy Boyles, precision farming project coordinator (in green shirt).

Kate Graves, GROWMARK FS, LLC, examines soybean cyst nematodes under a microscope.

Bill Emmert (right) and Richard Halsne (left), both of AgVantage FS, Inc., use a portable GPS unit to mark the location of a soil sample in a field.

Darwin Engelkes, AgVantage FS, Inc. (left) and Bob Konert, FS PARTNERS (right) diagnose possible herbicide damage in a young corn plant.

(Left to right): Jordan Klosterman, Tiffany Ochs, and Andrew Spray, all of Wabash Valley Service Company, assess the growth stage of a stalk of corn and prepare to wash the roots to check for rootworm damage.

Grain Systems Electrical Workshop

GROWMARK Grain Systems, together with American Trainco, sponsored a two-day, in-depth, hands-on electrical training seminar for grain systems personnel. The course covered topics including: electrical fundamentals, safety, the National Electrical Code, installing and wiring equipment, electrical maintenance, basic troubleshooting, motors, and preventative maintenance.

On completion of the seminar, the 20 participants had the opportunity to take an online test for certification by the Maintenance Training Association of the Americas and 1.6 Continuing Education Units (CEU's).

"This class got rave reviews from the participants," said Randy Holthaus, GROWMARK grain systems marketing manager. "The trainer was very good, and the hands-on component meant the students could build their own circuits and ask questions to make sure they understood."

American Trainco offers similar courses in other skills, and Holthaus said he hopes to offer a variety of those in the future.