November / December 2015 …...that life is meant to be lived. Have a safe and happy holiday season. Lutteke Manager’s Notes: 2015 Annual Meeting Highlights 2 Stewartville 533-4222

November / December 2015 www.allamericancoop.com Issue 445

Manager’s Notes: 2015 Annual Meeting Highlights ....................2Grain News ..................................................................................3Defer Payment Grain Checks ......................................................3All American Co-op Recognizes the Importance of Community....4-5Feed Department News ......................................................................5Kick Lactation into High Gear ......................................................6New Way of Thinking ....................................................................6Proper Rumen Development Makes Better Cattle ......................7Cook’s Corner ..............................................................................7We are proud to have a strong cooperative relationship ..........8-9

Fertility Values Trending Lower ..................................................10New Products to Consider for 2016..................................................10Who deserves the credit? ..........................................................11Welcome New Employees..........................................................11Selecting Seed Products ............................................................123 Questions ................................................................................12Crop Break-Even Worksheet......................................................13Scholarships ..............................................................................14Begin to prepare now for the 2016 Hunt! ..................................15All American Co-op & Progressive Ag Center Holiday Hours ....16

What’s Inside

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • Chatfield 867-4710 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275

Glenn Lutteke, General Manager

[email protected] (507) 533-4222

Highlights from the financial report for All

American Co-op’s fiscal year ending June 30th,

2015 are as follows. All American Co-op showed

year-end company sales at $76,452,197. Other

operating receipts were at $5,425,874 for the

2014-15 fiscal year-end. Net margins for the year

were at $2,072,513. Checks totaling $368,823

were distributed at this meeting representing 40%

cash portion for the past fiscal year.

Grain marketing during the 2014-2015 fiscal year were at

7,205,202 bushels, which was up 952,102 bushels from the 2013-14

fiscal year end. Feed volumes were down 892 tons from the previous

year. Agronomy tons were down 4,483 tons from the previous year,

not including lime.

I would like to thank Jim Schuetzle of Carlson, Highland & Co.

L.L.P., the independent auditing company that does our annual audit,

for presenting the year-end financial reports. Jim does a great job

of highlighting our cooperative year-end financials and answering

questions our members may have.

Elections were held for the regular 3-year terms expiring for

Mike Heim and Rod Nelson. Rod Nelson chose to retire from the

board at the end of this term. I would like to thank Rod for his time

and dedication while serving as a director on the All American Co-op

Board since 2007. Elections were held; Mike Heim was nominated

and unanimously voted to serve a regular 3-year term that will end in

2018. Jim Klavetter was nominated and unanimously voted to serve

a regular 3-year term that will also end in 2018. Congratulations to

both of you! I appreciate the time that our board members give to

our cooperative. Thank you for working hard to make sure that All

American Co-op is working hard for its customer-owners.

Theresa Willems, Vice President - Customer Services, AgVantage

Software Inc, was a guest speaker at our 2015 Annual Shareholder

Meeting. Theresa took a few moments to highlight some of the

features the E-AgVantage Online Customer Account Access can

provide to our customers. This online account look-up service is

free to any customer that has an account with All American Co-op

Progressive Ag Center. Customers can create their own login to track

grain sales, look up account balances, view account history, print

year-end account summaries and 1099 forms. All of this can be done

thru our website at www.allamericancoop.com.

Merry Christmas

I would like to take a moment to wish all of you a Merry

Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope the joys and memories past

and present will be with you, your family, and friends this holiday

season. It is important that we remember to be thankful for our

blessings throughout the year and I encourage all of you to remember

that life is meant to be lived. Have a safe and happy holiday season.

Lutteke

Manager’s Notes: 2015 Annual Meeting Highlights

2

Stewartville 533-4222 • Elgin 876-2222 • Chatfield 867-4710 • St. Charles 932-4732 • Plainview 534-3147Seasonal Locations: Eyota 545-2921 • Viola 876-2263 • Kellogg 767-3275 3

Grain News

Todd Stockdale, Grain Manager

[email protected]

Another Harvest is in the books, an early oneand hopefully a smooth one for your operations.For All American Co-op it started in Septembermoving out over-run grain inventories to off-sitestorage. We moved about 650,000 bu of corn toour Blooming Prairie site and the Chatfield binsite before the third week in September to openup space in our higher speed processing locations.We have handled over 7,000,000 bushels of corn

and over 1,500,000 bu of soybeans this season. These were recordbean amounts and near record corn amounts. We did our best to keepdelays to a minimum at our main sites. We have corn stored at sitesin St. Charles, Dexter, Racine, Blooming Prairie, two rural bin sitesin addition to our main elevators of Elgin, Viola, Eyota, Chatfield,and Stewartville.

There seemed to be general satisfaction with yields and generaldissatisfaction with price. A lot of commodities are stored and it’sanyone’s guess what prices it will take to pry it out of farmers’ hands.Some of the ethanol plants are already offering free delayed priceprograms. That way they can get corn from farmers, make it intoethanol, all without having to pay up for it. If too many farmers buy

into that program, they will have plenty of corn to grind and havelittle incentive to push prices higher for the farmers willing to holdout. We all like to keep grain moving, but I hate to see the movementhold back prices this early.

It’s hard to see what will be bringing prices up in the short term.China is reducing imports, the value of the dollar is high, and theEurozone is struggling with near continuous recessions. The worldis predicted to have higher levels of grain inventories than everbefore. Government shifts in Brazil and Argentina could swing theircompetitiveness strongly against us. The widening of the PanamaCanal will provide U.S. farmers better access to Asian marketsbut will improve Brazil’s access as well. Rail freight rates andcar availability are better now than they have been in some timeand will provide economical movement of grain to both coasts.

The big question is “How long will U.S. farmers hold their grainoff the market?” The western corn belt has most of the availableinventory and currently the lowest prices. Hopefully the grain deficitaffected areas to the east and south east will be willing to pay enoughto bring up prices. The price in Watertown, South Dakota on corn is$3.22 and in Rheems, PA it is $4.07, an 85 cent spread. I expect thisto continue to be a positive factor throughout the winter.

I hope you will all be enjoying the holiday season with familyand friends. Thank you for your continued patronage.

Stockdale

Glenn Lutteke, General ManagerAll American Co-op

Progressive Ag Center, L.L.C.

Todd Stockdale, All American Co-op Grain Manager

Brent Vorpagel, All American Co-opFeed Department Manager

Editor: Beth Pagel

Design & Production:Paper & Graphics, Inc.

All American Co-opBoard of DirectorsMike Heim, President

Ed Twohey, Vice PresidentDavid Severson, Secretary

Lawrence Schwanke, DirectorJim Klavetter, Director

Progressive Ag Center, L.L.C.Board of Directors

Lawrence Schwanke, PresidentDave Severson, Vice President

Mike Heim, SecretaryJim Klavetter, Governor

Ed Twohey, Governor866-934-6385 (866-WeGoE85) • 507-545-0197Email [email protected] • www.minnergy.com

“ Working with you”Progressive Ag Center, LLC

Defer Payment

Grain ChecksIf you have sold grain and asked that

we Defer the Payment until 2016 those

checks will be available to pick up no

earlier than 2pm on Monday January

4th. If you haven’t picked up your Defer

Payment check by 10:00 am Tuesday

January 5th we will mail your check. If

you are a Direct Deposit customer, those

transactions should appear in your bank

accounts the following business day. If

you have questions or concerns about

Defer Payments please contact Teresa

Baker at our Stewartville office at

(507) 533-4222 or e-mail Teresa at

[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/allamericancoop


All American Co-op Recognizes the Importance of Community

All American Co-op has a long history of volunteerism and

charitable donations that shows support for the communities that

we live and work in. To list out all of the charitable donations and

organizations that All American Co-op supports in any given year

would show a variety of groups that we feel have earned our support.

Our cooperative and its employees feel that it is important to be

involved in community activities, fund raisers, celebrations, and

youth development.

What is “Community”? By definition, “Community is a feelingof fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes,interests, and goals.” Community celebrations and activities are just

one way that All American Co-op carries an active role of appreciation

to the neighborhoods that we are a part of. All American Co-op has an

active presence in seven area communities in SE Minnesota. Each one

of these towns possess a strong amount of pride in their rich history

and are excited to celebrate community in several different ways,

thru parades, annual celebrations, and Chamber of Commerce events.

Examples would include supporting community pool projects, offering

training experiences for area volunteer fire departments, supporting

local school activities, sports fundraisers, and being involved in

chamber events that promote growth and fellowship. These activities

are supported financially by the co-op, but more importantly, they

are supported actively by the employees at All American Co-op who

have strong ties to the communities that they live and work in. We

encourage our employees to participate in community activities and

rely on them to make us aware of events that they feel All American

Co-op should be involved with.

Our cooperative recognizes that it takes the support of our

communities to support the future of agriculture. The Ag-Community

has so much more to offer than cows and corn. All American Co-op

feels strongly about supporting youth education thru FFA and 4-H

programs. We do so by rewarding efforts at the competitive level

during county fair and group competition events. We offer mentoring

programs to assist students; supporting the projects, experiences, and

learning efforts they develop to earn credit and recognition within their

youth communities. Ag-education is a strong focus area for employees

at All American Co-op. Supporting growth and education thru 4-H

blue ribbon auctions, FFA Greenhand camps and CDE projects,

participating in Ag in the

Classroom presentations,

supporting the AgStar

Miracle of Birth Center

at the county fair, and

helping to sponsor and

educate at Farmcamp

Minnesota every summer

are all ways that our staff

contributes to youth education and development programs that will

lead students to be strong active members in our Ag community.

Without education there would not be growth. The technology that

the 21st century has brought to the playing field has launched a new

interest for today’s students to consider agriculture as a part of their

future. We need trained individuals to come to the manufacturing,

production, sales, finance, science, and technology fields to support

what producers are doing on the farm.

Why do farmers farm? By definition, “Farming is the activity orbusiness of growing crops and raising livestock.” Today’s farmer is so

much more than this; the bottom line is farmers produce food to feed

communities. 1 in 6 children in Minnesota are at risk of hunger, many

do not know where their next meal is coming from. The employees

at All American Co-op take this as a challenge to help feed those that

need a meal. All American Co-op has organized its own food drive

campaign that supports the food shelves in the communities that we do

business in. Co-op employees and members have increased our food

drive donations in 2014 and hope to do so again in 2015. All American

Co-op has also partnered with Nutrablend, Elanco, Diamond V, Kemin

and their “Drive to Feed” campaign. These feed additive suppliers are

working

together

with others

in the feed

industry

and animal

agribusiness

community

to raise


Feed Department News

Brent Vorpagel, Feed Department Manager


I wanted to take this opportunity to tell you alittle bit about some activities All American Co-ophas had the opportunity to be a part of over thelast few years. Through The Chew on This Tour,

Drive to Feed Kids and now Ivy League Farmer

we feel very proud to be involved with otheragricultural organizations to be educating theconsumer about modern agriculture as well aschild hunger.

The Chew on This Tour was a unique, interactive road showtraveling the nation to heighten awareness about one of the biggestproblems facing our world today: hunger. The tour made stops atfeed mills, universities, fairs and civic events around the countrywhere questions about world hunger and sustainable food productionwere answered.

As the tour progressed, Chew on This continued to clarify themyths and misconceptions about animal agriculture that societybelieves to be true while narrowing down on a hunger issue righthere in the U.S. That issue is child food insecurity.

In 2014, Drive to Feed Kids was a movement born from The

Chew on This Tour where words were turned into action. Drive to

Feed Kids provides Nutrablend customers the opportunity to raisefunds for BackPack programs in their community. BackPack programsprovide meals for food insecure children on the weekends.

Since its inception, Drive to Feed Kids has been wildly successful.Communities across the nation are raising millions of dollars tosupport existing backpack programs, and even starting new programs.To date, DTFK events have provided over 2.5 million meals to foodinsecure children in the U.S.

Although The Chew on This Tour has ended, the initiative toeducate society on animal agriculture and how our food is producedtoday is far from over. Farming to Fight Hunger, a nonprofitorganization made up of agriculture industry leaders, formed in 2014with the goal of raising awareness for modern agriculture and childhunger in America through media.

The first feature film production funded by Farming to Fight

Hunger was released spring of 2015 dubbed Ivy League Farmer. IvyLeague Farmer is a real Hollywood movie that is entertaining andenlightening for the whole family. The movie focuses on a youngHarvard graduate returning to the family dairy farm for the summer.He embarks on a heartwarming journey to convince his father thatmodern agriculture is key to prolonging the future of their dairy andwhile there, meets a young teacher working to help feed her studentswho don’t get enough to eat at home.

Ivy League Farmer is a unique tool that extends themessage of modern agriculture and raises awareness for child foodinsecurity. Agriculture companies across the nation have giventhis film rave reviews, hosting showings of the movie and invitingthe community to view this incredible story.

Drive to Feed Kids and the movement created by Ivy LeagueFarmer continues to gain ground and prove its success throughthe participation of communities across the nation. From helpingthousands of food insecure children to teaching communities aboutmodern agriculture; these programs will continue to make theirefforts successful.

There is no time more fitting to say thank you for yourbusiness. I would like to wish all of you a very Merry Christmasand a safe and Happy New Year!

Vorpagel

awareness about hunger, to educate the consumer of agriculture’s

role in solving the problem, and to take active steps to fight hunger

at a local level. All American Co-op has partnered with the “Drive

to Feed” efforts and has donated over $3,000 of monies earned to

four local school BackPack programs. School meal programs only

meet the needs of children during the school week. The BackPack

program helps provide food for the weekend to help meet the

nutritional needs of children when they are not at school. The

“Drive to Feed” tour has helped to dispel many of the myths and

misconceptions about modern American agriculture which is the

supplier of the safest food production in the world. As a result,

fundraising efforts have offered huge support across the nation to

local programs to help stop hunger and malnutrition. Let’s face it, we

have all heard the numbers and they are not getting any smaller. “By

2050 we will need 70% more food to feed the global population of 9

billion people”; industry leaders are now saying that this number

is growing. Taking advantage of matching funds that our corporate

partners make available is an added benefit that All American Co-op

is pleased to use to give back to our communities.

Agriculture accounts for 10% of the jobs in the state of

Minnesota. Volunteerism, charitable donations, and community

involvement are initiating conversations that promote knowledge

and understanding about the technology and innovation that help

the modern farming community meet the challenges facing future

generations. These are all reasons why All American Co-op

supports community education, youth development, and industry

fundraising efforts. We take pride in building strong relationships

thru our charitable donation efforts.


Kate Brown, Calf and Heifer Specialist,

Purina Animal Nutrition


Change is hard, we often hear this and it

rings true. As we look at the way things have

changed on farms, it is very evident that change

has happened. From the way that we feed our

cows, to the way we milk our cows, huge changes

have occurred and we have had to learn to adapt

to them.

Land O’ Lakes Animal Milk is continuously

looking for ways to increase calf growth and improve calf health

with new products and also the way we feed them. While doing this,

it has been found that calves are very sensitive and love consistency.

The way of feeding calves using cups has been found to be very

inconsistent. Just think about how everyone scoops cups and fills

them to different levels; it can cause some very inconsistent results.

For this reason Land O’ Lakes says it’s time to Chuck the Cup!

Coming soon, cups will no longer be in each bag of Land O’ Lakes

Milk Replacer. To help you through this change and to encourage

you to weigh milk replacer to ensure consistency and accuracy, there

is a kit available to purchase.

Kits Include:

• Hanging Milk Replacer Scale

• Thermometer

• Large Whisk

• Bucket that includes

volume lines

This kit is available to be

purchased for $25 each, plus

shipping (retails at $90). There

is a limited quantity and a

limit of one per customer, so get yours today. You can find more

information at http://www.chuckthecup.com/ Get yours TODAY,

offer ends December 31st!

New Way of Thinking

Brown

Bill Hammel, Dairy Specialist


Achieving high milk production with a

minimum of metabolic clichés begins in the

dry period. Assuming a cow finishes her lactation

with a 3.5 body condition score, she is ready for

some lower quality forage (not moldy) with

enough energy to maintain her condition and

about 12% protein overall in the diet. This will

maintain proper fetal growth and will keep her

functioning as she prepares for the next lactation.

Don’t forget about providing adequate bunk space, water and

shelter. Dairy cows are not beef cows. Products available for this

period are:

Dairyland Dry Cow Tub – this is a convenient way to get protein,

minerals, and vitamins into the cow. It is a 225# low salt tub with

expected consumption of 1/2 to 2/3 pound per day. The booking

deadline for these is December 11th which is about a $10/tub savings.

Dry Cow Supreme Premix – this mineral premix with a 2 oz

feeding rate will provide adequate minerals, vitamins, and salt when

no extra protein is needed.

Dry Cow Supplement 36 R300 – this is a 1-2 pound feeding rate

pellet that will provide extra protein if needed and Rumensin.

AAC Dry Cow with Beta-Carotene – studies have shown that

improved colostrum can occur if cows are supplemented with beta-

carotene along with improved reproductive performance due to

improved ovarian function.

If you have a pre-fresh group, they can use some special attention

at this time. It is especially important to have adequate space and if

possible, a quiet place to calve. Keeping stress at a minimum will

go a long ways in keeping metabolic problems away and getting

her on the way to a successful lactation. Diets need to be kept low

in potassium to keep the incidence of milk fevers low. Products

available for this period are:

AAC Pre-Fresh Mineral – this is a one pound, stand-alone feeding

rate mineral that contains Reashure, Niashure, Rumensin, and extra

vitamins.

Rally – either the base pelleted product or the Rally Dairy Pak.

This product has shown to increase dry matter intakes in transition

cows which can lower NEFA’s post calving resulting in cows

achieving peak milk sooner without experiencing metabolic problems.

Feel free to contact any member of the dairy team if you need

assistance in getting your dry cow program working for you to achieve

the best results.

Kick Lactation into High Gear

Hammel

Change of Address/Forwarding Address

It is important to us that you continue to receive our mailings.

Please contact All American Co-op with a change of address if

you are moving, or a forwarding address if you are going to be

away for an extended time. In an effort to save the cost of return

postage, please be aware that if we get publications returned,

we will have to remove you from our mailing list. Please send

your address changes to All American Co-op, P.O. Box 125,

Stewartville, MN 55976 or call (507) 533-4222 or email changes

to Beth Pagel at [email protected]. Please indicate if

your change is a permanent or temporary change. If you are

giving us a temporary change, it will be your responsibility to

notify us when to change your address back to your permanent

address. Thank you for your help and your continued businesswith All American Co-op and Progressive Ag Center, LLC.


Mark Werner, Livestock Production Specialist


More often than not, we as producers don’t

have a lot of control over how livestock are

developed prior to taking possession of them or

controlling what they consume before return

from summer pastures. When the time of year

rolls around where you purchase cattle or when

it is deemed time to wean, that is when we can

make a difference on your cattle, whether they

are going into your feedlot or being added back

to your herd as replacements.

When starting a group of cattle on feed after weaning or receiving

them, we need to focus on feeding them to develop and transition their

digestive tract for their next step in life. The main focus at this point is

now on the rumen. If developed correctly we can have a positive effect

on those cattle for the rest of their lives. Here is a great overview of

what function the rumen serves to better understand the importance

of its performance. According to Janna Kincheleo, SDSU Extension

Research Associate, the rumen is the largest compartment and is where

the majority of fermentation takes place with the assistance of billions

of bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. The rumen microbial population

digests fiber components (i.e. cellulose and hemicellulose) to yield

by-products such as microbial protein and volatile fatty acids (VFA’s).

Protein that is digested in the rumen is used to support microbial

function and growth, while VFA’s are primarily absorbed and utilized

as energy by the animal.

Delivering a balanced weaning/starter ration is critical to

transitioning and developing the rumen. Kincheleo states: There are

a variety of options available for weaning rations depending on the

marketing plan and production goals. For normally weaned calves,

receiving programs may be based on either forage or concentrate

depending on available resources. Some programs may utilize a

forage-based diet with supplement. Concentrates that are high in

digestible fiber and moderate to low in starch such as distiller’s

grains, wheat middlings, and soybean hulls have been shown to

provide adequate gain without the potential management issues

associated with starch-based concentrates. A 50-60% concentrate

ration is typically recommended for normally weaned calves. Good

quality grass hay or medium quality alfalfa hay should be fed for

the first several days at around 2% of body weight, followed by the

introduction of concentrate. Utilizing a mix of forage and concentrate

will stimulate rumen capacity and development, resulting in a healthy

microbial population and optimizing health and performance of

weaned calves.

As part of a balanced ration, All American Co-op offers multiple

supplement options depending on the age of the animals that are being

fed and the feedstuffs you have to work with. Products differ in protein

levels, the type of protein source; such as Urea vs Natural, different

inclusion rates, TMR and self-feeder situations, as well as Intake

Modification (IM) Technology by Purina. Urea is beneficial to feed

the microbial populations in the rumen as long as it is fed to the

correct class of livestock at the correct rate. IM Technology allows us

to utilize self-feeders by controlling their daily feed intake according

to how much we want them to consume at that life stage.

Beyond a balanced

ration, there are multiple

classes of additives to

consider that can assist

in developing a better

rumen, maintaining

health and utilize feed

more efficiently. These

additives include but

are not limited to

ionophores, yeast cultures, probiotics and natural supplements.

These additives aid in controlling coccidiosis, detrimental bacterial

and protozoa, which then allow the beneficial rumen populations

to thrive.

If we can keep an animal on feed and eating, you will keep their

immune system functioning more effectively and aid in keeping

them healthy and utilizing feedstuffs more efficiently, saving you

time, feed, labor and resources.

Here is the source of the article in its entirety if you would like

to read it: http://igrow.org/livestock/beef/considerations-for-rumen-

development-in-weaned-calves/

Proper Rumen Development Makes Better Cattle

Werner

Slow-CookerBeef Stew1 lb Beef Stew Meat1 tsp Beef Base3 large Carrots, cut into

1-inch pieces (2 cups)2 medium stalks Celery, cut into

1-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped1 medium Onion, coarsely chopped (1 1/2 cups)1/4 tsp Pepper1 can (19 oz) White Kidney Beans, rinsed and drained1 can (28 oz) Crushed Tomatoes in puree, undrained1 jar (12 oz) Beef Gravy2 tsp Italian Seasoning1 tsp Sugar2 cups frozen cut Green Beans (from 1-pound bag)Place beef, beef base, carrots, celery, garlic, onion, pepper, kidneybeans, tomatoes and gravy in order listed in 3 1/2- to 4-quart slowcooker. Cover and cook on low heat setting 10 to 12 hours. Stir inItalian seasoning, sugar and frozen green beans. Increase heat settingto high. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until green beans are tender.Prep Time 15 min Total Time 12 hr 30 min Servings 6 Tips: If you can’t find white kidney beans, red ones will tastejust fine. The Italian seasoning is added at the end to preserve itsflavor. Serve a tossed green salad and hot garlic bread to roundout this meal.Nutrition Information: Serving Size: 1 Serving Calories 340(Calories from Fat 100) Total Fat 11g (Saturated Fat 4g) Cholesterol50mg; Sodium 800 mg; Total Carbohydrate 41g; (Dietary Fiber 10g)Protein 29g ©2015 ®/TM General Mills All Rights Reservedwww.bettycrocker.com

ALL AMERICANCO-OP

COOK’S CORNER


“Priority needs to be placed on conservation for the environment

that we earn our living from” these are the words of Steve and Bill

Bailey, co-owners of Bailey Brothers Farms just west of Chatfield,

MN. The brothers manage 1300 acres of crop land, 300 acres that are

dedicated to timber management, and 200 acres of part-time timber

management and pasture. Steve and Bill also own a 200 head

cow-calf heard, raise about 20 head herd of bulls from their own

breeding each year and are strong believers in rotational grazing

to maintain pasture health and soil conservation. The diversity of

their 4th generation farm is a true testament of a family operation

that takes pride in being true stewards of their land. Steve and

Bill joined their father and uncle in the early 1970’s managing the

land and by the 1980’s the reins of the operation were starting to

be handed down to them when the brothers initiated an update to

a newer combine. Steve smiles when he tells the story and saying

“When Dad said, ‘if you want to spend the money on new machine,

then you need to be making more of the decisions’ that was when

we knew that things were changing”.

Today Bailey Brothers Farms rely on the experience of the staff

at All American Co-op and Progressive Ag Center, LLC to respect

their goals to conserve their resources in order to manage a profitable

crop production program. The brothers say it’s their goal to maintain

a 200bu/acre farm average on their corn acres. Steve is quick to add

that Pete Collins has not let them down yet. “Pete came to us with

the background and an experienced perspective that we respect.

When I ask Pete for his thoughts, I want his honest opinion, I don’t

want him to tell me what he thinks I want to hear, but rather what

would be best for our operation. The relationship we have is a two

way street, we can learn from each other.” Bill also comments “we

can go buy the product from anyone, we keep our business with All

American Co-op and Progressive Ag Center, LLC because they

provide the valuable relationship and service that we are looking

We are proud to have a strong cooperative relationship


for.” Both Bill and Steve agree that the service the co-op provides

is where the value is!

Agronomy Manager Pete Collins appreciates the respect that the

Bailey Brothers have shown him and he comments that “Providing

service is what makes my job fun. If selling product alone is all that

I had to do, my job would be pretty dull. Working with growers like

Bill and Steve Bailey is what I come to work for every day. I take

pride in building strong relationships with our customers to help

them reach their goals.” The Bailey Brothers Farms recently updated

their planter, Steve says “Pete has been urging us to update for a few

year, and now that we have, I can see the decision is going to help

us do a better job with our crop production.” Adding new technology

such as Grid Sampling, Tissue Sampling, and Aerial Fungicide

Applications have shown to have a place in the overall farm

management plan for Bill and Steve. Bill comments that “the last

season’s fungicide application proved to be a positive choice. We

may not have seen it right away, but when we sat down with Pete

to analyze our farm data, it became very evident that this was

another tool that could help us improve our profitability.”

The Timber Acres are also an important segment of the Bailey

Brothers diversified farming operation. They were recently recognized

as the 2015 Minnesota

Tree Farm Family of the

Year. Bill adds that “this

is a very special honor

for the entire family. I

cannot recall when this

recognition has been

awarded to someone on

the southern part of the

state.” The family has

hosted annual field days,

farm tours, and education programs for DNR professionals. Bill

says “This is more than just tree management, it is about promoting

nature, conservation, water management, recreation, and overall

land stewardship. Our efforts to operate a no-till farm management

practice, along with pasture rotation, CRP programs, and other soil

conservation participation has improved our land quality the

past 30 years. The crop management practices that the Co-op

has supported us with,

has been a key piece

of that overall farm

management effort

that we feel very

strongly about. We are

proud to have a strong

cooperative that we

can have valuable

relationship with.”

“ Working with you”Progressive Ag Center, LLC


Gary Suess, Precision Ag Specialist


The 2015 harvest season has wrapped up and,

in most cases, was one of the best ever. Great

yields and great harvest weather for the bulk of

the season combined to make a smooth harvest.

The fall soil sampling season has come to an end

as well. The great weather allowed us to get a lot

of sampling done in a timely manner. Interestingly,

as the soil test results came back, the reports were

showing a consistent trend of lower fertility levels. The main nutrients

showing up lower were both P and K. This trend was found

throughout our territory.

There are several factors influencing these lower P & K levels.

First, crop yields continue to increase each year. Not surprising, but

these higher yields result in higher nutrient removal which continues

to deplete soil reserves of nutrients. In the future, these extra nutrient

removals from continued higher yields need to be factored into

fertilizer recommendations to help replenish these soil nutrient levels.

Second, several economic factors are having an impact as well. Short-

term farm leases, low commodity prices, machinery payments, and

other financial obligations are just some of the elements that can

place limitations on fertility programs.

The main concern is whether we can continue to push corn and

soybean yields higher in the future if the trend of soil fertility levels

keeps sliding lower. There is

tremendous genetic potential

in the corn hybrids and

soybean varieties available,

however this genetic potential needs to be supported with a solid

agronomic foundation, starting with soil fertility. Low commodity

prices are a huge concern and have a direct impact on profitability

and can lead growers to cut back on some of their inputs. However,

keeping yields at high levels might be even more important in these

times than when commodity prices are high. Unfortunately, there is no

easy answer. Building a solid fertility plan to meet the needs of current

as well as future high yielding crops is a balance of agronomics vs.

economics. This winter would be a great time to re-evaluate your soil

fertility plan with your Progressive Ag Center agronomist to make sure

you meet your soil fertility needs and goals.

The consistent increase in yields we have been having the past

several years is definitely a positive thing, however, this also comes

with a price. Higher yields require higher amounts of fertilizer.

This is a cost that will need to be factored into future cropping

budgets to ensure we can continue to supply the nutrients to higher

yielding crops.

Finally, December is a special time of year that hopefully allows

you to spend time with family and friends. I hope everyone has

a wonderful Holiday Season and would like to wish everyone a

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Suess

Steve Yoch, Agronomist, Plainview


With the 2015 harvest wrapped up, it’s that

time of the year to start planning and discussing

options for the 2016 crop. We all deal with weeds,

but which herbicide options fit your operation best?

This article is about a new corn option in crop

protection products, and an existing corn product

that has added Sweet corn to its label.

Armezon® PRO Herbicide by BASF, is a

new herbicide pre mix for field and sweet corn

that has both post control of grasses and broadleaves & residual

control of small seeded broadleaves and grasses. It can be used on all

types of corn, from conventional, Liberty Link to Roundup Ready

corn. If spraying on Roundup Ready corn just add the Roundup

and likewise with Liberty. This product allows great flexibility with

adjuvants and post spraying timings. The big benefits of this product

are a low use rate (16-18oz/ac), it doesn’t take much moisture to

activate, and it is another tool to help manage tough to control weeds

like waterhemp and other glyphosate resistance weeds.

Verdict™ Herbicide is a pre-emerge corn herbicide we have

been using for the last couple years. It is effective on managing giant

ragweed, lambs quarters, waterhemp, grasses and other tough weeds.

Before the 2016 season, Verdict hasn’t been labeled for pre-emerge

use on sweet corn, but starting in 2016 we will be able to use Verdict

pre-plant thru pre-emergence in sweet corn…this will be a great tool

to help keep sweet corn fields cleaner longer.

Lastly, we have been looking at corn yield maps where growers

split a field with Headline Amp fungicide at tassel. We are currently

seeing yield bumps 4-6 bushel higher than normal. With the issues

we saw with Northern Corn leaf blight that hit our area hard last

August, we think the bigger bumps are coming from protecting the

corn plant from this disease. More info to come as we collect and

analyze these yield maps.

There is not a “one size fits all” in weed management. Spend

some time with your Agronomist this winter to weigh through

herbicide options in your operations. I would like to Thank You for

your business in the past and look forward to helping you navigate

through the 2016 road ahead. Have a Merry Christmas!

New Products to Consider for 2016

Yoch

Fertility Values Trending Lower


Jon Schmitz, Agronomy Sales Manager


With the 2015 crop year in the books I think

it is safe to say that this is another year that will be

on many of our minds for some time to come. For

many of you it was the best soybean crop you

have ever had on your farms. For others, it was

also the best corn crop you have ever grown. This

wasn’t the case for everyone, but once again we

have had exceptional yields across SE Minnesota.

As we look back on the growing season, we

can pinpoint many of the management practices that played a role

in achieving the success we had this year. But like all years, the

sum of all of them ultimately determine how successful our year is

and how high our yields are. However, as I look at 2015 I believe

there are a couple things that definitely stand out more this year,

above other years.

Genetics-There is no doubt that certain genetics performed better

than others this year. You could visually see it in the field as we got

into August. White mold in soybeans was evident in those varieties

that were not as resistant as others and leaf diseases and stalk rots in

corn was evident as we progressed later into the season. As companies

continue to improve genetics and move new ones into the pipeline it is

evident that new genetics continue to outperform varieties that have

been in the marketplace for 4 or 5 years.

Fungicide Applications-Fungicide applications on both corn

and soybeans was a benefit this year. In corn, particularly, we could

see stark differences in plant health and yield as we moved through the

latter part of the growing season. As I stated above, genetics played a

key role in plant health, but protecting plant vigor and health this year

was critical on many susceptible varieties. Winfield’s answer plot trials

continue to get better in understanding the response to fungicide

applications with certain varieties. Be sure and ask us next year how

your DeKalb and Croplan hybrids may respond to a fungicide

application.

Fertility and Nitrogen Management-Because of the moisture

that Mother Nature threw at us this year, nitrogen management

played a big role in maximizing yield. More and more producers are

seeing the value in split applications of nitrogen, nitrogen stabilization,

and utilization of nitrogen management tools such as field view pro

to maximize their nitrogen inputs. Micronutrient applications during

critical times of plant growth and development also play a significant

role in maximizing a crops’ yield potential.

Mother Nature-I believe our environmental growing conditions

this year single handedly deserve most of the credit for the great year

we had. Was everything perfect...No, but when is it? Let’s start

with…at least we got the crop in the ground. What a difference two

years can make. Once planting was complete we had some very nice

timely rains, good soil moisture throughout the season, warm but not

hot temperatures, nice nights, and a phenomenal fall to get the crop

harvested.

Of course there are other factors that contributed to the success

of this year’s growing season. Some of these are different for each

grower. There are some things that we will continue to struggle with in

the future and the big one I see is the resistance issues we see in our

weed control programs. Glyphosate resistant waterhemp is becoming

more and more of a problem for many and it will be the weed that

defines much of what we do for our weed control programs in the

foreseeable future.

As we move into the Christmas season and I hear the rhetoric

on the radio and in the news about the political correctness of what

Christmas is to various people, I have to ask myself the same question

as the title of this article. “Who deserves the credit?” As far back as

I can remember and probably as far back as the oldest one of you can

remember the meaning of Christmas is, and should be, the celebration

of the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Bible. Nothing more and

nothing less. And for that, the Father of Christmas deserves the Credit.

In fact, He really deserves all the credit for the great year we had in

2015 as well.

“It is good to be children sometimes, and never better thanat Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child Himself”.~Charles Dickens

May you all have a very Merry Christmas!

Who deserves the credit?

Schmitz

WWeellccoommee NNeeww EEmmppllooyyeeeess

Marv Flatness

Agronomy & Grain Operations

St. Charles/ Stewartville

George Rodgers

Feed Mill Production Operator

Stewartville

Bruce Sween

Agronomy & Grain Operations

Stewartville

Chrissy Vrieze

Grain Accounting/ Admin Assistant

Stewartville


Pete Collins, Agronomy Manager, Stewartville


Over the past 2 months there have been 3

questions that I get asked on a daily basis:

1. What are my production costs going to be

for next year

2. What are my break-even costs

3. What should I be paying for rent!!!!

The first two I can help with, the third question

is a little harder to answer.

Obviously, production costs vary from year

to year. Fertilizer prices have varied wildly in the past 7 to 8 years.

Labor, insurance and crop protection costs have been on the rise.

Herbicide programs for controlling some resistant weeds are

getting costlier.

To keep all of this in perspective, I have been using a Crop

Break-Even Worksheet, that has been passed around amongst our

staff for a couple of years now. This particular worksheet gives me an

easy-to-use spreadsheet to help customers make decisions about their

operations. It also gives some average equipment costs and costs that

we may overlook like interest on operating loans, crop insurance, soil

testing, lime, etc. It’s not meant to include every single thing, I feel

that it gives us a good overall view of what our break-even costs are.

I have included copy of the spreadsheet with this article or

you can download an interactive copy of the worksheet at

www.allamericancoop.com/break-even-calculator. By downloading

this worksheet you will be able to save your work and print; the

worksheet for your own use.

There are several other crop production cost calculators out there.

One of the more popular is from the University of Iowa Extension,

“Estimated Costs of production in Iowa-2015”. It can be found at:

https://www.extension.iastate.edu/agdm/crops/html/a1-20.html.

Iowa State offers a very extensive list of different calculators for

different cropping situations including pasture. If you are looking

for a more in depth view, the Iowa State site has a lot to offer.

Using a calculator like one of these mentioned is a great tool for

growers to use to help get a picture of where their production costs are

going to be and what they need to do to meet break evens. These tools

are helpful when sitting down with lenders, partners, and landlords as

we begin to plan for the 2016 crop season.

That helps answer the first two questions that are being asked this

fall. Answering the land rent question is a little bit harder for me. Land

rents have been all over the place and everyone has their opinion

about where land rental rates should be. With individual variation in

operating expenses, it’s hard to give advice on what customers should

be paying/asking for land rent. It usually comes down to the farmers

thinking it’s too high and the landlords thinking it not enough. The

best advice I can offer is to take the time to sit down and go thru a

break-even worksheet for each farm you operate. This is the best tool

to have in your back pocket when you begin discussions about rental

contracts with your landlord. Understanding where your dollar is

being spent and planning for future investments is the most sensible

way to plan for long-term agreements that make sense.

I hope these calculators can give you a tool to use to figure

this question out.

The holiday season is upon us. I hope you take the time to reflect

on how blessed we are to have the people we care about in our lives

and spend time with family and friends. As always, I want to thank

you for your business and hope to meet and exceed your expectations

in the year to come.

Happy Holidays, Pete

3 Questions

Collins

Jared Tabor, Seed Specialist, Stewartville


It is that time of year again when we start

putting a plan together for next year’s cropping

season. This includes seed purchasing. We ask

ourselves a bunch of questions about which seed

products to use.

Questions farmers should consider include:

• Does the corn product include traits to protect

against the above- and below-ground pests in

my fields?

• Does the corn product offer multiple modes of action against

targeted pests?

• Will a single mode of action corn product require the use of a soil-

applied insecticide?

• Does the corn product require a separate refuge?

• What is the cost of planning, purchasing seed, and planting a

separate refuge?

• What is the cost of a potential yield reduction in the refuge acres?

• Is the corn seed protected with an effective seed treatment?

• What is the cost of any seed treatment that might be added to

the seed?

• Is the corn product approved for planting in the U.S. and does it

have import approvals in key export markets and China?

Yield potential is typically the primary characteristic for corn

product selection. Protecting yield potential with a combination of

cultural practices, pest control traits, and pesticides can be a challenge.

Farmers selecting corn products with above- and/or below-ground

Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) traits must also consider the effort, the

cost, and the benefits of establishing a required refuge. With an

effective insect resistance management (IRM) plan in place, farmers

can benefit from effective and consistent insect protection and the

yield potential offered by crops containing B.t. technologies.

Important Date to Keep in Mind:

Our next seed cutoff deadline is January 8, 2016. Contact your

local Seed Specialist/Sales Agronomist if you have any questions.

Merry Christmas!

I would like to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a

Happy New Year.

Selecting Seed Products

Tabor


Date: Crop:

Last years Average Yield

2 yrs ago Average Yield

3 yrs ago Average Yield

3 Year Total - divided by 3

Yield to Use for Calculation

Interest on Operating Loan

( A )

Range Average

$ 6.00-15.00 $9.50

$ 10.00-18.00 $13.70

$ 10.00-21.00 $16.00

$ 7.00-15.00 $10.20 Government Program/ acre

$ $ LDP _____ bu x $ = $ / acre

( B )

Range Average

$ 7.00-13.50 $11.10

$ 9.00-15.00 $11.90

$ 5.00-15.00 $8.75

$ 11.00-23.00 $15.30

$ 8.00-28.00 $14.60

$ 9.00-17.00 $13.20

$ 10.50-18.00 $13.75

$ 11.75-18.75 $14.80

$ 4.50.- 9.00 $6.70 Market Price x

$ 6.00-11.50 $8.60 Gross Income per Acre =

$ 20.00-36.00 $28.10 -

Net Income/acre =

$ 20.00-35.50 $27.10

divided by

.01-.12 0.034

divided by

( C )

Combining Soybeans

Storing Grain/bu/month

.35 acre

Application Cost (See Pre-emerge herbicide)

Plant Health/Fungicides and/or Insecticides

Stalk Chopper

Chisel Plow

Digger/Soil finisher

Rock picker

NH3 Applicator

No Till Planting

Planter with Attach

Planter without Attach

Drill Soybeans

Drill SB No-Till

Culivation

Combining Corn

0.044

0.145.10-.25

Drying Corn - Continous flow/ point

Average Yield (bushels)

Rotary Hoe (Roller)

$ 25.00-40.00 $31.80

Fall

OOTHER INCOME SOURCES

TTILLAGE/PLANTING/HARVESTING (Per acre cost)

IINCOME CALCULATIONS

Total ( D )

Ripper

Discing

Other

Other

Misc

Total

MMISC CROP INPUTS (Per acre cost)

YYIELD AVERAGES (bushels)

Starter Fertilizer & Micronutrients

Burndown Herbicides

or Pre-emerge Herbicides

Application Costs

Post-emerge Herbicides

CCROP BREAK-EVEN WORKSHEET

Rent

Grower Name:

Crop Insurance Cost

Land Cost/Taxes etc

Application Cost

Misc

Less 10%

Total

Application Cost

Seed Cost

Seed Treatments

Insecticides

Fertilizer NPK & Micronutrients

Total

CCROP INPUTS (Per acre cost)

20 acre average size

Lime

.05 -.15 0.083

.034-.06

Market Price

Market Price for

Break-Even

Note: This worksheet is meant to be a planning resource tool.

Spring

Total Expenses

Total

TOTAL EXPENSES

Misc

Haul to Dryer/Town 5

miles - 1 way

Total Expenses

Bushels for Break-

Even

EXPENSES EQUALS A+B+C+D

Total

equals =

equals =

Soil Testing

Haul to Market 25 miles - 1 way

Combining Corn with Chopper Head

Total Expenses

Yield (bushels)

www.allamericancoop.com/break-even-calculator


“ Working with you”

STEWARTVILLE – ELGIN – CHATFIELD – EYOTA

VIOLA – PLAINVIEW – ST. CHARLES – KELLOGG

2016 Scholarship Eligibility

College Scholarships Available• Scholarship applications open to students enrolled as first or second-year students at an accredited

two or four-year college, university or vocational-technical school.

• Student must be majoring in an Ag-related field of study.

• Scholarship may be awarded to a student two consecutive years. Student must apply each year.

• Scholarship will be paid directly to the student upon presenting proof that first semester studies have

been completed with a 3.0 GPA average or better (based on a 4.0 GPA), along with proof of enrollment

for a second semester.

• A complete application should include

• Scholarship Application Form

• Current Copy of Transcript

Please include a clear explanation

of the school’s grading scale

• Student Appraisal

• Student Essay

Submit Applications to: Or Email To: [email protected]

All American Co-op

Attn: Scholarship Selection Committee

PO Box 125

Stewartville, MN 55976

Application deadline of March 15th. Download Scholarship Eligibility and

Application Forms at

www.allamericancoop.com/scholarship


Gary Quam, Agronomist, St. Charles


We made it through the 2015 growing season.

When I was asked to write an article for this issue

of the Cooperative Link, I had a difficult time

finding an ideal agronomy related topic. So, I

ultimately decided to tell you a story, a hunting

story to be exact. I promise that I will be able

to make it relate to agronomy in the end.

Let me take you back to the fall of 2010.

I had big hopes for the upcoming hunting season. I

love deer and bear hunting, and I take advantage of every chance I get

to sit out in the peace and quiet of nature. It started with bear hunting.

I had baits out and trail cameras set. Everything was looking great, and

the baits were being visited by a few bear. While checking the cameras

one night, I was lucky enough to have black bear and the biggest eight

point buck I have ever had on film. So, this made me very optimistic

of the upcoming bear and deer season.

The first afternoon in the bear stand was successful, I bagged

my very first black bear…what a rush!!! Now, I had to wait for deer

season to begin. This was the longest two weeks of anticipation.

Once the season arrived, I decided that I must spend a lot of time in

the stand if I was going to have a chance on this buck. I sat and sat

through bow season hoping for this buck to make a mistake and cross

in front of my stand…no luck. I sat through firearms season waiting

and hoping he would show his face, but no luck. Up to this point I

had been in the woods for close to 200 hours; I was beginning to lose

hope. I was confused as to why bear season was so easy and why I

had success right away. Well, I did not let this get me down. I still had

muzzleloader season and late bow season to attempt to bag this buck.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I still only had the one and only picture of

this deer from back in August, and it is now almost Thanksgiving.

I needed a break from sitting and patiently waiting. So, I decided

to enjoy the holiday weekend with my family. When Monday rolled

around, I was going to get back in the woods. Up to this point, I had

not taken a day off. Many thoughts went through my head over the

long weekend; he showed up when I was not

there…Did I miss my one opportunity…Maybe

someone else shot him? I was driving myself

crazy, I had to get back out into the woods.

Monday morning rolled around and I had

“buck on the brain”. I went out to my stand

carrying my muzzleloader, which up till now, I had

only shot one deer with. That night it snowed. It

snowed 8 to 10 inches, which meant that I had to

plow snow on Tuesday. The snow plowing

consumed most of my day, and with only 40

minutes of legal hunting left in the day, I thought it

was worth a shot. I went to the stand in the same

clothes I wore all day and just put on my orange and

grabbed my gun. I no more than got myself situated

in the stand and out he came, running from the tree

line. I did not have much time and he was at a bad

angle, so I had to stand up to make the shot.

BANG!!! When the smoke cleared, I wondered if I

missed, is it still running, do I need to reload, or did I even hit him.

I had to wait. It seemed like an eternity. Wouldn’t you know it, I

made a great shot. He was lying there in the corn stalks. YES!!!

This day I was at the right place and the right time. The hunt on

that Tuesday was only 20 minutes long and I shot the elusive

whitetail buck that I had been waiting for all season. Could I have

been more prepared? Should I have gone to the range to shoot my

gun? It didn’t matter on this Tuesday evening because I had a

luck on my side. However, I put in the time and I felt I earned

this one.

Hunting is similar to farming. A person should not expect more

than what he or she puts in. Sure, I could have only sat in the stand

that one Tuesday evening and shot that buck, but it would have been

pure luck. Should I, as a hunter, expect it year after year? NO. Since I

put in the time and effort, I was able to appreciate it more. So, how is

that any different than farming? You can get lucky one year, but you

definitely will not get lucky every year. All I can say is, put in the

time and effort, and there can be a “trophy buck” by the end of the

season. Be patient and make wise agronomy decisions and they can

pay off year after year. Do not take a break from fertilizing one year

and expect the same results. Do not cut corners when selecting your

seed. Also, you must not take your weed protection for granted. You

must continue with your efforts so you can expect reasonable results.

Some years your efforts will be rewarded with a “buck” of a lifetime,

but other years you will need to be comfortable with knowing you

did everything possible for success. Please don’t expect a positive

outcome without putting in the energy. Happy hunting and farming.

All American Co-op Progressive Ag Center has the resources to

prepare you for next year’s “hunt.” We have the fertilizer, the seed,

and the chemical to make the 2016 growing season worthwhile

and profitable. Don’t forget that we have the option to prepay your

fertilizer, seed, and chemical for next year. Our agronomy team is

here to help you with questions and concerns as you are preparing

for next season. By using us as a tool for success, you will be taking

steps down the deer trail in the right direction.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas season!

Begin to prepare now for the 2016 Hunt!

Quam

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

U.S. POSTAGEP A I D

Austin, MNPermit No. 32

P.O. Box 125Stewartville, MN 55976

Change Service Requested

ALL AMERICANCO-OP

All American Co-op &

Progressive Ag Center

Holiday HoursThursday, December 24th

All Locations Closing at Noon

No Feed Deliveries will be scheduledfor Christmas Eve.

Please have all holiday feed ordersplaced well in advance.

ALL LOCATIONS WILL BE CLOSED UNTIL MONDAY, DECEMBER 28THFriday, December 25th All Locations Closed

Thursday, December 31st All Locations Open Regular Business Hours

Friday, January 1st All Locations Closed

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year “ Working with you”Progressive Ag Center, LLC

Wishing you every happiness at this mostbeautiful of seasons and peace in the year to come.

All American Co-op and Progressive Ag Center

November / December 2015 …...that life is meant to be lived. Have a safe and happy holiday season. Lutteke Manager’s Notes: 2015 Annual Meeting Highlights 2 Stewartville 533-4222

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