AgWired

Farmers haven’t been trained to listen to their plants. But for Jerry Stoller, CEO of StollerUSA, that is what his company does best. In some circles, you could even call him the “plant whisperer.” While having breakfast with Jerry this morning, he taught a group of journalists how to listen and what we heard is….”epigenetics.” “This is going to be exciting,” he enthused.

According to Jerry, epigenetics is the study of how you enhance DNA in crops that are already there. Currently, he noted, 75 percent of all DNA in a plant is wasted. So let’s delve deeper into how exactly epigenetics is a breakthrough for agriculture. To simplify the science, a change in the plants gene structure occurs without changing the underlying DNA. What scientists are discovering is that when these genes are changed, the “mother” will pass the gene off to her offspring.  This is a big deal because the plant has the potential of an exponential yield advantage.

Speaking of yield enhancements, Jerry discussed three that they’re working on.

According to Jerry, here are three of the most important things for us to learn. “Can we teach the plant to use nitrogen more effectively so that we can use less nitrogen? Can we teach the plant to become more disease resistant so we don’t have to use as much fertilizer? Can we teach the soybean plant to use nitrogen more effectively so that the nodules don’t go to sleep?”

Ultimately discovering the answers for this is threefold: 1) they will improve sustainability; 2) they will improve the yield per acre; and 3) they will improve the farmer’s profitability at the same time he is becoming even more sustainable in his practices.

StollerUSA is dedicated to this very research but there is a challenge for the company to keep moving forward. “One of our biggest challenges is raising the capital to continue the research. However, no matter what, the research will continue both in the traditional sense and in a unique way: “We work backwards. We work from the fields to the lab,” said Jerry.

That is why the Ag Associates Conference is so important to the company. This is the meeting that helps to focus their research based on what is happening in farmers’ fields around the world.

Ag Associates Conference Flickr Album.

I spent the evening getting a preview of the research that is going to be presented tomorrow in Houston during the 17th annual Ag Associates Conference. I chatted with people from all over the world including Canada, Australia, Jamaica, Trinidad, North Korea, Cameroon, and more. One of the things I found most fascinating was to hear about the diversity of crops that have seen yield increases using Bio-Forge as well as X-Tra Power and Sugar Mover.

I spoke to dealers and growers who have seen great success using StollerUSA products on potatoes, corn, soybeans, table grapes (an Australian specialty according to my new “bloke” Shane) wheat, and various fruits and vegetables. I listened to many of the growers not only talk about what’s working but about what’s not and other growers who have had similar successes or issues in their fields, share tips that have helped them. Ultimately, the goal of this conference is to bring products to market that will help growers see yield increases and ultimately higher profits.

I barely got a sample of what I’ll be learning about tomorrow but from the initial reports, it’s going to be exciting. I’ll be blogging during the conference tomorrow right here on AgWired.com and continuing coverage throughout the week. In addition, you can follow the conference on StollerUSA’s website, www. StollerUSA.com.

You can also check out what’s going on during the conference in the Ag Associates Conference Flickr Album.

I’m packing my bags for Houston as I get ready to head to the U.S. Ag Associates Conference. I’m a kind of a self-proclaimed geek so I’m really excited to hear the research presentations from professors, consultants, growers, and StollerUSA group representatives.

The conference began 17 years ago as a gathering of seven people, mostly consultants, whose goal was to enlist a group of people who were doing different things in the field and were willing to share their results. People went home, tested out a few things on their farm, or went back to the lab to conduct more research and field tests and came back the next year to give updates. Eventually, this became a gathering of the minds with more than 100 people from around the world coming to share their advancements in ag. As neat as this is, there is just one catch. You can attend for one year as an observer, but if you want to come back the next (and everyone does) then you have to give an update on something that you have done.

I will be blogging from the conference beginning tomorrow evening here on AgWired, and complements of StollerUSA, there will also be day-to-day conference coverage on their website at www.stollerusa.com. Oh, and I don’t want to let the cat out of the bag but there will be a big announcement made during the conference this week so check back often – you’ll not want to miss it!