MAPLE PARK, Ill. — Farmers in northern Illinois now have the
opportunity to plant Axis Seed corn hybrids.
“The first commercial bag of Axis Seed will be planted in
Illinois this year,” said Andrew Paulson, general manager of Axis Seed for
Hintzsche Fertilizer Inc.
The Hintzsche company chose to add the Axis Seed Direct
company to its operation to give its customers another opportunity to select the
appropriate hybrid for their fields.
“We are pretty excited about helping our growers find the
right product for their specific geography,” Paulson said.
Hintzsche Fertilizer has been in business for more than 50
years, supplying fertilizers, chemicals and custom application services to
customers.
“Sixteen years ago, we added the seed portion to our
business,” said David Hintzsche, president of Hintzsche Fertilizer. “A lot of
things have changed, and now technology is being delivered through the seed that
once provided through a bottle.”
Prior to adding Axis hybrids, Hintzsche has been assisting
customers with purchases from several companies, including DeKalb, Asgrow, LG
Seeds and Cropland.
“We value our relationship with growers as a trusted advisor
to help them make profitable decisions for their operations,” the company
president said. “As we have grown our seed business, adding Axis Seed is the
next step to offer a full portfolio of products to our growers.”
As farmers evaluate hybrids for their operations, Axis Seed
district sales managers will work with them to find the best genetics and traits
for each of their fields.
“We will match hybrids with their soil tests and use best
placement practices to make sure farmers are choosing the best product for their
farm,” Paulson said.
For the 2013 growing season, farmers can choose Axis Seed
hybrids that range from a 102- to 114-day maturity.
“We have five Smartstax hybrids, three VT Triple Pro hybrids
and one 3000GT hybrid,” the general manager said.
“For 2014, we will be launching products with 97-day to
116-day maturities with the various trait packages, as well as non-GMO hybrids.
We will offer non-GMO hybrids as another option for our customers.”
“Adding another set of products with Axis Seed helps growers
manage their risk,” Hintzsche said. “Very few growers plant 100 percent of their
acres with seed from one company.”
Axis Seed hybrids were planted in Hintzsche test plots in
2012 located from Minooka to Wyoming and from Toluca to Kirkland.
“We felt they were very competitive with other hybrids in
the test plots,” Hintzsche said.
“As we harvested the plots last year, every test plot
cooperator asked about 62G22, which is a 112-day maturity hybrid,” Paulson said.
“They liked the standability and harvestabilty — that hybrid produced a
beautiful plant.”
The seed business, much like many other areas of agriculture
today, has become quite specialized.
“We think it is important to lead with seed — that’s where
the planting process starts,” Hintzsche said. “This addition to our company is
about a desire to become a better seed company overall.”
“Our goal is to be known for our expertise. We are putting
resources and a lot of that is people into this so we can improve.”
Interest by farmers in the Axis hybrids has been very good,
Paulson said.
“Our customers are open to talk about new products,” he
said. “And our supply situation for Axis hybrids is very good. We have seed
available for our elite genetics across the maturity groups.”
For more information about Axis Seed, visit www.axisseeddirect.com or call (800)
643-4025. More information about Hintzsche Fertilizer is at www.hintzsche.com.