Agriculture Around the World: US Edition

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Agriculture in the United States

While the footprint of the United States may look more contained on paper, climate and growing conditions vary significantly when we look state-to-state. Crops include the standard wheat and corn, but farmers also plant potatoes, sugar beets, tree crops and specialty vegetable crops. And if they haven’t started their planting season yet, U.S. farmers will be in full swing by April.

We talked with regional experts TJ Bingham (the West) and Evan King (Great Plains). Both are technical agronomists in the United States, supporting the KAS sales teams with their agronomy expertise and managing research field trials in their geographical areas.

All Paths Lead to KAS

TJ and Evan might both hold the title of technical agronomist, but their paths are just as different as their region’s crops.

TJ’s route was one less traveled by many of our ag colleagues. He had to pave his own way because farming wasn’t in the family.

“I did not grow up on the farm like most people in the industry. I grew up in a farming community where some of my friends had dairy farms, so I spent time there. I just loved being outside and growing things.”

So, how did he ultimately make agriculture a way of life?

“Once I got to college, I found my footing,” he explained. “My undergraduate degree is on the horticulture landscaping side, but as I prepared to do my graduate degree, I explored more of my options on the agriculture side.”

And that “later start” hasn’t hindered him in the least, thanks to his passion for ag. When asked what he likes most about the field, he stated it was the science that drew him in.

“I like the agronomy and even more so the science that is behind it. I love to dig in and try to find new ways of solving problems and looking at them with a scientific mindset.”

Evan’s path was more traditional, with generational roots that run deep.

“I am the 5th generation to grow up on our family farm in southwest Kansas. My great-great-grandfather homesteaded the property in the late 1800’s. I grew up on the farm and in agriculture my whole life. My dad had me in the tractor at a pretty young age, helping on the farm since I was in 4th grade. Farming has always been a part of me and something that I've wanted to be a part of, so my life choices kind of stemmed from there."

He explains how his upbringing translates to his role at KAS.

“I love being able to provide information to the grower at the field level, whether it’s providing solutions to ag retailers or talking with growers. I've always had a strong passion to provide benefits and solutions at the field level of agriculture. That's my favorite part of the job: getting out there, seeing people in the day-to-day and helping provide beneficial solutions and answers to those people.”

On the Horizon

When asked about the innovation that excites them the most, TJ and Evan agree it’s been an incredible experience watching the industry change and adapt over the years.

TJ expresses his excitement about recent developments.

“Looking at the technology in our fertilizers to the technology that's now on tractors, it's pretty cool to see how far we've come in the last 10 years,” he stated.

Evan agreed and emphasized how the industry continues to innovate.

“We've seen a lot of innovation here in recent history, whether it be innovation in crop protection, the release of new efficiency-use products or even the ag technology sector. Seeing where the industry is going and keeping up with the trends is pretty exciting. I think how we operate today is going to be far different in the near future versus how we operated even 5-10 years ago.”

National Ag Month Continues

The National Ag Month celebration continues with discussions including regional experts from our LAMSA, AO, Canada and EMENA markets.

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