WINCHESTER, Ind. — Like many farmers, Dennis Howick is a man who favors loyalty and trust. He walks in the footsteps of his father and his grandfather, whose family settled in Celina, Ohio, 180 years ago.

 

One of almost 200 farmers who enjoyed an appreciation meal in Winchester, Ind., hosted by Seed Consultants, Inc. (SCI), Howick has a unique story of how he began doing business with the seed company based in Washington Court House, Ohio. His grandfather, Edwin Howick, began buying seed from William C. Bailey, who owned Bailey Seed, in the mid-1940s.

Two generations later, Dennis Howick is buying seed from Bruce Bailey, William’s grandson. Bailey represents Seed Consultants as a marketing specialist from Portland, Ind. “Grandpa started out with Baileys because he knew and trusted them.

My dad, Harold, stayed with them, too. I have changed with the times, but I end up liking the tried and true,” Howick said. His wife, Theresa, seconded his choice to stay with Bailey. “I was impressed with Bruce. He consults with Dennis. They go through the seed catalogue and sit down and discuss his options,” she said.

When Bailey Seed closed, it became a 35,000 square-foot distribution center for SCI, Bailey said. SCI opened its doors in 1990. The transition wasn’t easy at first for Howick. “It took getting used to.

When you have confidence in who you’re working with, it’s easier to hang in there. Seed Consultants has good products and good value,” he said.

While maintaining tried and true relationships with farmers, SCI also wants to stay on the cutting edge of technology.

Daniel Call, general manager, said the company is “laser focused” on the Eastern Corn Belt, with emphasis on Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio.

“It’s been a really interesting growing season. Some farms have seen 30 inches of rain from April 1 to August 1. Four states have been affected, with a lot of replanting this spring,” Call said. “Now it’s dry with a lot of disease.”

SCI offers 100 percent free replant for corn, while soybean replant coverage is based on the treatment level purchased.

“We promote treated soybeans because they produce a better stand than untreated in this area,” Call said.

“The products we are selecting to sell are a better fit for that geography. The large corporate companies select hybrids that will cover the biggest board, which may not be fit for Indiana.”

SCI has 75 testing sites in order to select the best seed varieties for each region. It sells corn, soybean, wheat and alfalfa seed. Yield plots are in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina and Virginia.

“We also want to have replications for comparison in that geography,” Call said. “From county to county, there are big changes. That’s why we have all those locations and that’s why we’ve succeeded.”

Because of constant product improvement, about 20-30 percent of seed varieties are rotated out of the product lineup each year. The life cycle of most products is 3-5 years. “There is so much breeding and testing. Our data bases store information and separate out the good from the bad,” Call said.

The outcome of all that product development is that farmers have many more traits and options from which to choose.

 

“We spend a lot of time with the grower because it takes more thought and more questions to determine the best option.”

He said some farmers are reluctant to change their seed selections, but with today’s technology they can look for the best options on their land based on their yield monitors and trial and error. Based  in SCI’s research, its top corn hybrids for 2018 will be 1136 YHR, 1087 YHR, 1125 YHR; top soybean hybrids will be 3357 LL, 9385 RR, 8398 X.

Based on a naked-eye survey, Howick expects his crops will be “near normal” this year, having corn that was damaged by water early in the season. Like so many others, he’s waiting for harvest to tell the tale.