Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
YEARS OF SERVICE
Five founding members of Crop Quest were recognized for 30 Years of Agronomic Service during the annual Crop Quest Full Staff Meeting on November 11, 2009, in Wichita, KS. Kent Davis, a Colorado native, began his career in agronomy in May, 1979, in Great Bend, KS with Servi-Tech after earning his General Agriculture degree from Colorado State University. After two long years in Kansas, he was given the opportunity to return to Colorado to start a division in Yuma, on Valentines Day (Feb. 14) 1981, where he later became the division manager. Accepting a new challenge in January, 1985, Kent moved home to the Front Range of Colorado to start a new division. He has remained the Colorado Front Range Division Manager during his 17 year tenure with Crop Quest. He obtained his CCA certification in 1993 and is a member of the National Association of Independent Crop Consultants and the Colorado Consultant Association. Kent enjoys working with farmers and fellow employees while getting to do something he is passionate about. He receives great satisfaction from the freedom of this career. Although he has tackled some challenging times in agriculture, such as the 1980 drought and the PIK year of 1983, Kent prides himself on the service he has provided his customers. He even had a customer in Yuma, CO, who called at Christmas time to tell Kent to go to the store & buy himself a pair of boots as a thank you for the work Kent did. Kent and his wife Carrie have been married for 19 years, and have two children Kirsten and Frederick. Jim Gleason graduated from Fort Hays State College (yes, it was still a COLLEGE back then...) in 1979 with a degree in Agriculture. He immediately began work as an agronomist with Servi-Tech in the Macksville/ St. John area. He proceeded to serve as the St. John Division manager from 1983, until the founding of Crop Quest in February, 1992, where he was named Crop Quest Eastern Region Vice President. In addition to working with many producers in Central Kansas, overseeing the Eastern Region and assisting with recruiting full-time and intern candidates, Jim is an elected member to the Crop Quest Board of Directors. Knowing that he has assisted farmers in contributing to the statistic of one American Farmer now being capable of feeding 125 other people is one of the most rewarding aspects of Jims career. He also commented that he works with the best people in the world both as co-workers and as customers. Married for 22 years, Jim and his wife Linda have two children Kristin, a K-State junior majoring in FACS Education and Jeffery, a sophomore at St. John High School. Upon graduating with an Agronomy degree from Kansas State University in 1978, John Hecht initially began his agricultural career with Dekalb Hybrid Wheat Research. It didnt take long for John to realize his passion was working with and helping farmers. Therefore, he accepted an agronomist position with Servi-Tech on March 1, 1979. Moving up the ranks, he became the Great Bend, KS Division Manager in 1982 and
Jim Gleason
Kent Davis
John Hecht
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ing grain fill from these new drought tolerant varieties? There likely will be seasonal dynamics that are different from traditional weather patterns requiring growers to look at different capabilities of the varieties and of potentially different crops altogether. A big question is how to bring together water management to help build the agricultural systems of the future? Hatfield says there is a genetic component. New GMO products and plant varieties are coming on the market at a rapid pace, and it will be critical to figure out how these new innovations fit into an overall, sustainable farming program. There is a soil management component to developing these farming programs of the future. We refer to many of the soil management practices as taking the E out of ET (evapo-transpiration). Can we keep residue cover on the soil and limit evaporation so that soil water in the profile goes toward making a crop? We know the more water through the plant by transpiration, the greater the total biomass and ultimately more grain yield, Hatfield stresses. Anything we can do in soil management to increase water availability during the season pays dividends in terms of improved plant productivity. Hatfield explains that the typical Plains grain farmer needs to be aware of variable precipitation in the future. The grower must ensure they are growing crops that can best capture and use every raindrop, keep it in the soil, and make it available to the plant at the optimum time the plant needs it. Hatfield also adds that grain farmers have done a good job of matching rainfall patterns with nutrient application of the crop. They are going to need to refine the water infiltrate management in the nutrient package. Farmers will need to be very opportunistic to manage around these dramatic changes in weather patterns. There is no doubt success in managing weather variability within the season will come down to making good crop management decisions, Hatfield contends. Organizations like Crop Quest will play a pivotal role in helping farmers make these sound decisions. In this variable climate, variability will have a multiple set of scales. Over a large range, the scale of differences can be dramatic and likely wont be consistent across a relatively small geographic area. Having an organization, like Crop Quest, with good communication and professional skills will be an asset in helping farmers in any one particular location to make better management decisions. Indirect affects of weather variability may change the range of insects, overwintering of insects and changes of diseases. These changes will likely occur much more quickly than they have in the past. In Iowa, corn rootworm could go from a one generation insect to a two generation insect a result of relatively minor climate change. That subtle difference would have an enormous impact on insect control, Hatfield stresses. I think these indirect impacts of climate changes on weeds, insects and diseases may cost farmers more money in the long-run than will the actual weather variability. Having a well-trained professional consultant or organization of consultants will be a big benefit to growers trying to cope with these indirect, often subtle results of climate variability, Hatfield concludes.
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served in this same position for Crop Quest from 1992 to 2000. Seeking a new challenge, the Hechts (John and Deb, who have been married for 24 years, and their four children Kevin, Alex, Lindsey and Meghan) moved to Farmington, NM in 2000 to begin work on both the Navajo Indian Reservation in northwest New Mexico and the Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado. With this move, John became Crop Quests Special Projects Manager where he now oversees the projects on these two Reservations in addition to projects along the Red River in Oklahoma/Texas/Arkansas, south Texas, southeastern New Mexico and along the Green River in Utah. Although the move to Farmington was one of the most challenging aspects of his career, John has thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to work with very special customers while learning about diverse cultures. Adopting the motto Theres no place like home, John and his family returned to Kansas in 2008, and John continues to pursue new projects while based in Colwich, KS. Following a similar career path, Cort Minor graduated with a Natural Resource Management (aka - agronomy degree) from Kansas State University in 1978. Upon graduation, Cort worked two years for Garst / Pioneer Seeds in Garden City, KS before signing on with Servi-Tech in 1980. He became the Garden City Division Manager in 1984 and continued with this title when he helped form Crop Quest in 1992. Adding to his responsibilities, Cort is a 16-year Crop Quest Board Member. Deciding to apply his agronomy expertise to new endeavors, Cort moved to Roswell, NM in 2006 to develop a new Crop Quest territory in the Pecos River Valley. He enjoys working with the variety of crops produced in New Mexico such as chilies, pecan tree orchards and other alternative crops. He boasts that he has had the privilege to work with the greatest group of farmers in two very different areas. Corts efforts in
building this new territory are succeeding as he will now be hiring a summer intern for 2010. Cort and his wife Connie have been married for ten years and have three step-children Kyle, Jana and Brandon. Crop Quest President, Ron OHanlon, helped form Crop Quest with Rollie Stukenholtz and 65 other agronomists from Servi-Tech. Ron had worked for Servi-Tech from 1979-1992 as an agronomist in the Pratt Division, as the Pratt Division Manager, and then as the Eastern Kansas Regional Manager. He started as Crop Quest President at Pratt, KS but in 1993, he and his family moved to Dodge City, KS where the headquarter office is located. Starting another agronomic service company was one of the most stressful and challenging times of Rons career, but it has also been one of the most rewarding. Ron is proud of working with the greatest customers (farmers) and employee-owners. He has gained great satisfaction by watching new employees grow into exceptional agronomists in addition to helping bring Crop Quest into the 21st Century with the use and implementation of computers/technology. Ron received both his BS degree in Animal Science in 1973 and MS degree in Agronomy (Soil Science) in 1979 from Oklahoma State University. Before determining that agronomy was his career destination, he worked as the Herdsman Supervisor of 300 head of purebred cattle for the USDA/Ft. Reno Experiment Station and then as the Canadian County, OK County Extension Agent, 4-H. Ron and his wife Mary have been married 34 years and have been blessed with six children and three grandchildren. Congratulations to these five outstanding agronomists for their commitment, dedication and efforts to helping farmers succeed.
Crop Quest Perspectives 3
Ron OHanlon
Cort Minor
Crop Quest is an employee-owned company dedicated to providing the highest quality agricultural services for each customer. The quest of our network of professionals is to practice integrity and innovation to ensure our services are economically and environmentally sound.
Mission Statement
Crop Quest Agronomic Services, Inc. Main Office: Phone 620.225.2233 Fax 620.225.3199 Internet: www.cropquest.com cqoffice@cropquest.com