GOSHEN COUNTY – Many of this region’s farmers, ranchers and agriculturists convened at Meyer’s new warehouse for Meyer Seeds’ eighth annual Crop Shop on Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2023. 

The Crop Shop included presentations on the latest updates in Pioneer innovations from Pioneer Agronomist Chase, Sauder, Pioneer Product Specialist Mike Wardyn and a weather update from Meteorologist Don Day. 

Each attendee was greeted at the door by members of the Meyer Seeds team and offered educational materials, Meyer Seeds and Pioneer merchandise and other information. Inside the warehouse, was a comfortable and friendly atmosphere as the approximately 60 attendees gathered together talking amongst themselves as they waited for the presentations to begin.

Brett and Linda Meyer opened the meeting by welcoming everyone in the audience and introducing this year’s speakers.

“Good morning everybody,” Brett began. “Welcome! Thank you all for coming! We have a very good turnout. Welcome to Meyer Seeds 2023. We’re very excited about the fulfillment of this vision.”

Sauder led the first presentation. He discussed pivot bio and biological stimulates. This topic was specifically requested by the Meyers because of customer interest.

Sauder said biologicals are split down into two groups, biocontrols and biostimulants. Bio controls affect fungus and nematodes. While biostimulants are applied to seeds and root environments to open up pathways for nutrients to come into the plant. These products are already in the soil, they just may not be as active depending on the soil or season.

He continued by saying that biostimulatns are unregulated and there is only a small amount of data on their success, especially in this area. Also, there is little to no data on how the product will react with typical seed treatments. He recommended that farmers do their own research, only test a small area of a field and question everything. 

“Talk to your fellow growers and see what they think,” Sauder said. “The concept behind it is great. I think there may be a future in biologicals. Our suggestion right now is buyer beware when you’re using this stuff.”

Wardyn presented next, providing updates on Pioneer’s newest proven corn hybrids. He explained how all of Pioneer’s hybrids are observed for two years in impact plots and monitored closely during that time. The newest corn hybrids traits have been modified to prevent both above- and below-ground insects.

Information about all of Pioneer’s seeds and hybrids can be found on the Meyer Seeds website, www.meyerseeds.com.

Linda presented the newest updates for the Meyer Seeds website. The website offers a convenient and efficient way to learn more about Meyer Seeds, their products and yield data. 

Linda said to learn more about their seeds, a person can click on the products link and then the type of seed they are interested in. After the specific type of seed is selected, the website will link to the Pioneer website and provide all of the information about that seed.

All Crop Shop attendees were provided with a delicious homemade lunch. Lunch was prime Canadian sandwiches, made of slow-smoked and shaved prime and homemade Canadian on homemade bread and dessert was homemade “crumbl” cookies. 

After lunch, Day provided an extended forecast for the upcoming year. According to Day, the triple year La Niña from 2020 to 2022 is weakening. At this time, the Pacific Ocean is starting to warm up and La Niña is showing that it is fading into its neutral status.

“So, at this time last year when I gave this talk, it looked like La Niña was weakening and we were very hopeful that the weakening would continue into spring and summer of 2022,” Day said. “It did not happen. It was completely wrong. La Niña made a ferocious comeback and the sea surface temperatures dropped.”

Day explained that last year in January an underwater volcano near the Philippines called the Tonga volcano erupted. This volcano spewed 50 million tons of water vapor into Earth’s atmosphere. This caused the amount of water in the stratosphere to increase by ten percent. It is assumed that this event is what caused La Niña to come back so strongly. 

Day said they predict that El Niño should be dominant going into the summer and next year. He summarized by telling the audience to expect a cold and wet winter, a cool and wet spring and a wet summer in 2023. He said with the current snowpack and the current prediction for March weather, he believes the 2023 snowpack may rival the 2011 record.

“I think it could be a rough spring,” Day said. “I think it could be a rough calving season. I think you should be prepared for that. At this time, there’s no indication that this current cold and snowy winter that we’ve had will suddenly change.”

Brett concluded the event by thanking all of the speakers and attendees for joining them for another successful Crop Shop. Before releasing everyone, Brett and Linda spoke about Brett’s recent heart issues and the importance of not ignoring your health. After his surgery, Brett saw BioEnergetic Medicine Doctor Jessica Botsch to improve the health of his heart.

They explained that Botsch listens to the different chambers of the heart with a heart sound recorder, a device similar to an EKG, and then prescribes minerals to improve certain heart conditions. After the person takes the minerals, Botsch will listen to the heart again to evaluate the impact of the minerals. 

Brett said that thanks to her work his heart has healed more than the doctors had expected in such a short time. As a gift to their customers, the Meyers arranged for anyone interested to have a free consultation with Botsch. Many of the attendees present made the decision to be proactive with their heart health and scheduled an appointment with Botsch.

For more information, visit www.empowered-biofeedback.com or call Botsch at 303-243-1143. Her office is located in Torrington.

According to the about page at meyerseeds.com, “(Meyer Seeds was) founded in 2016 by a fifth-generation farmer and it operates on a foundation of integrity and service. Our customers are our neighbors and friends, so we take a personal interest in helping them succeed.”

Linda said they moved to Torrington in 1993 and prior to Meyer Seeds being founded, they farmed and raised cattle. 

“He was always on the phone giving advice,” Linda told the Telegram. “Our neighbor farm friends really enjoyed talking to him to bounce things off of, so, he was always on the phone.”

Linda explained that it wasn’t until Pioneer asked Brett to be a representative that they started down this path. Pioneer said they knew his reputation in the area and thought he would a perfect candidate to represent them. When they opened Meyer Seeds, they began doing a Crop Shop and a Field Day every year.

These annual events are a great time to get everyone together, provide a good environment for customers to have conversations with Pioneer reps and provide valuable advice to help their customers’ operations. Brett said the first Crop Shop they held was at the fairgrounds in the brand room with only about 20 people. The event has only grown since.

“We’ve been blessed with a great bunch of customers,” Brett said. “Our customers have been very loyal.”

Currently, Meyer Seeds serves about 60 to 70 customers in the region. Their service area is Cheyenne to Alcova and the Nebraska state line to Wheatland.

“Our job is to try to help them make money, connect them with opportunities and show them networking markets,” Linda explained. “We want these farmers to be successful.”

Brett told the Telegram that they pride themselves on providing services that their customers need, a reliable product and a friendly atmosphere. At Meyer Seeds, customers can buy the large boxes of seeds available and then store them in Meyer’s warehouse. They can also borrow the equipment needed to transport their seed to their field. 

“We will have a line here throughout the day, of guys coming to get their seed,” Brett said. “They come up and say, ‘Hey, I need my seed.’ We go and grab it for them. Linda will cook lunch for everyone.”

Brett said that Pioneer sells the best product in the area and has won the yield contest with the National Corn Growers Association eight out of the last nine years. Also, while other companies are good companies, what separates Pioneer the most is their seed guarantee. If you are a 100% grower, which is known as a platinum customer, and for any reason, your seed doesn’t come out of the ground, Pioneer will provide its replacement free of cost. Pioneer stands behind their product completely.

Meyer’s goal is the be the farm hub of Goshen County. If someone has any questions about anything farm related, like crop insurance, government programs, or new products, they want to be able to provide that information.

The Meyers would like to say a special thanks to Ken Ferrier with Goshen County Construction for his work on their new warehouse. If anyone is considering a construction project, they would recommend giving Ken a call.

Meyer Seeds is located at 3758 Highway 156 outside of Torrington. For more information visit meyerseeds.com or call Brett at 307-575-0325 or Linda at 307-575-0324. 

Meyer Seeds will have a few upcoming events this year. The “Business After Hours” will be held this spring to share the new building and the next annual Field Day will be held this summer.