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MID-COUNTY MESSENGER
Page 5
Focus on efficiency with VRT
Not all fi elds are created equal, and
that’s why many farmers are utilizing
variable-rate technology (VRT).
“Mid-County is one of the few co-
ops in the area to provide VRT,” said
Mid-County Agronomy Production
Specialist Doug Kraska. “We’ve been
doing it for more than 15 years.”
VRT describes any technology that
gives farmers the ability to vary the
rate of crop inputs. By adjusting the
amount of seed, fertilizer, and weed/
insect control, producers are able to
optimize their land use.
“There are sometimes four or fi ve
different soil types in one fi eld,” Kras-
ka said. “The bottom of the hill can be
a lot different than the top.”
At Mid-County, the agronomy de-
partment collects soil samples from
2.5-acre grids on the fi eld, and agron-
omist Joe Forner analyzes the data
through a customizable computer pro-
gram.
“It doesn’t make a difference if it’s a
big fi eld or a small fi eld,” Kraska said.
“Our philosophy is, fertilize the acre,
not the fi eld. And, that’s exactly what
VRT does.”
After the recommended inputs are
calculated, the data is placed onto
a disk. From there, the machinery,
equipped with global positioning sys-
tem (GPS) technology, will read the
correct inputs.
“It knows exactly where it is on the
fi eld, and it auto adjusts as it goes,”
Kraska said.
Advancements in agriculture, as
well as escalating input prices, have
made VRT increasingly popular, ac-
cording to Kraska.
“In our area, it has caught on very,
very well,” he said. “Of the farmers
who do business with us, 95 percent
use variable rate.”
Kraska said that an investment in
VRT can pay off quickly.
“We have farmers who rent land,
and the fi rst thing they’ll do is call to
get the soil tested,” he said. “Farmers
are seeing the benefi t of it.”
According to Kraska, for farm-
ers who have mastered traditional
planting, VRT can provide a boost in
yields, while eliminating wasteful in-
put spending.
“I defi nitely would recommend it,”
he said.
VRT
By
Julie Clemensen at your service
For Julie Clemensen, serving as ad-
ministrative assistant at Mid-Coun-
ty Coop is a perfect way to spend a
workday.
“It’s a great group of people,” she
said. “I like that there’s always some-
thing different to do, and I never get
bored.”
Julie has been with the company for
about fi ve years, and she hopes she
can stay long into the future.
“I hope to retire here,” said Julie,
who lives in Cologne with her hus-
band and two children.
Julie hadn’t always known that ad-
ministrative duties – billing, report-
ing, and answering customer questions
– would be her specialty, however.
“I started out in nursing,” said Julie,
a graduate of Central High School. It
didn’t take long, though, before she
decided that the
emotional as-
pect of nursing
might not be a
good fi t.
“I don’t think
I’d be able to
separate
my-
self,” she ex-
plained.
So,
Julie
switched to marketing, and earned a
degree from Normandale Community
College in Bloomington.
“I got an internship in marketing,
which led to doing other things in the
offi ce,” she said. “Then, I realized I
liked the offi ce work better.”
Before coming to Mid-County
Coop, Julie had been a full-time offi ce
manager.
She decided she wanted a part-time
job instead, in order to spend more
time with her children, and joined the
kitchen staff at Central School Dis-
trict.
When she saw that Mid-County
Coop had an opening for an admin-
istrative assistant, she applied right
away.
“It’s part time, and I love everybody
I work with,” she said.
Her job is also fl exible, allowing her
to attend school events and sporting
events for her sons, who are now 12
and 15.
In her free time, Julie also enjoys
singing in the St. Bernard’s Catholic
Church choir.