When it comes to farming, the international border is just a line in the dirt.
Each side has the same soil, the same weather and can grow the same crops. One new Thunder Seed dealer found that success looks the same on both sides of the line.
Joliette Ag Systems offers a one-stop shop for seeds as well as chemical delivery, seed cleaning and agronomy services. The summer of 2014 marked the company’s first growing season as a Thunder Seed dealer.
“We saw the success Thunder Seed has in our area, and we wanted to give them a try,” General Manager Jon Warner said. “They seemed like a good company with great people.”
Located just south of the Canadian border in Pembina, North Dakota, the company’s decision to become a Thunder Seed dealer was partially inspired by its neighbors to the north. In 2014, Thunder Seed began offering two of its high-yielding Canadian soybean varieties, Astro R2Y and TH 34006 R2Y, in U.S. markets.
Over the past few years, the Astro R2Y has been the highest-yielding soybean variety in full-season maturity zones in Manitoba.
“We saw these varieties had performed very well in Canada and figured they should do just as well south of the border,” Warner said. “We focused on the Astro because it’s somewhat unique and has a great defensive package for this area.”
The cool, wet spring of 2014 forced planting delays for many of Joliette Ag Systems’ customers; some were forced to wait as late as June 20. Warner was confident the Astro R2Y variety would respond well to the adverse conditions, including water issues that are common in the area. He also noted the variety has a good Phytophthora root-rot tolerance and a 1.8 IDC score, so it does well in the region’s heavy clay, high-pH soils.
“The beans looked very nice. We had some challenges, but we knew they would respond,” Warner said.
Joliette Ag Systems’ partnership with Thunder Seed also looks promising.
“So far it’s been a great relationship,” Warner said. “Any time we’ve needed something, they’ve been very accessible. If we have a question, we can call them and get an answer pretty quickly.”
“We’re going to wait and see,” he said. “I want to study them a little more.”
That same dedication and research goes into everything Joliette Ag Systems does, so it can offer its customers sound advice and the best seed varieties available.
