AGRONOMY
Commitment in the field
Wade Ferguson Agronomy Manager
( 952 ) 466-3733 wadef @ midcountycoop . com
We are again upgrading our agronomy fleet to do the best job for those that rely on us .
The latest additions will include a new John Deere 800R Airflow Fertilizer Applicator , and also a new John Deere Model 412 Sprayer . These units will replace our Case IH Airflow and one of our Case IH sprayers .
The individual features and benefits that come with the new machines are too numerous to mention all of them here , and the investment in the new equipment is driven by several factors . They include reliability issues that come with older equipment , a need to get the added capacity from our new fertilizer plant into the field faster , and the availability of new technology that will make our applications faster and more accurate .
Wade Ferguson has been the agronomy manager at Mid- County since last March when he came to Minnesota from the small town of Booker , TX . Located on the far northern edge of the panhandle , Booker sits on a flat-plain environment that is nightand-day different from the rolling landscape of south-central Minnesota .
For 10 years , Wade was the chemical and fertilizer application manager on a farm that spread across more than 30,000 acres . Then , for the last four years just prior to accepting his position at Mid-County , he was the operations manager for half of that farm .
One day , a combine broke down , and Wade traveled with his wife Irene to Iowa for parts .
“ Where I come from is a very barren , windswept prairie . When we got up north , Irene fell in love with all the water and trees ,” Wade said .
Back home in Booker , they started to think about moving . Wade got serious about looking for a new job when his son Caleb finished college and went off to pursue a graduate program in environmental sciences at West Texas A & M . After he eventually hired on with Mid-County , Wade and Irene bought a house in the country near Waconia .
His responsibility as agronomy manager is to oversee all of Mid-County ’ s fertilizer and chemical applications . He is also involved in purchasing those products .
But that ’ s not all he does . Sometimes the job description requires a flexibility that takes him away from the office for some firsthand work out in the fields .
Technology is a wonderful thing , but it is our employees who are the most important component of any system we have in place . Safety and accuracy of application depend on drivers having the right tools . The larger , quieter cabs on these new machines will go a long way towards increased comfort and reduced stress during long days spent in the field .
The John Deere 800R Airflow Fertilizer Applicator
Meet Wade Ferguson , new Agronomy Manager
The John Deere Model 412 Sprayer
“ I ’ ll help out wherever I can . For example , this summer we were short on applicators , so I filled in on a sprayer .”
As it turns out , our work ethic here is a big reason Wade felt drawn to Mid-County .
“ Where I come from , the co-ops don ’ t put in near as much effort as we do here to get everything done in a timely manner so that the farmers can be successful . Mid-County actually cares , and it was the biggest selling point that brought me here .”
Wade feels education is an important conduit for building value in our co-op and increasing the number of farmers we serve .
One project he would like to see Mid-County undertake is to establish test plots and grow the latest varieties of corn and soybeans to make it easy for present and prospective customers to get an up-close look at new products coming onto the market .
On a personal note , Wade has taken on a learning project of his own . Now that he is settled in the Land of 10,000 Lakes , Wade said that figuring out how to fish in this new environment is one of his priorities .
“ There ’ s not a lot of water where I came from , and I love to fish . The rivers and lakes in this part of the country will give Irene and I an endless chance to explore . I ’ m excited because now that we ’ ve bought a house , we can start thinking about a boat .”
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