In Northeast Montana, crop acreage can be as individualistic as the farmers that seed them. And because of that, special care has to be taken to ensure acreage is strategized and individualized to ensure the best fit for maximum growing potential.
Ag Partners LLC, of Wolf Point, is not only in the business of supplying area farmers with the needed fertilizers, chemicals and crop protection products they need to get their seedlings off to a robust start; they also want to provide the best advice on how to approach the next growing season from an individual perspective.
“With today’s technology and precision agriculture, Ag Partners is dedicated to scientifically identifying the best fitting crop for each acre. The cropland in Sidney is not the same as the crop land in Brockton and other areas and we want to treat each farmer and farmland individually,” said Luke Dighans, Agronomy Sales Manager.
Having well trained agronomists is just one of the company’s goals in helping ensure farmers receive both high yields and high profits through factual, evidence based advice.
“While we do sell products, we want to be advisers to the farmer. We want to be the Company that can help provide farmers with the information they need to ensure they receive the best return on their investment,” Dighans said.
Currently, the plant is the largest retail fertilizer facility in the state with a 29,000 ton capacity for dry fertilizer and a 100 foot by 150 foot chemical warehouse. But, two other plants are in the process of being built in the Great falls area and will tout comparable sizes once operational.
Ag Partners is a joint venture created by two local businesses; CHS/Farmers Elevator, of Circle and AgLand Coop, of Wolf Point. It was constructed in March of 2012, and is located just off Highway 16 near the Macon Elevator. “Both local companies knew they had a need for an efficient, large capacity fertilizer plant in order to ensure supply to their growers but neither of them could afford such a costly investment so they combined their agronomy assets to make the plant a reality,” Dighans said. Both parent companies serve the local community selling fuels, feeds and other hardware.
Along with its variety of products that include dry and liquid fertilizer, multiple crop seed and protection products, they also exclusively specialize in Micro Essentials SZ, a granule consisting of phosphate, sulfur and zinc. Through a fusion process, Micro Essentials combines vital nutrients into one formulated, nutritionally balanced granule, creating a single source of crop nutrition.
Dighans said Ag Partners individually selects all of the products they sell. This way, they are able to bypass selling questionable products and instead focus on performance proven, science-backed products.
Ag Partners also provides a number of services including spray water analysis, custom spraying and spreading, tissue and soil sampling, crop consulting, budgeting and planning.
Another way they service customers is through variable rate technology. By taking a satellite image and looking at the different reflectance values, they can provide farmers with a computer chip that plugs directly into their computerized sprayer and apply product only where it is needed in the field. “It’s a lot like how a doctor prescribes medicine to be directly applied to the site. We can show the farmer exactly where he needs to apply his product for the best results,” Dighans said.
“Gone are the days of the 1950s when farmers would simply get in their tractor, put seed in the ground and wait. Today, we try to manage risks through technology,” Dighans said.
AgPartners employs roughly 70 people at its 11 locations throughout Northeast Montana including, Wolf Point, Vida, Brockton, Nashua, Froid, Glasgow, Circle, Richey, Baker, Glendive and Miles City.
For Dighans, working with local farmers isn’t just a job, it’s a passion. Most of the company’s employees have a farming background and understand the risks farmers take each year with their crops. Dighans grew up on a farm near Peerless and assists his dad with the family farm. He received his Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Agronomy from the University of Minnesota, in Crookston.
Ag Partners services an area that extends north of Glasgow and south of Baker.
In the future, the company plans to continue expanding their products of seed. With many varieties of genetic seed potentially available for planting, Ag Partners is focused on providing the technology that allows for the continued expansion of newer crops to the area such as corn, canola and soybeans.
Like many area companies, it has been challenging to find and retain employees looking for high wages associated with the oil industry. Dighans said that while wages might not be as high as the oil industry provides, the benefits are some of the best the region has to offer and with the agricultural industry steady and growing every year, employees know their jobs are secure.
“This industry is challenging and it’s ever changing. But I genuinely enjoy working with the local farming community and seeing how far we can push the envelope in getting farmers the biggest yields possible,” Dighans said.
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