Ask any soybean farmer. Record yields are great. But they’re also yesterday’s news. Staying out in front requires farmers, agronomists, researchers and breeders to push the envelope and demand more performance from each and every soybean that goes in the ground. In this docuseries, join Clint Chaffer and some serious soybean experts as they test limits, explore breakthroughs and do everything they can to help you chase down the next bushel.
Clint grew up on a farm near Seaton, Illinois, where he developed not only a love for agriculture but also a passion for technology. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Information Management from Western Illinois University, Clint worked in the "digital ag" industry for several years prior to joining The Climate Corporation in 2014. Clint completed his MBA degree from Western Illinois University in December 2017 and is currently the Asgrow Brand Manager for Bayer Crop Science. Clint continues to support his family’s farming operations in northwest Illinois, where he currently lives with his wife Kelli, two sons Derik and Devin, two dogs Spike and Mable, and their horse, Gizmo.
In this season premiere, Clint talks weed management with two technical agronomists as well as a farmer whose operation has been around for six generations.
Drew is a sixth-generation farmer who works alongside his father, Donnie, on their 10,000-acre cotton, rice, corn and soybean farm in Portageville, Missouri. Drew was fortunate enough to farm with his grandfather for five years, who taught him the family motto: “If you want a lot, you gotta do a lot.” When not farming, Drew spends his time with his wife, Laura, and new baby boy, Drew Junior, who’s already learning the family business.
Matthew is a technology development representative with Bayer Crop Science, serving the Missouri Bootheel and northern Arkansas regions. He also assists the breeding pipeline as field advancement specialist for soybeans, serving the South and East Coast regions. Prior to joining Bayer, Matthew spent 13 years with the University of Missouri’s Fisher Delta Research Center, where he conducted research on various cropping systems and soil fertility.
Garret hails from Union City, Tennessee, and graduated with his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He works for Bayer Crop Science as a technology development representative and specializes in traits, chemistry and digital ag. In his free time, Garret enjoys duck hunting as well as spending time with his wife, son and two dogs.
Join host Clint Chaffer as he heads north to Minnesota to discuss the proactive measures which pave the way for successful management of pests and disease such as sudden death syndrome, white mold and soybean cyst nematode.
Steven is a DEKALB® Asgrow® technical agronomist with Bayer Crop Science, supporting dealers and farmers across Southwest Minnesota. He has spent the last ten years with Bayer, providing knowledge and support across seed and traits as well as crop protection. When he’s not in the field or with customers, you can find him spending time outdoors hunting and fishing with his wife, daughter and their two German Shorthaired Pointing dogs.
Mark is a cattle, corn and soybean farmer based near Lamberton, Minnesota. While the beef finishing business is at the core of their operation, they also raise corn and soybeans, as well as run a trucking business. Each of the three aspects of the farm is critical to the overall sustainability of the operation. Mark has surrounded himself with the highest-caliber support crew to ensure overall success, including two of his children being actively involved on a daily basis.
Tag along with host Clint Chaffer to Nebraska, where he does a little digging on how using cover crops can conserve moisture, break up compaction, fight erosion and help in other ways to protect yields.
Steven is a DEKALB® Asgrow® technical agronomist with Bayer Crop Science, supporting dealers and farmers across southeast Nebraska. He has spent the last 14 years with Bayer, providing agronomic advice and support across seed and traits. When he’s not in the field or with customers, you can find him either spending time with his wife and three sons or doing something outside, like gardening, hunting or fishing.
John is a fifth-generation farmer located in eastern Nebraska. He returned to the family farm after college to work alongside his dad before eventually joining his father-in-law. These days, John’s wife, Carae, and two children are heavily involved in the operation, which consists mainly of dryland corn, soybeans and pumpkins, not to mention a small herd of cattle. Besides being a member of several agricultural organizations, John has a passion for new technologies as well as soil and water conservation.
In this special homecoming episode, host Clint Chaffer returns to Mercer County, Illinois, where he discusses smart farming and technology with his hometown precision planting dealership. Next, he heads to his family farm to meet a Climate FieldView expert and demonstrate how using data helps with his own operation.
Marie is a field sales representative with DEKALB Asgrow, serving Henderson, Warren and Knox counties in the state of Illinois. Prior to that, Marie spent five years with Stone Seed, where she eventually became district sales manager. When not serving customers in her territory, Marie spends her time with her husband Tyler, where together they run a small Angus cow operation.
Now in his fifth year with Climate FieldView, Tanner currently serves as the Global Product Manager for Machine Compatibility. Before joining the FieldView team, Tanner was an independent seed salesman and Precision Planting Sales/Service Technician for Roeder Brothers Seed. Tanner remains involved in his family’s corn and soybean operation, where they farm roughly 1,000 acres and raise production hogs. With what little spare time he has left, Tanner enjoys fishing and deer hunting.
For over a decade, Jason has been an independent DEKALB Asgrow dealer, as well as the owner of Roeder Brothers Seed in Seaton, Illinois. Jason’s business focuses primarily on operations that engage in precision planting, which makes him no stranger to the benefits of Climate FieldView, digital farming’s leading software platform. After obtaining his undergraduate degree in Agribusiness from Western Illinois University, Jason earned his MBA from the University of Phoenix.
By the time you plant your first soybean seed at the beginning of each season, that seed has been through years and years of precision breeding methodologies. In this episode, host Clint Chaffer joins a row crop breeding expert to take you through the exacting process from the precision genomics lab to field trials.
As the North America Plant Health Product Development Lead at Bayer Crop Science, Joey’s team is responsible for developing the strategy, executing and analyzing pathology data to support the breeding and commercial pipelines across five crops including soybeans. After earning his Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Joey began his career in central Illinois, where he managed an MG3 soybean pipeline and influenced the strategy across all North American maturity groups.
As more and more farmers start to plant soybeans earlier in the season, the importance of getting the right seed treatment for the right situation in the right field becomes increasingly critical. In this episode, host Clint Chaffer talks with a seed solutions expert and a farmer to explore why this is very likely to continue.
After 15 years of running their operation near his wife’s family, Mike Carson headed north to southern Ohio, where they’ve been farming corn, soybeans and wheat since 2012. To this day, using cover crops remains an integral part of how they do business. Around their Fayette County farm, Mike’s wife, three sons and daughter function each chip in on the workload to keep things running from day to day. In their spare time, the Carson family has been known to raise a blue-ribbon hog or two.
In addition to running his own family farm in southern Ohio, Bill Bowers has been a customer business advisor with Bayer Crop Science for almost 10 years. As an invaluable grower resource, Bill provides guidance for farmers throughout the region on a broad range of Bayer products and services, including seed, chemistry, seed applied solutions and data integration. Known as “Bushel Billy” on Instagram, Facebook and other social media outlets, Bill has established a following that will soon top 10,000 by serving as what he describes as an “agvocate.”
Performance is a season-long proposition which requires excellence across a variety of agronomic attributes, from planting through harvest, in order to maximize yield potential. And season after season, no one delivers industry-leading agronomics with a tailored solutions approach the way Asgrow® does.
Every bushel counts. That’s why at Asgrow, helping you find one more bushel remains a never-ending process.
Asgrow brand soybeans feature 100% exclusive genetics and are backed with the agronomic expertise you need to maximize your performance.
