A Fruitful Collaboration: Evergreen Cooperative and Dairyland Seed

At Evergreen Cooperative of Tower City, North Dakota, Dairyland Seed excels. From products in the field to personnel, Dairyland Seed provides the cooperative and its customers with high-quality products, services and expertise.

Curt Marshall, manager at Evergreen Cooperative, has been with the company for 29 years and has seen a lot during his tenure. After working with Prairie Brand^® for a number of years, Marshall was introduced to Dairyland Seed in 2018 when Prairie Brand merged with Dairyland Seed.

The merger enhanced the cooperative’s product portfolio and brought Marshall into the cutting-edge fold of Dairyland Seed. Now, Marshall and his team offer the cooperative’s growers a wider range of products with research proving high performance and yield.

“We know that when we get a product from Dairyland Seed, it’s going to be high quality,” says Marshall. “The research, combined with extensive field trials, propels Dairyland Seed to success and we’re always excited to offer our customers top-of-the-line genetics.”

Farming in areas west of Fargo, North Dakota, Evergreen’s customers face a number of challenges including saline soils, which have high levels of soluble salts from any number of excess nutrients. Despite obstacles, Dairyland Seed products, especially alfalfa varieties, have stood strong.

Magnum Salt™, a Dairyland Seed alfalfa variety, shines in saline soils. Tough ground in the area surrounding the cooperative is challenging to grow crops, but Dairyland Seed’s extensive product offerings allow the cooperative’s customers to work with ground that would otherwise be left fallow.

“The genetics behind the products are proven to combat issues we see in our area,” says Marshall. “But beyond overcoming challenges, Dairyland Seed products provide a variety of maturity ranges that allow us to widen our product portfolio and meet individual customer needs.”

Agronomics driving success

Ben Friesz is an agronomist with Evergreen Cooperative and knows that from planter to grain bin, Dairyland Seed products are high quality. Backed by sound research, the products provide Friesz with peace of mind that the cooperative’s product offerings are diversified and targeted for producers in his area.

“Simply put, Dairyland Seed products beat the competitors’ offerings,” says Friesz. “You can put the products in tough ground and they grow where other seed brands won’t. That’s what makes Dairyland Seed such a great brand to work with. We know we’re getting a high-performing, quality product.”

As an agronomist, Friesz appreciates the agronomics behind Dairyland Seed products. Amid tough conditions, including waterlogged soils and periods of drought, white mold and saline soils, the products perform and yield well.

Friesz follows the seed from the time it hits the bed of the pickup truck through planting and harvest. Throughout the season, Friesz regularly checks up on growers to monitor product performance. Customers notice that seeds are clean and flow through the planter well, often outperforming product claims.

“Dairyland Seed bags list anywhere between 80 to 95 percent germination but we often see nearly 100 percent. The competition simply doesn’t stack up,” says Friesz.

Backed by a strong team

Evergreen Cooperative’s customers are supported by experts like Marshall and Friesz, while the cooperative is backed by the entire Dairyland Seed team. Dave Richter, Dairyland Seed district sales manager, works alongside the cooperative to provide product support and agronomic advice.

“Dave is phenomenal. I’ve never had a sales rep go above and beyond like he does in an effort to help our business grow,” says Marshall. “The combination of advanced genetics, a robust portfolio and a great team to work with makes me proud to work alongside Dairyland Seed.”

Visit dairylandseed.com to learn more about products or contact a representative today.