Farming Success in the Midwest

America’s Heartland is an impressive place. With rich soils and an even richer agricultural heritage, so much of our food comes from this region.Andrew DeGroot is continuing a 70+ year family farming tradition started by his grandfather in St. Anne, Illinois, about an hour’s drive from Chicago. DeGroot Farms has made their mark in traditional crops, as well as some you might not expect. In addition to corn and soybeans, they grow potatoes, bell peppers, cabbage, and squash. Customers include Chipotle, Campbell’s Soup and Bob Evans. The DeGroots have light, sandy soils which work well for growing vegetables.  What can prove challenging is weather. This year’s characteristics included a long dry spell with over a month of temperatures hovering around the century mark.   Andrew said they’ve utilized Redox Bio-Nutrients products for about a decade, and the results are easy to see.  “This biggest thing it has helped us with is when Mother Nature throws a curve ball, whether it’s heat stress, drought, cold stress or too much water,” Andrew remarked. “When you have the right products available, where you can fight that and make an extra application or two to combat those stresses and help the plant push through, you don’t have the big swings like you used to. In past years, when the weather is perfect, you grow a bumper crop. The following year maybe there’s a drought and it seemed to be either feast or famine. We’re kind of leveling that off now, knowing our costs going in, knowing what we need to do, setting our program and fighting Mother Nature, pretty much.” As one example through Redox, Andrew said his potato yields have grown about 30 to 35 percent on average, with a 50 to 60 percent increase when weather fully cooperates. Bell peppers on the farm are a sight to see, with large fruit, thick walls, and premium quality. A more traditional crop, soybeans, are also a solid performer on the farm. Illinois is the nation’s largest soybean producer, with more than 11 million acres grown.  From one field to the next, the DeGroot farm is a very productive place. Andrew said Redox Bio-Nutrients are a big part of their success. “It’s helped greatly,” he said. “I don’t think we could be where we are today without it. Just the growth and new customers we’ve been able to bring to the table because we have a quality product. It takes a lot of the stress away, when you can really focus in, and you see a problem – a deficiency – apply a product, and you will visually see that within usually 7 to 10 days, and then move on from there.”