From crop diseases to replant situations, Midwest grain production puts farmers face to face with
tough decisions—the type they hate to face alone. To boost profit and reduce risk, many producers rely on their own specialized resource team. 

Now, Bart Lofton, a new Golden Harvest/Thorp Seed Co. employee, is available to join those expert teams. Farmers in Southwest Indiana and Western Kentucky can now call upon Lofton’s considerable expertise when facing an agronomic dilemma, said Clayton Wright, Technical Service Agronomist Coordinator for Golden Harvest/Thorp Seed Co, Clinton, Ill. 

A newly-hired Technical Service Agronomist (TSA), Lofton will serve the region from his Haubstadt, Ind., home base, training Golden Harvest dealers and staff and providing direct farmer support - not only when conditions get tough - but year around. “Bart meets and conveys information to people easily,” Wright said. “He brings a wealth of experience with him and is already familiar with the area.” 

According to Wright, Lofton and other Golden Harvest TSAs provide technical agronomic support and advice to dealers, DSMs and customers. They help dealers and farmers place Golden Harvest products in their best potential environment, and disseminate agronomic from the company’s Agronomy Up FrontTM program. Wright predicts growers will value Lofton’s knowledge as they monitor crops and call for in-field service. A graduate of Purdue University, Lofton received a master’s degree in agronomy in 1998. He was raised in Hendricks County, Ind. and has seed industry consulting experience in both Southwest Indiana and Western Kentucky, Wright said. He is also a Certified Crop Advisor and member of the American Society of Agronomy. 

For his part, Lofton said he hopes to increase awareness of the Golden Harvest brand and, through technical field support, let current customers know they are valued by the independently-owned seed company. He said he is confident in Golden Harvest’s Agronomy Up Front™ program and how the technical service staff can offer producers timely agronomic information required for crop management decisions. “The people I work with seem highly motivated and excited about the products they sell to customers. That gives you a good feeling,” Lofton said. “What’s more, there is always someone a phone call away to use as a resource to get to a quick and timely solution.” 

The Golden Harvest brand of hybrid corn, soybeans, sorghum and alfalfa is produced and marketed by five family-owned and managed seed companies serving farmers throughout the U.S. Corn Belt, Europe, South America and Canada. These five companies share research and marketing resources nationally, while continuing to offer the nearby service that is the heart of the seed industry.

Company news release
N2895