Plato, Minnesota
Brian Thalmann I Choose Stine
Working with Stine has given the Thalmanns access to the latest genetics and traits which has led to increased yields.
Plato Minnesota
From a livestock and a small crop acreage to a successful seed conditioning business and more than 1,800 acres of corn and soybeans, Thalmann Seeds has enjoyed five generations of success in the ag industry. Since 1877, when the farm was first established, the Thalmann family has seen their fair share of tough times, but they have grown from their experiences and have stayed a close-knit operation. Brian Thalmann continues to work the ground his ancestors farmed near Plato, Minnesota.
“I’m really excited to be the fifth generation Thalmann on the farm. The farm was settled in 1877 by my great great grandfather. So, currently I farm alongside my father, who is semi-retired, and then my son is actively involved. So, we have three generations farming here and are celebrating our 140th year.”
And for more than 25 years, Brian and his family have been Stine seed conditioners, which he notes allows them to have access to the latest and greatest genetics coming out.
“Our family operation became interested in working with Stine as we started looking at the various private companies that were developing new products. It quickly became evident that when you learn about a lot of different companies and do a little bit of research, you start finding out that the genetics are coming from Stine’s breeding program. We like testing and evaluating products on our own land and getting right to the source. So, we felt working with Stine, we were going to have the best access to the newest and best technology as it came out.”
And he was right. Through Stine, the Thalmanns have had access to the latest soybean genetics and traits over the past few decades, including Roundup® Ready, Roundup Ready 2 Yield®, LibertyLink®, Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® and now Stine® GT soybeans.
“We can’t control which way the industry is going to go regarding what trait package farmers are ultimately going to require, but what is exciting to us is that working with Stine, we have access to every trait package out there.”
One particular trait package he’s seen great success from recently is the Stine LibertyLink system.
“Last year we had a research plot with two dozen Roundup (Ready) 2, Liberty(Link), and Xtend varieties. The highest yield in the plot was a Liberty(Link) variety, yielding over 75 bushels per acre, which was one of the best yields we have ever seen on our farm.”
Stine LibertyLink soybeans have helped tackle the growing waterhemp and giant ragweed issues on their farm. And they’re also seeing more and more growers in their area turn to the LibertyLink system to help avoid resistance problems.
In addition to resistance issues, another challenge they face in their part of Minnesota is dealing with higher pH soil and also the salt level in the soil. They help combat this issue by having sufficient tile drainage to start, but also exploring the best soybean genetics that can handle higher pH soils.
“Stine has done a good job over the years. They have expanded their breeding program, testing locations, which they can evaluate the genetics under those scenarios, and that has really given them a leg up on the competition with some of these products that can definitely handle these areas better.”
Brian Thalmann
In 2017, Brian and his family were named the McLeod County’s Farm Family of the Year by the University of Minnesota — an honor given to families who have “demonstrated a commitment to enhancing and supporting agriculture and agriculture production.” An award well deserved!
Congratulations, Brian and Thalmann Seeds! We look forward to our partnership over the next two decades and then some. Thanks for choosing Stine!
