Cultivating soil, knowledge, relationshipsOctober 2016

CultivatorThe

Check out our new website at www.alseed.com.

A CHANGING BRAND AND NEW PARTNERSHIP EQUALS OPPORTUNITY

This is an exciting time at Albert Lea Seed! We are transitioning our Viking Seed corn and soybeans to a

100% non-traited brand consisting of conventional non-GMO and organic corn, soybean and alfalfa seed. At the same time, Albert Lea Seed is becoming a distributor of traited seed for NorthStar Genetics.

The reason for this change is simple: It’s time for us to focus on what we know best, which is developing, testing and supplying non-traited seed. For a decade, the fastest-growing part of Viking and Albert Lea Seed has been conventional non-GMO and organic seed. We support all streams of agriculture, but we don’t have the resources to develop traited

seed and compete with Syngenta, Monsanto and Dow/DuPont. But we do have the resources, passion and experience to develop and deliver the best conventional non-GMO hybrids, varieties and innovations to those farmers that need them.

What does this mean for you? The changes we’re making will enable us to give all of our customers—conventional and organic—better access to the products they need to be successful. Specifically, you can look to our Viking brand to bring you the best—and most innovative—conventional non-GMO and organic seed.

What about Roundup corn?At the same time, our customers who plant traited seed will still be able to get everything they need from us. The traited seed will just come in a

NorthStar Genetics bag. That’s good news, because it also means you’ll have the benefit of NorthStar’s reach, expertise and expanded choices—as in more maturities and traits. You can read more about NorthStar Genetics on page 2.

What won’t changeOne thing remaining the same is our ownership and our team. You’ll still be working with the same folks, who know their stuff and have been in this business a long time—many of them for decades.

As we move forward with the transition in the next few months, we’ll keep you in the loop. In the meantime, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to reach out. We appreciate your business and look forward to working with you for years to come. ◗

By Mac Ehrhardt, Co-owner

©2016 Albert Lea Seed House. All Rights Reserved. Published in partnership with VistaComm® (www.VistaComm.com).

(RE)-INTRODUCING NORTHSTAR GENETICS! When you’re looking to form a business partnership, it’s a great benefit when that partner is also a trusted friend. That’s the case with NorthStar Genetics, a strong company with which we’ve enjoyed a close working relationship for 20 years. As our Viking seed line will now be dedicated exclusively to conventional non-GMO and organic seed, Albert Lea Seed will become a distributor for the NorthStar Genetics lineup of traited seed.

NorthStar is, like us, an independent farm seed company based in Minnesota. They are the largest independent seed

company in the state, holding licenses for traits and genetics from all the major companies. We’ve known them for as long as they’ve been in business. In fact, the first Roundup Ready soybeans we carried were in a NorthStar bag.

There’s really nothing but good news for our customers in this partnership, which will be a continuation of work we’ve done with them. Albert Lea Seed will still have a role in product development, which means we’ll still be bringing you trait and genetic combinations that are specially selected for southern Minnesota,

northern Iowa and western Wisconsin. In fact, we will still be carrying most of your favorite hybrids! But we’ll also be able to offer LibertyLink® and Roundup Ready 2 Xtend® soybeans. We’ve always believed in offering choices, and now you’ll have even more of them—whether you plant conventional, organic or traited seed.

We’re excited about this partnership and what it brings to our customers. If you have questions, by all means ask. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you. ◗

VIKING SEED – COMMITTED TO PURITY If you started reading on page 1, you know that Viking seed is now focused 100% on bringing you the best conventional and non-GMO corn hybrids and soybean varieties. We’ve already taken some important steps to deliver on that commitment for our customers.

For example, we understand that the purity of your seed corn is extremely important to those of you who are growing grain for a non-GMO grain purchaser. You can’t grow non-GMO grain if the seed you plant already contains high levels of

GMOs. For that reason, we are bringing you three classes of Viking Corn:• Viking Conventional ULTRA PURE Non-GMO Seed Corn• Viking Conventional PURE Non-GMO Seed Corn• Viking Conventional Non-GMO Seed Corn

The chart below explains what each purity level offers to you. If you need PURE or ULTRA PURE Viking Seed Corn, please request it at the time you order your seed. ◗

Guaranteed to be at a premium level of purity.

Guaranteed to be the highest possible level

of purity.

99% 99.9%Free of GMOs Free of GMOs

C O N V E N T I O N A L S E E D C O R NNON-GMO PURITY LEVELS

Non-traited hybrids bred and selected for exceptional performance, quality, and value.

VIKING VIKINGVIKINGULTRA PURE PURE

Non-GMO Seed Corn Non-GMO Seed Corn Non-GMO Seed Corn

Specially produced in a GMO-Free agricultural zone that eliminates the potential for cross-contamination. Stringent testing guarantees the seed to be 99.9% free of GMOs.

Viking hybrid seed corn that is not labeled as PURE or ULTRA PURE does not have guaranteed seed purity.

The purity guarantee on Viking PURE and ULTRA PURE hybrids applies only to the seed in the bag. The plants which grow from these seeds can be cross-pollinated by neighboring fields. Therefore we can

make no guarantee about the purity of the grain produced from these hybrids.

Viking hybrid seed corn that is not labeled as PURE or ULTRA PURE does not have guaranteed seed purity.

VIKING

Guaranteed to be at a premium level of purity.

Guaranteed to be the highest possible level

of purity.

99% 99.9%Free of GMOs Free of GMOs

O R G A N I C S E E D C O R N NON-GMO PURITY LEVELS

Bred and selected for exceptional performance under organic conditions. We produce all this hybrid seed under an organic system plan that combines isolation, dedicated equipment and transportation, and thorough GMO testing.

ULTRA PURE PURE Organic Non-GMO Seed Corn Organic Non-GMO Seed Corn Organic Non-GMO Seed Corn

Additional stringent testing guarantees that these hybrids meet the premium purity level.

Specially produced in a GMO-Free agricultural zone that eliminates the potential for cross-contamination. Stringent testing guarantees the seed to be 99.9% free of GMOs.

Viking organic hybrid seed corn that is not labeled as PURE or ULTRA PURE does not have guaranteed seed purity.

The purity guarantee on Viking PURE and ULTRA PURE hybrids applies only to the seed in the bag. The plants which grow from these seeds can be cross-pollinated by neighboring fields. Therefore we can

make no guarantee about the purity of the grain produced from these hybrids.

VIKING VIKING

Guaranteed premium purity levels achieved through production under stringent testing and controlled processes, which includes geographic isolation and dedicated equipment and transportation.

Since 1923

1414 West MainP.O. Box 127Albert Lea, MN 56007-0127

www.alseed.com

EARLY-PAY DISCOUNTS7% if paid by Nov.156% if paid by Dec.155% if paid by Jan. 153% if paid by Mar. 15

Not available with John Deere Financing. Available on corn and soybeans only.

ACT NOW FOR THE BEST DISCOUNTSSAVE THE DATES: ALBERT LEA SEED OPEN HOUSEViking Seed/NorthStar Genetics Day, Nov. 16

Cover Crops/Small Grains Day, Nov. 17

Join us for our Open House on Nov. 16-17, beginning at 8:30 a.m. each day. We have assembled this outstanding lineup of presenters:• Lisa Behnken, University of Minnesota,

discussing conventional weed control.• Ross Recker, Monsanto, covering

the new Roundup Ready 2 Xtend soybeans.

• Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, presenting on the economics of oats in a corn/bean rotation.

• Claus Nymand, KWS, speaking about hybrid rye.

• Dave Brandt, cover crop expert from Carroll, Ohio.

Each day will be interesting and informative, and we welcome all your seed questions for 2017. Stay tuned for the complete schedule and details. ◗

Long-time customer and friend Barry Bondhus of Storden, MN, checks the midseason progress of some of his soybeans with Matt Leavitt of Albert Lea Seed.