Walnut, Iowa – Meristem Crop Performance announced that Shane Brockhoff has been tapped to be Meristem’s Vice President of Sales for the Western U.S. The promotion comes after Brockhoff’s exemplary service to farmers in Iowa and Nebraska as Regional Director.
Brockhoff will now bring this experience in helping growers boost their profitability with the right products and practices to more growers west of the Mississippi River.
“Our service to farmers and our product portfolio are both growing at a rapid rate,” says Mitch Eviston, Meristem founder and CEO, “and I’m very grateful for Shane’s help in taking this opportunity to more dealer-partners and bringing the benefits of this innovation to more and more farmers. This will create more opportunities for Shane’s positive influence on customers, dealers and our team.”
After nearly two years with Meristem, Brockhoff says he’s excited to expand his role in bringing Meristem’s innovative products to more farmers all across the western states. “Meristem is a great fit for me. They are very intentional about cutting waste in the distribution channel and developing technology to help growers make the most of biologicals,” he says.
Brockhoff says pests like nematodes and corn rootworm have been stealing bushels from farmers for years and Meristem products are helping them reduce those losses. “Now we are harnessing the power of biologicals and bringing together biocontrols and synthetic chemistry to deliver new modes of action,” he explains. “Meristem is the only one able to deliver truly effective biocontrol because our patented BIO-CAPSULE seed fluency delivery system protects these beneficial microbes right up to their point of impact.”
Brockhoff grew up near Walnut, Iowa, and started working for a neighboring farmer when he was 13 years old. During that time, he decided to make a career in agriculture and enrolled at Iowa State University (ISU), where he earned both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in agronomy and crop science.
“My graduate school work at ISU took me deep into soil biology and soil chemistry,” he says. “That’s been very helpful as I work with farmers. I can talk about soil health and break it down into layman’s terms. I’m a high-yield geek,” he laughs. “I love working with farmers to gain every edge possible to get a better ROI (return on investment) from every acre.”
After ISU, he first became a regional seed specialist for Landus Cooperative in Oakland, Iowa for several years and then joined AgriGold where he spent nearly 10 years before becoming division sales lead for AgReliant Genetics. Brockhoff and his wife Lacey have six children – five daughers and a son – and reside near Walnut, where they also assist Lacey’s parents in their farm operation.
“In my work with farmers, I focus on optimizing the genetics of every seed they plant,” said Brockhoff. “That’s what has drawn me to Meristem Crop Performance. They have products that are helping farmers make the most of every seed, and with every pass those farmers make through the field all season long.”
Brockhoff adds that improving the efficiency of the distribution channel is another reason he’s riding with Meristem. “By bringing concentrates like AQUADRAFT C and UPSHIFT C to farmers, we’re not wasting diesel fuel to move water. That’s more efficient and offers farmers more control.”
For more information, visit www.meristemag.com.