Mac Ehrhardt

3rd Generation Seedsman, Happy Husband, Fortunate Father, pro-farmer, skeptical by nature, fan of Civil Discourse.

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

How Deep Can I Plant My Soybeans When Conditions Are Dry? https://t.co/YOJM0NlQD7

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Options Following Winterkilled Small Grains https://t.co/16hm5S8Kog

Great work by Margaret Smith on options to use if your winter grain stand is too poor to keep.

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Assessing Alfalfa Stands: Spring 2025 https://t.co/yvUtyV0MRE

How is your alfalfa stand this spring? If you need tools to evaluate it, our Margaret Smith wrote a really helpful blog on evaluating alfalfa stands (including photos & resources)

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Thank you @SenAmyKlobuchar for taking the time to talk to us about Organic agriculture. I really appreciate that you and your staff understand how #organic brings value to rural America. Thank you for your support in keeping the USDA Organic label strong!

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Thank you @RepFinstad for taking the time to discuss organic agriculture. It’s so important to fully fund the National Organic Program in order to keep the #Organic label strong and drive value for organic farmers and rural communities. #OrganicHillDay @organictrade

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Argus sees continued low prices for Organic Corn for the coming year, but is more bullish on Organic Soybean prices, with $21-$23/bu. looking possible.

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

So proud to sponsor the Argus Organic & I.P. Agriculture Forum in Chicago today. Mac Ehrhardt, A.L. Seed Chairman, pictured here with the amazing Kellee James, (founder of Mercaris, which was acquired by Argus).

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Please test your oats, barley, rye, and wheat before feeding it! Most of you know this, but in the wetter parts of the midwest, we have a lot of DON/Vomitoxin in small grain this year.
https://t.co/w3TNWYUz9N

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

We are getting many calls on diseases in oats/wheat/barley. Great overview on small grain diseases here:

Diseases in Small Grains: 2024 https://t.co/gFmdhxKXLF

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

So proud to share the stage last night at @OTA with George Siemon (founder of ⁦@OrganicValley⁩ and true Organic pioneer). George received the Lifetime Achievement award. I received the Organic Groundbreaker award on behalf of all my co-workers at Albert Lea Seed. #blessed

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Blue River Organic 822 Soft Red WW field near Centreville, MD. Early-heading variety with a long finish. Credit to Matt Nielsen for the photo!

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

1,380 pounds of ERP design team! For 5 months this team (some from Kensium and some from A.L. Seed) have been building the software that will help us do a better job of serving our seed growers, dealers, and our customers. Today they are doing a 2nd walk-through on processes.

[Bob Gunzenhauser @BobGunzy]

Took these pics this morning after 3-4” rain of various practices on cornstalks. All within 1/2 mile of each other. These images speak for themselves.

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Ben Hinueber, Albert Lea Seed Operations Manager by day, cattleman before and after work. Ben has a small cow-calf herd of grass-fed Galloways that he direct-markets.

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

All the varieties are interplanted with winter triticale. This plot, and Lisa’s other projects, are all part of the Cover Crop Breeding Network https://t.co/Nwr9wlyCvQ aggregates plots (and on-farm plots as well) from around the U.S. #plantbreeding #regenerativeag #gratitude

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

What if you could grow some of your own Nitrogen?
Plot tour yesterday with Lisa Kissing-Kucek, Research Geneticist (plant breeder) with the USDA-ARS in Madison, WI. We are in a Hairy Vetch research plot where experimental varieties of vetch are compared to older varieties.

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

They are compared for winterhardiness, nitrogen fixation, emergence and vigor, competitiveness, and other traits. Hairy Vetch is a winter annual legume that can be planted after soybeans or corn silage and can produce 60-120 lbs. of N/acre.

[UMN-SROC @UMN_SROC]

When is it too early to plant? Maybe February 26th?

Well, the conditions were right... so we decided to plant a small demo of corn, soybeans, and wheat.

We'll keep you updated on this demo through March and April, so follow us to see what happens!

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Another viewpoint (U of MN) on early-planting of small grains:
Minnesota Crop News: When is Early too Early (to Plant Wheat, Barley or... https://t.co/xt5C1DkYsS

[Mac Ehrhardt @SeedmanMac]

Frost-seeding? We get a lot of questions on this practice. Here are some of the resources we use:
U. of MN: https://t.co/rfXuUIVAJa
Penn State: https://t.co/bIp1zdpDyh
Practical Farmers of Iowa: https://t.co/OpGAROwkwY