Our Industry Partners

CCA - 10 yrs | Owner-Lower Valley Consulting | Flathead Valley, MT

Eight years ago, I gathered my growers together and we sat down to learn more about soil health and we were introduced to AgriGro prebiotics. I started developing a protocol to track soil and crop health progress.

Fast forward to today, and I’m using some of those same methods to provide third party scouting and data collection on AgriGro trials all across the great state of MT. It has been a true honor to observe the tried and true progress of farmers working to create healthier soils and in turn higher quality bushels leading to greater profits.

Amy Gardner was born and raised in Kalispell, MT and serves farmers in the Flathead Valley as an agronomy coach through her business, Lower Valley Consulting Inc. She has her BSc in Agricultural Education from Montana State University. She is a Certified Crop Advisor, as well as a Precision Ag Specialist, through the American Society of Agronomy. Amy is passionate about helping growers build healthy soils to produce high yielding and nutrient-rich crops through precision management. Her and her husband enjoy the Montana outdoors with their 5 boys.

CCA - 11 yrs | Owner-Element Cropping Systems | Floweree, MT

My growers have been using AgriGro products for about 5 years now. Every year we increase acres because we are seeing higher yields, better grain quality, and less use of fungicides. AgriGro is a cost effective way to get my growers into more efficient farming practices as we see the shift in production agriculture moving to more regulation and use of pesticides.

Grant works with growers across Montana and throughout the U.S. with crop production, grain contracting, and input purchasing. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Agriculture Operations from MSU Northern, is a Certified Crop Adviser, and serves on the Rocky Mountain Certified Crop Advisors Board of Directors. Grant, his wife, and his four kids live north of Great Falls, MT and he is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys spending time with his family.

CCA - 11 yrs | Owner-Precision Bio | Lewiston, ID

Brian is a big proponent of soil health. He believes a healthy soil promotes a production environment that will be more resilient to inconsistent or extreme weather patterns. A “healthy soil” is the outcome of working to balance its physical, chemical and biological properties. As growers focus some of their decision making on improving soil health, he says, we can mitigate and address some of the consistent problems growers face year after year, at its core, instead of just treating the symptoms. An important outcome of a healthy soil is its ability to feed the crop what it needs, when it needs it, much more efficiently.

Brian feels biological technologies, generally speaking, are a component of soil health with one of their roles being to enhance nutrient solubility. Influencing the right microbes will also build a natural resistance to antagonistic pressures, particularly pathogenic microbes and insects.

Native to the northwest, he graduated college with a degree in Agriculture and spent 7 years between Nebraska and North Dakota where his passion for precision agronomy grew. Family ties brought him back to the Palouse where he held lead roles within companies such as McGregor and Helena and eventually last year started his own business, Precision Bio. His business focuses on variable rate mapping, soil health, bringing alternative and non-traditional products to farmers.

Producer | Past President: Montana Grain Growers | Kalispell and Chester, MT

Tryg has served on several agricultural boards across the State of Montana including the Montana Grain Growers Association for 13 years, running through the executive chairs to finish out his term. While serving for MGGA he also chaired the Domestic Trade and Policy Committee for the National Association of Wheat Growers. He served on and chaired the Montana Agricultural Research Centers state advisory board. He also served on and chaired the MSU Northwestern Agricultural Research Center’s local advisory board in Creston, Montana. He has spent a lot of time advocating for agricultural policy in Helena and in Washington DC.

After 17 years of farming, we now farm about 2500 acres, which is 100% leased land with over 70 landowners. With our operation and the ever-changing landscape of more houses and less wheat fields, products like AgriGro just need to work quickly. We can have a wheat field one year and then a Ford dealership the next.

Our agronomist knew what we were trying to achieve but knew the struggles we were facing given the loss of farm ground and mass production of asphalt. He thought that AgriGro might just fit the void that we were looking for. It just made more sense to us to feed the microbes in our soil instead of just adding a few living ones. So, we took the AgriGro challenge and started testing like they recommended we do. We saw great things the first year and quantified the returns on those acres. We haven’t looked back since! Increased yields, cutting out fungicides, lowering fertilizer needs, increasing organic matter extremely quickly, increased seedling vigor, using less seed, and increasing our profit margin is why we continue to use AgriGro on our farming operation.

Producer | Secretary: Montana Grain Growers | President: PNW Canola Assc. | Bozeman, MT

When I was introduced to AgriGro. I remember thinking, another crop input? Where is this going to end? How can I afford another input? In reality AgriGro has led to fewer inputs and better results.

I've used AgriGro for three years. After implementing AgriGro my attitude has changed. Instead of feeling more and more dependent on chemistry for control, I feel more in control of plant disease and insects. I feel like I'm ahead of the problem instead of always behind the problem.

I went from using double seed treatment and having black crowns, black short roots, and stressed plants to healthy looking plants that have nice white roots with root hairs. Nice big root balls by the end of the year, while decreasing seed treatment to little or nothing in some cases.

In the alfalfa I just don't have any insect issues. No more aphid baths when working on the swather. My crops have a shine to them.

Dale farms outside of Bozeman, MT with his wife and daughters. He is the 4th generation on his family farm. They run a cow-calf operation and raise a vast variety of crops, including alfalfa, barley, canola, corn, peas, sunflowers, wheat and hemp. Dale is a Director with the Montana Grain Growers Association and is the Board President of the PNW Canola Association. He is also a Farmers Canal Board member.

Producer | Past President: Idaho Grain Producers | Winchester, ID

I started using AgriGro because of their sound data on products, along with the technical support from their experts. In many parts of my operation I faced low soil pH, soil compaction and nutrient tie-up. Facing the same things year after year I decided to tackle the challenge and find an economical and viable solution. After using AgriGro now for over five years I see a healthier soil, less disease pressure, more nutrients in the crop and in the livestock raised on harvested crops.

Eric’s farming philosophy revolves around the belief in focusing on soil health and producing nutritious crops and healthy, balanced livestock. He firmly believes that by prioritizing soil health, farmers can enjoy higher yields and contribute to a sustainable future.

Farmer-Rancher | Prairie Dog Water Supply President | Sheridan, WY

Jim Koltiska is a progressive farmer/rancher out of Sheridan, Wyoming. He raises certified red angus cow-calf pairs and produces alfalfa and orchard grass-alfalfa mix hay. He rotates with cereal grains such as oats, barley, millet, sorghum, and both full season and warm season cover crops. Jim is a believer in soil health and uses AgriGro on his entire operation to unlock tied-up nutrients and help with disease issues. Not only does he watch out for his operation, but loves to help other growers maximize their output with various technologies and practices. Jim serves as President of Prairie Dog Water Supply and Kearny Lake Board.

Producer | Current Secretary: National Association of Wheat Growers | Past President: Montana Grain Growers Association | Loma, MT

What made me go from using AgriGro on my farm to teaming up with AgriGro West and actively promoting it?

Our farm has been working with Agrigro West for 5 years now and during those five years Agrigro West has come up in conversation many times when talking to other farmers in Montana and throughout the country during my travels with the National Association of Wheat growers. The name of the game in farming right now is, how can we save money with our inputs? And I share the amount of money that is saved by spending money on AgriGro. It sounds like an oxymoron, but it's true, and it continues to be true. We would not be using it if it wasn’t so. Our soil is changing for the better, our savings with inputs continue to add up. As I share these things it gets others interested in AgriGro, so essentially I feel I have been promoting this product ever since I have been using it; it has changed our farm for the better. I want everyone else to know what it could be for them. With all that said, I am excited to be a part of the Agrigro West family.

Nathan Keane grew up in the suburbs of St. Paul, MN married a farmer’s daughter and has farmed with his father-in-law, Kerry Upham, on a 4th generation homestead near Loma, Montana. With a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Northwestern in Saint Paul and a background in sales, Nathan brings this experience to the family farm as it has transitioned from primarily winter and spring wheat crops to growing a host of alternative crops. He and his wife, Dianna, have three young children. Nathan serves on several community boards and is bringing his experience as Past President of the Montana Grain Growers Association and Secretary of National Association of Wheat Growers. In his free time, he enjoys snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, and playing music

Owner-Nez Perce Ag | Nez Perce, ID

They stand behind what they believe in. They're willing to provide the research to show these growers that these products work. So one thing that made me feel really good about solidifying my relationship with Agrigro is the fact that they've been around for over forty years. They have spent the money to provide independent research, USDA studies, university research, to show these growers that their products work.

We have also validated through data and research right here on the Camas Prairie on fields that we've applied to show the farmers that what we're doing with AgriGro is working.

Owner-Galles Filters & Exhaust | Billings, MT

After attending one of their grower meetings, I was impressed with the way the annual meeting was run, where it was agronomists and actual producers that did ninety percent of the talking. And there was a lot of meat, I guess I would say, to the meeting. And from that, I talked to Ross and asked if we could bring some more information to the producers in our area, Yellowstone County, Bighorn County.

Independent Agronomist | Big Sky Roots Agronomy | Sheridan, WY

I've been collecting data on AgriGro trials for several years, and the results speak for themselves. I've observed significant improvements in organic matter, higher yields, better resistance to insects and diseases, reductions in inputs, among many other benefits. When I start working with a farmer who is using AgriGro for the first time, I always encourage them to join me in the field. There's nothing quite like witnessing the moment a grower fully grasps the potential of this product. Whether it's an increase in tillers, more above-ground biomass, enhanced root mass, or a greater number of kernels per head, these are achievements they wouldn't have realized their field could reach without AgriGro. Whether I’m in the lab analyzing microbial diversity or in the field gathering observational data, the results consistently speak for themselves.

Landry was born and raised in Kalispell MT where she found her passion for agriculture by riding in the buddy seat of her father’s combine. Landry studied soil microbiology and plant health at Sheridan College and the University of Wyoming. She has worked in various parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming scouting crops, researching soil, and interacting with producers. Landry is passionate about helping growers produce the most bushels while cultivating a healthy soil microbiome.

Producer | Harrison, MT

Terrence grew up in the Gallatin Valley as a 5th generation farmer at Droge Farms just outside of Manhattan, Montana. He farms close to 10,000 ac between dryland and irrigated ground. He has a diverse farming operation producing wheat, barley, seed canola, lentils, peas, and seed potatoes. Terrence was introduced to AgriGro by Dale Flikkema. He has been using AgriGro for the last 4 years and is applying it to his entire operation. In the beginning, Terrence liked everything about the idea of soil health and cost cutting, so he decided to give it a try.

In year two he reduced his fertilizer applications by 25% where AgriGro was applied. He feels his crop’s root systems are healthier, which helps them through extended dry periods. He also believes AgriGro’s products add tremendous value by money saved in fertilizer, increased crop quality, and a nice bump on yields.

Terrence now actively promotes AgriGro's technologies to help other growers with being more profitable.

Owner-AgriGro West | Entrepreneur | BSc: Agronomy, Crop and Soil Science | Rexburg, ID

In 2003, Ross was recruited with 14 others by an ownership group that purchased a small private college out of Phoenix, AZ, called Grand Canyon University; it was bankrupt. A new model for revenue was developed and GCU became the fastest growing university world-wide in the early-mid 2000’s. A short time later the university was taken public on the Nasdaq, ticker symbol LOPE.

Ross then transitioned into partnering with two gentleman and his brother to take a garage organizing concept developed out of Boise, ID, nationwide and into Canada. Gorgeous Garage transitioned into Monkey Bar Storage. From day one to four years later, Ross was responsible for the Sales and Marketing aspects of the start-up bringing on 40 new dealers in an 18-month period, along with aiding in the development of a dealer training program. Ross departed from Monkey Bar storage around 2010. Monkey Bar storage was eventually sold to The Devos family who started Amway.

After departing from Monkey Bar Storage, Ross felt inspired to go into the Ag industry. With his business background, he felt he wanted to round his experience out more by getting his BSc in Agronomy, Crop and Soil Science and so, he did. He then met the owners, Stephen and Shannon Smith of AgriGro Marketing out of Doniphan, MO. They specialize in manufacturing some of the most sought-after biological technologies in the world. Their initial meeting was a hit and from there Ross has built a team over the past decade to help growers become more profitable in their operations. Ross is married to Heidi, they have three girls and one boy. He loves them immensely with the outdoors, hunting and fishing coming in at a close second.