Introducing James Schiltz, CCA Technical Agronomist
Allow me to introduce myself as the newest member of the Research, Education, and Sales team. Since coming on board in April, it has been fulfilling lo work with everyone in the Growers network to date.
Growing up in agriculture needless to say, it runs in the veins. As far as our family is aware, I'm the seventh generation to be farming. Who knows how much farther back it goes, but let's call that rooted. My grandfather farmed and then worked for several farmers due to declining health. After traveling the country to work for several operations, including a Luden's cough drop corporate farm, his battle with type 1 diabetes got the better of him. To the man I'venever met, I toast his drive to keep the Schiltz name connected lo agriculture.
In 1985, my dad bought his first farm and started raising hogs in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Then in 1998, he cashed in on land prices and moved to Franklin County in northern New York. There, we ran a dairy for several years, and now my younger brother runs an organic food-grade grain operation.
Deciding to pursue higher education, I traveled to Crookston in the Red River Valley (Minnesota/ North Dakota border). The saying, "Go west, young man," has echoed in my mind for years. Ultimately, I attribute this path to Lieutenant Colonel Kreger. He was an excellent family friend and a good influence on my brothers and me. He handed me a copy of Acres USA magazine at 14 years of age, and said, "You should read this." From there, the importance of calcium and fostering the soil micro biome began to burn into my memory.
The next year, we had severe pink eye in the beef cows, and one of the authors talked about kelp and its iodine levels as a remedy. A month later, it proved true with a 98% success rate. Certainly, now I would take a much bigger-picture approach to addressing this in the forage quality and soil.
Over the last ten years, I've worked in retail agronomy with a wide variety of operations, including grain, vegetables, fruit, grass-fed beef, nursery stock, sugar beets, and several other specially crops. It has been a healthy challenge as well as fulfilling to see soil, plants, and livestock improve or come back to life. My focus has been on using calcium, cover crops, and high-quality fertilizer ingredients to improve things from the soil up. The saying, "Given the opportunity, biology will trump chemistry every time," summarizes it well. Cover crops and mob grazing have been key tools in building soil health. The natural world never ceases to amaze.
Now, being on the Growers team, I look forward to working with you to further the mission of our founders. We have an excellent history that speaks of steadiness and dedication to the customer. See you in the field as we work on exactly this.
This is an excerpt from the Late Fall Growers Solution (2024) written by James Schiltz, Growers Technical Agronomist.
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