La Crosse Seed's Stewardship Story

La Crosse Seed, Truterra’s preferred partner for conservation seed and support, has long played a role in land stewardship. The company's recent 100th anniversary offered an opportunity to reflect on its past. As La Crosse Seed has grown over the years, it hasn’t forgotten it’s roots. Headquartered in La Crosse, Wisconsin, its team is a stone’s throw from Coon Valley – a town nestled between rolling hills that most consider to be the birthplace of modern soil conservation. In 1933, the federal Soil Erosion Service chose Coon Creek as the first watershed to show the values of soil conservation.

Over in Iowa, not far from the company’s Ankeny operation, La Crosse Seed’s cover crop lead Bert Strayer remembers his earlier days as a seedsman promoting conservation: “I was selling seed for cover 30 years ago, before ‘cover crops’ was a term. Back then we called it ‘I need something to keep my soil in place.”

Head down to Effingham, Illinois and you’ll find La Crosse Seed cover crop lead and CCA, Scott Wohltman, using cover crops on his own family farm – in between his travels across the countryside to help retailers advance their cover crop business and advocate for adoption and agronomics.

Land stewardship has long been a way of life for many at La Crosse Seed both past and present - and will continue to be at the forefront as it looks ahead. The company has invested in a wide array of conservation seed solutions that extend beyond cover crops including native grass and wildflower seeds, as well as seed for wildlife habitat, waterways, buffer strips and more. It has also bolstered customers’ access to on-demand ordering of conservation collateral through its Brand Barn marketing resource portal.

In addition, La Crosse Seed has also expanded its focus on soil and water conservation through involvement in numerous public and private sustainability efforts, including support for Partnership for Ag Resource Management, Iowa Agriculture Water Alliance, Soil Health Partnership, American Seed Trade Association, Regional Conservation Partnership Programs, Agricultural Retailers Association, numerous NRCS initiatives and more.

Notably, La Crosse Seed’s collaboration with Truterra has created growing excitement around the opportunity for its team to partner with Truterra retailers and champions to accelerate conservation seed adoption and help deliver agronomic recommendations to the field.

“As a company focused on sound agronomics and practical recommendations, we hope our efforts with retailers open the door to meaningful conversations about soil and water conservation,” said Scott Wohltman. “From helping facilitate grower meetings to providing industry-leading cover crop management tools, we’re here to help.”

The La Crosse Seed staff of 16 regional sales managers already have longstanding relationships with many Truterra retailers across the country and looks forward to helping expand conservation seed acres with sound agronomics throughout the countryside. As Truterra’s preferred partner for conservation seed, members are asked to work exclusively through La Crosse Seed for their conservation seed and information needs.
 
To get started with a conversation around planning your orders and arranging logistics for the season, contact La Crosse Seed today.