17 October 2023, Iowa: Experienced seedsman and precision agronomist Michael Martin has joined Meristem Crop Performance® Group, LLC, one of the fastest-growing crop input suppliers in America. Martin becomes Meristem’s sales rep and dealer coach in western Iowa.
“We are very excited to have Michael Martin on our growing team of all-stars,” said Mitch Eviston, Meristem Founder and CEO, in announcing the hire. “Michael’s experience with seed and precision ag, plus his desire to see farmers become more successful – all of it makes him an excellent fit to help us benefit more farmers in Iowa.”
“I’m really looking forward to taking Meristem innovative technology to more fields in Iowa,” said Martin. “I think the next big leap in yield and sustainability is going to come through these new biologicals.”
Martin grew up on a family farm near Somers, Iowa – southwest of Fort Dodge, where his family raised row crops. “My dad and my grandpa had a Dekalb dealership for 40 years, so I grew up with an appreciation for the importance of seed and serving farmers,” he smiles. Martin and his wife Dani, along with their children Walker and Leyla, live nearby and still help on the family farm.
Martin earned his agronomy degree from Iowa State University, and spent eight years with AgriGold, where he served as key account manager. He comes to Meristem Crop Performance from Advanced Agrilytics, a research-based agronomy services company. His role there was precision agronomist and agronomy sales lead.
“Working with Dr. Kess Berg and the team at Advanced Agrilytics opened my eyes to better understanding different growing environments within fields that seem may seem uniform, but provide big upside potential when you manage them differently,” he said. It was there Martin studied several new biological products in the course of field research, including Meristem’s REVLINE® HOPPER THROTTLE™. He says he then began to get a sense of the impact biologicals would have.
“Biologicals are going to have a dramatic impact on crop production. We know there’s no silver bullet in agriculture. It’s not one-size-fits-all.” he explains. “These products provide more options and there’s almost always another lever you can pull in any given field that can bring you a better yield. I’m excited to take the Meristem portfolio to more farmers in Iowa – I know they can benefit.”
