Thompsons + ANDE + Sylvite

The Andersons Completes Sale of Thompsons Agronomy Business

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MAUMEE, Ohio, December 5, 2019 – The Andersons, Inc. (Nasdaq: ANDE) has completed the sale of the agronomy business of Thompsons Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary in Ontario, Canada, to Sylvite of Burlington, Ontario.

“This change will allow us and Sylvite to both focus on our core businesses in Ontario and better serve our shared customers,” said Corey Jorgenson, president of assets and originations, The Andersons Trade Group. “We will expand our commitment of providing grain marketing expertise to local growers, and we know Sylvite will provide a similar focus helping them raise the best crops possible with the latest agronomy services and technologies.”

“We are excited to expand our geographic footprint and service offerings in Ontario,” said Hugh Loomans, president and CEO, Sylvite. “We look forward to continuing to help growers in this province and to working with The Andersons to meet their unique needs.”

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Don't text and drive

Driving safety: an accident is likely to occur 23 more times with cell phone use

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Thompsons encourages all drivers not use hand-held communication devices of any kind while driving. Even if using hands-free and voice-activated dialing, it could still be a deadly distraction.

  • Texting and driving makes an accident 23 times more likely.
  • Dialing your phone increase your chances of an accident by 2.8 times.
  • 1 in 5 drivers confess to surfing the web while driving.
  • Smartphones are the most common form of distraction for drivers.
  • Making even the most basic text takes a minimum of 5 seconds of your attention off of the road when you text and drive.
  • In addition to causing 330,000 injuries each year, it’s estimated that about 11 teens die every day as a result of texting and driving. And this is just teens – this is about 4000 total deaths per year in the United States
  • Texting is more dangerous than drunk driving – texting while driving is 6 times more likely to cause an accident than driving drunk. 

Are there any exemptions to Ontario’s distracted driving law?

  • Calling 9-1-1 in an emergency situation
  • When the driver is lawfully parked or has safely pulled off the roadway and is not impeding traffic.

Note: It is dangerous to stop on the shoulder of a 400-series highway and drivers are prohibited from pulling off a designated 400-series highway and parking for a reason other than an emergency. If the situation is not an emergency, drivers are advised to exit the freeway at an interchange or pull into the nearest service centre. 

Fines (Starting January 1, 2019)

For your first conviction:

  • a fine of up to $1,000
  • three demerit points
  • a three-day day driver’s licence suspension

For your second conviction within 5 years:

  • a fine of up to $2,000
  • six demerit points
  • a seven-day driver’s licence suspension

For your third and all subsequent convictions within 5 years:

  • a fine of up to $3,000
  • six demerit points
  • a 30-day driver’s licence suspension

No text, email or phone call is worth your life, the life of a loved one or the life of another motorist or pedestrian!

Work safe. Farm safe. Home safe.™

™ is a registered trademark of Thompsons Limited.

Thompsons + ANDE + Sylvite

Sylvite purchases Thompsons’ agronomy business from The Andersons Inc.

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A message to our valued customers,

We are reaching out to inform you that The Andersons, Inc., the owner of Thompsons Limited, has signed an agreement to sell Thompsons’ agronomy business to Sylvite. Thompsons and Sylvite have been working together now for over 35 years and this collaboration is a great opportunity to have a larger retail network to benefit you, our customer. The Andersons will maintain ownership of Thompsons’ grain storage and food processing facilities and Sylvite will maintain and operate the farm inputs side at these locations.

We believe this new relationship is beneficial to all our stakeholders, especially our customers. Our two companies share the same values and a strong commitment to serving Ontario farmers. We look forward to working together at our shared locations to provide the best possible service to our customers. Sylvite will focus on growing in agronomy products and services. Thompsons/The Andersons will enhance its focus and commitment on the grain and food products businesses.

The final details of this agreement are still being finalized by Sylvite and The Andersons. The sale is expected to close in early to mid-September. Between now and then, we will keep you updated with our progress to better serve you our customer. Our goal is to make this a seamless transition and maintain our normal business operations.

Thank you for the great working relationship we have shared over the years. We plan on continuing our successful partnership with you our valued customer. Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your account representative.

Sincerely,

Corey Jorgenson,
President, Assets and Originations, Trade Group
The Andersons, Inc.

cover crop

Cover crop options for unseeded fields

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For unseeded fields, the key benefits of cover crops are weed suppression, soil protection from sun and rain, and building organic matter. They can also be source of forage and bedding.

When selecting a cover crop consider the cropping system needs, herbicide or fertilizer previously applied and resources that are readily available. For example, carrying over treated soybean seed is not considered a good practice in Ontario due to the potential for significant decline in germination. Treated soybean seed can make a good addition to a cover crop planting.

Cropping system needs

Field will be planted to winter wheat in the fall of 2019

Cover crop options

  1. Oats Seed at 30 to 50 lbs per acre. Use the higher end of the seeding range if broadcasting and incorporating the seed. Oats are less likely than barley to carry disease to the succeeding wheat crop.
  2. Combine oats (30 to 50 lbs/acre) with leftover treated soybean seed Spread the soybean seed out across the acres to be planted.
  3. Oats (25-30 lbs/acre) and daikon radish (no more than 2 lbs/acre)

Control the cover crop two weeks prior to seeding winter wheat.

Alternatively, there is the option to plant nothing, and leave the field bare. Weeds would be controlled through herbicides or tillage, but both of these options cost money, won’t protect the soil from rain and sun damage and are less effective at managing weeds than cover crops in combination with herbicides.

Field NOT intended for winter wheat in the fall of 2019

Cover crop options

  1. Oats Seed at 30 to 50 lbs per acre. Use the higher end of the seeding range if broadcasting and incorporating the seed.
  2. Combine oats (30 to 50 lbs/acre) with leftover treated soybean seed Spread the soybean seed out across the acres to be planted.
  3. Oats (25-30 lbs/acre) and daikon radish (no more than 2 lbs/acre).  Daikon radish (i.e. Tillage radish, Nitro radish, etc.) will be slow to flower but if flowers are observed the cover crop should be mowed or terminated to prevent seed set.
  4. Oats (25-30 lbs/acre) and Clover (3 lbs/acre). Crimson clover will flower and rarely over winter. Double cut red clover will over winter if not terminated.

Cover crops planted in early July have the potential for significant top growth by fall and in the case of radish, seed set. Manage cover crops or terminate to avoid seed set and potential weed problems next year.

All of these cover crop options will respond well to manure application and will scavenge nutrients.

Forage is required for feed and spring seeding was impossible

Tonnage is needed

  • Decide whether you think this summer will be hot/dry or cool/wet. Expected weather conditions change which crop is most likely to be high-yielding.
  • Usually July is hot. Warm-season annual grasses (sorghum, sorghum-sudangrass, sudangrass, millet, etc.) will grow rapidly with heat. They have a reputation for being low-quality, but this is generally a result of using a one-cut system; yields and quality are maximized in a two-cut system. Warm-season annual grasses are ready to harvest approximately 60 days after planting, which puts us into the first week of September. Growth rates will slow as the temperature drops, and warm-season annuals will be killed by frost. It is possible that only one-cut will be realized this late in the year. Application of nitrogen fertilizer will be needed.
  • After the first cut from a warm-season grass (early September), growers could plant fall rye or winter triticale. This can be grazed 7 weeks after seeding (late October) or early in early spring, or be harvested in May at flag-leaf or boot stage. There is the opportunity to follow with silage corn or perennial forages.
  • If the long-term forecast looks like it will stay cool and wet, Italian Ryegrass (IRG) can produce yields comparable to sorghum-sudangrass under hot/dry conditions. Plant into moisture, first cut is about 6-8 weeks later, subsequent cuts every 28 days or so.

Digestible fibre/energy is needed

  • Cereals can be ensiled at boot stage or at soft dough stage. Plant oats now through August. Harvest 45-60 days later. Boot stage feeds like a haylage, soft dough stage will feed out more like silage corn.
  • Italian Ryegrass plant in August, take first cut in October.

Protein is needed

  • Planting peas with cereals can increase the protein content. Peas do not work well on their own because they tend to fall over and make harvest difficult. Ideally the peas and cereals should have the same number of days until flower. However, if there is a difference in maturity (caused by varieties or weather), harvest when the cereal is at boot stage to maximize quality.
  • Red clover seed is usually relatively inexpensive. While it is hard to dry as hay, red clover makes good silage with the colour slightly darker than alfalfa. Plant in August, harvest in October.
  • Annual clovers may be able to provide needed protein. Berseem is suited to production in wet soils, while crimson prefers good drainage. Plant in August.

Options for grazing

Almost anything can be grazed. In addition to the above options, consider adding forage brassicas (rape, kale, turnip, radish, etc.) to a mix for increased protein. Brassica leaves do not dry and store well; most producers do not have equipment to harvest roots for storage. Crop residues can provide good grazing for mature animals with low maintenance requirements. Avoid hairy vetch, buckwheat, and mustard in mixes to be grazed.

If straw is needed for bedding or as fibre in feed rations, any spring cereal can produce straw. Spring triticale or rye will produce more straw than oats while barley will produce slightly less. Spring cereals seeded this late in the season do not tiller well. Seed at 75 to 80 lbs/acre. The crop will need 30 to 50 lbs of actual nitrogen to achieve good growth.  Plan to desiccate ten days after heading to prevent grain formation and aid in baling.

Other considerations

How you plant the cover crop will also depend on your goal with the cover crop. If you are looking for cover crops to provide forage use a drill to seed to ensure even placement and faster more consistent establishment. If the goal is to get soil covered quickly, broadcast seed and use light tillage to cover the seed. It may seem to be faster to just broadcast seed but this leaves germination dependent on surface moisture, which can disappear quickly in summer conditions. Herbicide residues may be of concern in some fields. The following link provides more information on cover crop sensitivity to herbicide residues https://www.country-guide.ca/crops/pest-patrol-planning-for-cover-crops/.

Cover crop seed availability can vary regionally, check with local suppliers or find a supplier at http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/crops/resource/covercrp.htm.

Source: OMAFRA Field Crop Team Field Crop News

Father daughter farming

Trailblazing

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Women farmers reveal how they have succeeded in agriculture, and how other women can too

By Brenda Schoepp, Country Guide

Country Guide asked for more on how we define a culture that is inclusive, equal and conducive for a successful female heir or independent business person from within a family unit.

In this first part of a three-part series, I went across Canada and asked trailblazers — highly successful women in farming, agriculture and agri-business — about their journeys starting from the time they were girls.

They pursued their dreams despite having very diverse back stories. Still, we need to recognize that the on-farm cultures they grew up in were extraordinarily different, and those differences helped determine the pathways they chose to get to where they are today. Read more

winter wheat bare ground

Managing bare areas in winter wheat stands

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By Joanna Folings, Cereal Specialist

How should one deal with large bare spots in a wheat field that is otherwise in good condition?  Unfortunately, there isn’t a one size fits all solution because the size and number of bare spots in fields greatly varies. Here are some options and considerations for filling in those bare spots.

Leave the bare spots alone

While doing nothing with the bare spots may seem like the easiest option, it may create headaches later on.  The biggest implication is weeds.  If you decide to leave the bare spots alone, at minimum you should consider a herbicide application to those areas to keep weeds under control.  Glyphosate resistant Canada fleabane can produce up to one million seeds per plant, so even one Read more

4R nutrient stewardship logo

Thompsons is first agri-retailer to earn 4R Nutrient Stewardship Certification in Ontario

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First to pass rigorous 37 standards set by the program.

The voluntary program certifies nutrient service providers in the Western Lake Erie Basin and across Ontario that apply or make recommendations on fertilizers in accordance with 4R Nutrient Stewardship principles – which refers to using the Right Source of nutrients at the Right Rate, at the Right Time and in the Right Place. 

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Planting seeds in field photo

Thompsons first 4R Certified Retailer in Canada

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On Tuesday, March 5, 2019, Thompsons Limited successfully passed Fertilizer Canada’s 4R retailer certification audit, and doing so, the Company becomes the first retail site in Canada to achieve this status.

The company thanks the hard work from all staff at Thompsons Kent Bridge branch, and Colin Elgie, Thompsons Agronomy Solutions Specialist who headed up the effort and for making this important commitment to the sustainability of farming and the environment, our customers and future generations.