Conference Call: November 2025

In this November 2025 Growers Mineral Conference Call, producers from across New York and the Northeast share updates on pumpkins, Christmas trees, vegetables, grain crops, and dairy. They highlight how calcium management, the Growers program, and smart rotations are helping them navigate one of the most weather–extreme seasons in years.

Topics covered include:
0:00 – Russell Bobel: call kickoff, November calendar feature and conservation–minded farming
0:35 – Jim Halbeisen: intro to New York guest speakers and recent customer feedback on pumpkins
2:23 – Randy Granger (NY): Christmas tree production, pumpkin fertility strategy, pelletized lime use, strip till management and ag entertainment insights
15:16 – Larry Eckhardt (NY): managing variable soils, wildlife pressure, sweet corn programs, pop up fertility with Growers, drip tape compatibility, vegetable acreage, hay markets and beef integration
33:06 – Curvin Horst (NY): rotation goals on a young dairy, wet then dry season challenges, soybean weed pressure, tiling improvements, dairy facility upgrades and thoughts on beef on dairy and milk markets

The call highlights how diverse operations are using calcium, timely foliar applications, and improved soil structure to maintain crop quality, reduce risk in extreme weather, and keep their businesses profitable.

📅 Next Call: December 11, 2025

We will hold these calls on the second Thursday of each month from September 2023 to April 2024. We will often be using pictures and presentations on these calls, so if you're able to access it with a computer or smartphone where you'll be able to see and listen it would be to your benefit. As always, we will strive to make the calls as profitable as possible to all of our listeners.