January 2018 Advantage Newsletter

ADVANTAGE NEWSLETTER

JANUARY 2018

FOCUSED ON YOU!

UPCOMING EVENTS: NORTHEAST NEBRASKA FARM & EQUIPMENT SHOW

Glen Davis, President, Legend Seeds Happy New Year! We are very excited about agriculture and planning for success in 2018. Every year, we make resolutions and commitments on what we want to do better for the coming year compared to previous years.

At Legend Seeds, we are committed to continuing the good things and improving on everything we do to make sure our growers and dealers always receive a world class experience. We know how important great products, great people, and great customer service is to the success of your operation. We know that value, and therefore profit, comes not just in the price of the input, but also the price and production of the acres that you have. So, at the end of the season, next fall, we want the Legend Seeds products to make you more money per acre than the competition’s. That doesn’t happen during planting, that happens only at harvest.

We are and will continue to be an independent seed company. This allows us to focus 100 percent on customer results and not worry about where our share price is on the New York Stock Exchange. Our only goal and our only measure of success is your success. That is what we are committed to for 2018 and beyond.

Wishing you and your family a blessed and profitable 2018.

January 17-18, 2018 • Norfolk, NE

SIOUX FALLS FARM SHOW

January 24-26, 2018 • Sioux Falls, SD

KMOT AG EXPO

January 24-26, 2018 • Minot, ND

WEST OTTER TAIL COUNTY CROP SHOW

February 7, 2018 • Fergus Falls, MN

WATERTOWN FARM SHOW

February 6-10, 2018 • Watertown, SD

KFYR RADIO AGRI INTERNATIONAL

February 6-7, 2018 • Bismarck, ND

WHAT’S INSIDE: PG 2: Legend Yield Advantage Club Harvest Highlights PG 3: 2017 South Dakota Soybean Contest Recognizes Growers For Winning Yields PG 4: John Deere Financing Opportunities PG 5: 2017 Legend Seeds Silage Plot Harvest Results

1

LEGEND YIELD ADVANTAGE CLUB HARVEST HIGHLIGHTS Another successful Legend Seeds harvest has come and gone again! It’s already time to begin planning for planting in 2018, but before we all move on – let’s take a look back at some of the highlights from the 2017 growing season from our Yield Advantage Club entries:

I have had 247 bushels before on the lower part of this field in a strip for our county yield contest, but never had the whole field average 247!

Hybrid: LR 9608 GENSSRIB Darwin Niehaus - Greene, IA

Amazed at how God and Legend Seeds continues to make our farm profitable. Thank you Legend Seeds.

Matt Kranz - Watertown, SD

If my father or grandfather were alive today, they would be astonished by these yields. Living along Lake Michigan, it isn’t the easiest growing corn, but my LR 9495 VT2PRIB yielded 237.34! I’m very pleased with Legend Seeds and their superior line-up of products.

I ran a split planter with the LR 9600 and compared it to P9840 in a couple fields and a plot. In my plot, the LR 9600 ran almost 20 bushels per acre better than the Pioneer did. Side by side in two different fields, the LR 9600 stood great and was consistently still 10 bushel per acre better than the Pioneer hybrid, which went down really bad at harvest.

Rich Back - Sheboygan, WI

Unbelievable silage corn! It’s great to be able to walk into a field and have 15-16 foot tall corn and have at least two big cobs hanging off each stalk 6 ft off the ground and knowing you’re going to have enough feed for your cows! I really like the long harvest window for this hybrid, especially if you have a breakdown and will still have time to get up quality feed in a reasonable time!

Stephen Gayari - Pigeon, MI

I’ve planted Legend Seeds LNG 9505 RR for three years. Every year when I switch from my dual-purpose corn silage to my LNG corn silage pile, I get a 2-3 pound per day increase in milk production and an increase in protein to fat components. I love the wide harvest window. The custom cutter came 10 days later than we wanted and the silage test still came back at 65% moisture.

Hybrid: LNG 9595 RR Zeb Johnson - Brook Park, MN

Each of our Legend Seeds Yield Advantage Club entrants receive a customized hat and plaque. Coming from a small town ourselves, we understand how important giving back to the community is. All of the growers who entered will be put into a drawing for a donation to be given in their name to the charity or organization of their choice. A $300 donation will be awarded to two Yield Advantage Club members in each state within our seven state region (IA, NE, ND, MI, MN, SD, WI). Thank you to everyone who has participated in the Yield Advantage Club this year! Congratulations on a successful harvest. ADVANTAGE

Roger Sprakel - Crofton, NE

Legends Seeds continues to impress me year after year with their dependable, high yielding products!

Brady Coleman - Oakes, ND

2

2017 SOUTH DAKOTA SOYBEAN YIELD CONTEST RECOGNIZES GROWERS FOR WINNING YIELDS December 7, 2017 - South Dakota Soybean Association Soybean growers from across the state were recognized for winning yields during the 2017 South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest awards ceremony on December 6 during the annual Soybean Recognition Banquet in Sioux Falls.

Sponsored by the South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council (SDSRPC) and managed by the South Dakota Soybean Association (SDSA), this annual contest encourages soybean growers to push yield limits and share best management practices.

“South Dakota is home to some amazing soybean growers.

This contest highlights those who have the highest yields so others can learn from their management successes,” explains Jon Schaeffer, a second-generation Viborg farmer who chairs the South Dakota Soybean Yield Contest committee and serves on the South Dakota Soybean Association board. “Also, a little friendly competition brings out the best in the best.”

From Left to Right: • J ason Jarding, Second Place, Group 2, Hanson County, Legend Seeds, LS 2880NHP, 18.1 Oil, 35.5 Protein, 148.2 Quality/EPV •M att Kranz, Second Place, Group 0 Non-Irrigated, Codington County, Legend Seeds, LS 09R606N, Yield 75.17

Building on the concept of making South Dakota’s best soybean growers better, the 2017 Yield Contest launched the Master Class.

•T im Hofer, First Place, Master Class, Hutchinson County, Legend Seeds, LS 29R562N, Yield 98.63

Hutchinson County soybean grower, Tim Hofer, won the 2017 Master Class Yield Contest with 98.63 bushels-per-acre. He grew Legend Seeds variety LS 29R562N.

• J erry Hofer, Third Place, Group 0 Non-Irrigated, Lake County, Group 2 Non-Irrigated, Legend Seeds, LS 20R524N, Yield 73.42 •C onrad Waldner, Second Place, Group 2 or 3 Irrigated, Beadle County, Legend Seeds, LS 20R524N, Yield 84.18 & Third Place, Group 0 or 1 Irrigated, Beadle County, Legend Seeds, LS 17R654N, Yield 80.22

Hofer said the Yield Contest is a good opportunity to experiment with different growing practices on his farm.

“Some things we do on small acres to get the highest yields,” Hofer says. “Sometimes it’s not economical to do it everywhere, but we will try it on 40 to 60-acre plots.”

For a complete list of winners, visit the Legend Seeds blog: bit.ly/SDSoybean17 ADVANTAGE

Farmers were only eligible for the Master Class if they had previously broken the 100 bushels-per-acre threshold in the Yield Contest. Contestants, like Hofer, were automatically placed in the Master Class in 2017 and will remain in this class moving forward.

To encourage the next generation of soybean growers, the 2017 Yield Contest opened a new class for youth growers ages 13-21. The 2017 winners of this class were Samuel Bender and Tyler Brockmueller, both of whom farm in Hutchinson County.

Entries for the yield contest were categorized by soybean maturity and sub-divided into three groups: Irrigated, Nonirrigated and No-till. Each first place winner received a $2,000 cash prize and up to $2,000 for a non-transferable trip for two to the 2018 Commodity Classic in Anaheim, California. The second-place winner in each category received a $1,500 cash prize, and the third place winner in each category received a $1,000 cash prize.

3

A IN N TR EW O PRDUC OG IN RA G M

1,000 Reasons to Purchase HarvXtra® Alfalfa Receive $1,000 off every purchase of 12 bags of HarvXtra® Alfalfa with Roundup Ready® Technology if purchased and planted by June 30, 2018.

Contact your local Legend Seeds representative for more information!

HarvXtra® is a registered trademark of Forage Genetics International, LLC. Roundup Ready® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC, used under license

by Forage Genetics International, LLC. HarvXtra® Alfalfa with Roundup Ready® Technology and Roundup Ready® Alfalfa are subject to planting and use restrictions. Visit www.ForageGenetics.com/legal for the full legal, stewardship and trademark statements for these products.

JOHN DEERE FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES PROGRAM

DEADLINE

Prime minus 4% APR

November 1, 2017 - January 15, 2018

No Pay, No Interest until July followed by Prime + 5%

December 1, 2017 - January 15, 2018

Prime minus 1% APR

August 1, 2017 - April 30, 2018

Prime Plus 6.95% APR

May 1, 2018 - July 31, 2018 As of 12/14/17, Prime rate was adjusted to 4.5%.

4

LEGEND SEEDS 2017 SILAGE PLOT HARVEST RESULTS Dan Matzek, Director of Product & Portfolio Development Each year our research team plants, monitors, and harvests a group of silage plots across the Legend Seeds territory. In 2016, we had 15 plots in seven states. For the 2017 growing season, we had 19 plots in five states. The data is sorted by relative maturity group and shown in terms of milk/acre. Milk per acre is calculated by multiplying the dry matter yield per acre with milk per ton, to give an accurate picture of both yield and quality. The results shown below are averages of all the locations with both Legend Seeds and other brands.

Within the Legend Seeds lineup, there are both dual-purpose products and silage specific products. These data sets continue to make a case for attempting to dedicate your silage acres in advance, rather than going to whichever field is ready first!

90-101 day RM Milk/Acre LR 94A01-3011A LR 97S00 GENSSRIB Mycogen F2F400 BMR Mycogen TMF 2Q419 LNG 9800 RR EXP17-9910SP EXP17-9820SP LR 9897 VT2PRIB LR 9496 GENSSRIB LR 9696 VIP3220 LNG 9895RR JSC 30J092 LR 9492 VT2PRIB JSC 47J9090 GTCBLL

21311

JSC 47J887 VT2PRIB JSC 47J486 GTCBLL

23965

LR 9886 VT2PRIB

17000

JSC 40J684 RR

31074 25406 19147 15000

25757

22252 22639 19000

EXP17-1420SP JSC 30J711 LR 9809 VT2PRIB LR 9608 GENSSRIB LR 98S08 GENSSRIB JSC 30JS07 LR 9806 GENSSRIB Mycogen TMF 06S67RA LR 97S05 GENSSRIB LNG 9505 RR JSC 40J704 RR JSC 47J104-3122

13953

LR 9583 VT2PRIB

24199

21000

23000

25000

29000

27000

104-114 Day RM Milk/Acre

19559 19036

LR 98A84-3010A 10000

18564

27044

23146 23148

21280

15103

JSC 47J185 GTCBLL JSC 40J2823 GT

21185

This shows a pretty good separation in quality between our dual-purpose and silage specific products. For example, LNG 97S00 and LNG 9800RR, LNG 9895RR are all near the top of the plot averages. LR 9897 and LR 9496 are dual-purpose products which you can see in the milk/acre averages.

They don’t have the yield and quality of the silage specific products.

22639

LR 97A89-3011A

27623

25328 24840

15000

80-90 day RM Milk/Acre JSC 47J9090 GTCBLL

19633

20000

25000

30000

In this relative maturity group, I wasn’t surprised by the performance of these hybrids. The research this year demonstrated what we already knew about our products. For example, JSC 47J486 GTCBLL and JSC 40J2823 GT ... we know they are both “average” for corn silage. This data proves that there are better products adapted for corn silage than those two products. If you’re cutting for corn silage and dedicating those acres in advance, we would recommend others such as LR 97A89-3011A or JSC 47J909 GTCBLL. We would rather see those placed as companions with JSC 47J9090 GTCBLL. It’s important to consider the historical data on the products, too.

Here we’re just showing one season’s performance.

20000

28201 28553

25047 25039

23086

23154 21000

22000

23000

28245

26246

24575

28681

24024 25051 24000

25000

26000

27000

28000

29000

In the above graph, the outlier is our dual-purpose JSC 30J711. It’s dual-purpose and is scoring right up with the silage specific products. However, as a whole, the silage specific products continue to out-perform the dual-purpose products. The LNG 97S05 is silage specific and it’s right up there. Yes, there are specific cases where a dual-purpose product may beat the silage specific numbers, but overall as a product class, this year’s silage data continues to point to the value of utilizing silage specific hybrids for your silage acres to maximize tons and quality.

For more year over year silage data or help placing a silage product on your acres, please reach out to a Legend Seeds Account Manager or Legend Sales Agronomist. ADVANTAGE

I started using Legend Seeds LNG corn for silage a couple years ago, and I've been very pleased with it. It tonned out extremely well last year (2016) and still performed well this year. My custom chopper truck driver actually stopped me in the yard and asked me what kind of corn it was because it was the best they had chopped this year, and my nutritionist asked because the feed values were really good.

Between tonnage and feed value, it's worth taking a look at.

Kelly Burghart - Mandan, ND

5

3

YOUR REGIONAL SEED LEADER As Your Regional Seed Leader, we are dedicated to providing you with high yielding, consistent producing, top quality products. We have access to every genetic and seed trait platform available. From within those wide ranging options, we can help you choose the seed that’s right for your specific field.

FIND INSIDE:

New Look !

• January Advantage Newsletter

• Special letter from our President

YIELD PROTECTOR PRO: SOYBEAN TREATMENT

“We were exceptionally happy with the plantability of our Legend soybeans with the new seed treatment. We have had issues with seed bridging up in the past, but with the YP Pro treated beans we had no issues and the seed flowed through the air seeder great.”

- Bob Mack, Watertown, SD

• Excellent systematic control of four main seedling diseases, including: Phytophthora Root Rot, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium.

• Excellent systematic insecticide control to protect the seed and emerged seedling.

• Includes a polymer to reduce dust off or loss of treatment.

• Flow & Shine finishing powder to improve handling, plantability, and dust reduction.

LOCALLY PROVEN TO INCREASE YOUR FARM’S RETURN ON INVESTMENT. Yield*

Additional Revenue Over Untreated @$9/BU

Untreated

45.04

$0.00

YP Pro (AS)

48.29

+$29.17

YP Pro * Preside CL® (ASP)

49.87

+43.39

Treatment

*Average of four 2017 trials across Minnesota, Wisconsin, and South Dakota.