Jack Plot Vegas

Everybody seems to agree that JackPlot!™ has been a winner by providing a fun way for growers to learn more about agronomics.

Monsanto was one of the partners in the development of the JackPlot!™ game and competition and Randy Longest says it was a fun project all the way through. “We got started from the very beginning when the Winfield Solutions marketing team first came up with the idea,” Randy says. “We actually spent some time helping build some of the questions into the game.”

“This game was just a real novel and unique way of actually helping educate growers on some of the Monsanto technologies that are represented in the Croplan Genetics seed line up,” he said.

Listen to an interview with Randy here:

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Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

Well, JackPlot!™ is actually the name of the game – but education is the main goal, along with having fun.

Ryan Moeller is regional product manager for Winfield Solutions and during dinner Friday night he gave growers a lesson in “R to the Seventh” – the Right genetics, with the Right traits on the Right soil types planted at the Right plant population in the Right crop rotation with the Right crop protection products and the Right soil fertility management. Even with a little competition from the hotel alarm system, Ryan stayed on message about how they can help growers maximize profit by choosing the right hybrids to fit their particular situation. “Every hybrid has its strength and weaknesses,” Ryan said. “Every hybrid is going to do well in a certain year and do poorly in another year.”

Ryan also talked about Advance Coat Zinc, which will be standard on all their new Croplan Genetics hybrids for 2009 at no extra cost to growers. “The Advanced Coat Zinc is applied to the seed with a polymer,” Ryan said. “It gives the plant a shot of zinc that it needs right away in a zinc deficient environment.”

Listen to an interview with Ryan here:

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Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

The JackPlot!™ game is a pretty unique way of reaching out to farmers beyond traditional advertising and trade show exhibiting.

One of the minds behind the development of the game was Josh Krenz, marketing manager with Winfield Solutions on the Croplan Genetics brand – who is also serving as one of the game show hosts here in Vegas.

“The concepting of the game began in the fall of 2006,” Josh said. “The game itself was finally complete in February 2008.”

Josh says they wanted the game to be educational and fun. “We actually did a survey here a couple weeks back of folks that had played the game or received it in the mail and 75 percent said that it was fun and educational, so we achieved our goal.”

The game was sent to 25,000 growers nationwide who were close to one of the Answer Plot® events this year and 16 of them were randomly selected to become high rollers here in Vegas for the first-ever JackPlot!™ National Competition.

Listen to an interview with Josh about the game:

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Wade Kallevig and Dale Scheffler are the JackPlot!™ Vegas contestants from Minnesota. Wade is the farmer from Wilmar and both are hoping for a big win here in Vegas! Listen to an interview with them here: Team 15 Interview

And last, but certainly not least – Team 16 is Doug Lesher and Justin Freeland from South Dakota. Doug is a fifth generation farmer from Pierpont who has been studying the game and hopes to be a winner! Listen to an interview with Team 16 here: Team 16 Interview

You can vote for your favorite team by clicking on the link over on the right side bar!

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

Louis Kieler and Steve Bailie make up Team 13 from Wisconsin – one of the Cheesehead teams. Louis is a family farmer who has dairy and beef cattle and grows corn and beans.
Listen to a short interview with Louis and Steve here: Team 13 Interview

A father and son team from New Hampton, Iowa are team 14 – Nick and Daniel Feenstra. Nick is the dad with his son Dan the agronomist – maybe Dan the Answer Man? Might give them an edge!

Team 14 Interview

You can vote for your favorite team by clicking on the link over on the right side bar!

Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album

The JackPlot!™ National Competition welcome dinner featured a pep talk on the real life competition to grow better and healthier crops with improved genetics.

John Romines, Director of Seed and Agronomy sales for Winfield Solutions and CROPLAN GENETICS®, says its a great time to be in agriculture. “Our goal is to create sustainable food production that will ultimately feed the world and a growing population,” he said.

He explains that the JackPlot!™ game and promotion were developed to help growers learn about what they call “Answer Plots” which are educational initiatives nationwide that are sponsored by CROPLAN GENETICS and local seed retailers. “JackPlot!™ is an offshoot of all the information and knowledge required to make good decisions,” John says.

There are 138 sites across the country to help train the retail sales network across the co-op system and educate growers. “It’s really about what we call ‘R to the Seventh Power’ – the Right genetics, with the Right traits on the Right soil types planted at the Right plant population in the Right crop rotation with the Right crop protection products and the Right soil fertility management,” he says.

Listen to an interview with John here – John Romines Interview

The Official JackPlot!™ National Competition photo album is up and running now on Flickr. Check out the photos here and keep checking back as it will continue to be updated during the event.