BBI Spreaders has a history of working with its dealer network to identify new and greater opportunities to impact the economic good of farmers in their fields around the world.
They even have a creed for it, a short-form expression of the company’s mission: Driving Value.
And in the Northern Plains area of northern Iowa, Minnesota, and the Dakotas, BBI is living this mission in conjunction with Austin, Minnesota-based dealer Spreader Specialties. Endurance Beet Lime Spreader is the latest in a long line of innovations aimed at not only solving problems and challenges, but also making gold out of waste.
The Northern Plains is sugar beet country, home to the country’s largest growers who meet the sugar demands of Americans and people worldwide. Sugar beet production presents farmers in this area with a lot of leftover beet lime, organic waste that in previous years many farmers thought to be impossible to spread evenly, much less at a consistent rate.
Now, thanks to the collaborative work among Northern Plains farmers, Spreader Specialties owner Mike Olson, and the design and engineering team at BBI headquarters in Georgia, that trash is now gold.
BBI has taken Endurance, the industry leader in organic material application, and optimized the spreader to meet the rugged demands unique to the distribution of beet lime. Beet farmers typically spread 10 tons of beet lime per acre to fertilize virgin land, and they subsequently throw up to five tons to maintain the land year after year.
According to Olson, he gets regular feedback from area farmers telling him that when they spread beet lime with Endurance, the practice routinely delivers greater yields of 15 extra bushels of corn per acre, and an extra 10 to 15 bushels of beans.
Olson and the BBI team worked to optimize Endurance for the regional demands of the Northern Plains, much in the same way BBI has worked to optimize Endurance for chicken litter across every poultry market across the country. The BBI team has customized Endurance for beet lime spreading through fine-tuning and tweaking certain specifications.
For example, due to the heavy volume requirements for spreading beet lime in the field, the team constructed the model with seven-gauge steel, stronger chains and sturdier flooring. BBI also opted for flotation tires for limiting soil compaction from such a heavy load, and the company tied the spreader to existing tractor hydraulics for a solution that utilizes an existing power platform for cost-effectiveness. The result is a true workhorse that makes half-mile-round intervals before emptying and reloading for another field pass.
According to Mike Olson, the Endurance Beet Lime spreader will make a difference for many years in the Northern Plains. “This is an incredible investment opportunity for farmers in our area right now,” Olson explained. “The greater yields in corn and beans are undeniable, and for those early adopters of Endurance Beet Lime, it’s a chance for them to spread their own fields and those of others without the infrastructure investment to pull this off on their own.”
Lee Kilpatrick, Director of Sales and Marketing at BBI, appreciates Olson’s special commitment to the farmers of the Dakotas, Minnesota, and northern Iowa. “Mike is a special dealer in a very demanding market that’s so important to feeding our country and the world. He does such an excellent job of listening to his customers, so that we can continue to develop products that fulfill our mission of improving their economics.”
For more information on the Endurance Beet Lime spreader and available inventory, please visit the Spreader Specialties website