Whether on the farm or in their seed sales business, the Dean family works and learns together.
David Dean and his wife, Mary; Jerry Dean and his wife, Rheta; Christopher Dean (by the tractor door); Christopher's wife, Brianna, and their daughter, Dakota.
By Darcy Maulsby
It’s one thing to sell seed. It’s another to put the genetics to the test on your own farm, like the Dean family does.
“We grow Golden Harvest® Corn and NK® Soybean genetics on our acres, so we know how they perform in our area,” says Christopher Dean, a Syngenta Seed Advisor™ and fifth-generation farmer in Peterson, Iowa. “We want to provide both excellent service and high-quality genetics to our customers.”
Dean, his father, David, and his grandfather, Jerry, farm together and also have years of experience selling seed. Customers like Chad McCarty appreciate this expertise. “The Deans keep up with technology, and their service is second to none,” says McCarty, a Peterson-area farmer who plants Syngenta corn and soybean genetics. “Their knowledge, coupled with Syngenta products and support staff, have been huge assets on my farm.”
Breaking Yield Barriers
Since 1995, the Dean family has operated a Syngenta seed dealership, and David Dean brought his son into the operation once he was ready. “I always wanted to farm,” says Christopher Dean, 27, who earned his agronomy degree from Iowa State University in 2011. “I also like helping other farmers maximize their operations.”
Efficient, high-yield operations start with the selection of the right seed and seed treatment. As soybean cyst nematode (SCN) becomes more of a challenge, for example, the Deans recommend options such as Clariva® Complete Beans seed treatment, a combination of separately registered products, which combines a nematicide with an insecticide and three fungicides to offer season-long activity against SCN as well as early-season insect and disease protection.
“There’s always something new to learn in agriculture to stay competitive,” says David Dean, who began farming in 1975.
While the Deans invested in a new office and seed warehouse in 2013, providing the right solutions for growers goes far beyond facilities. The Deans offer crop scouting, host a customer appreciation dinner each summer and offer an educational meeting each winter to keep customers updated on the latest seed technologies.
The Deans’ input is invaluable to McCarty, who broke soybean yield barriers on his farm with NK Soybeans S20-Y2 brand a couple of years ago. “When Chris told me this variety was getting phased out and assured me NK Soybeans S20-T6 brand would fit our operation even better, I cringed,” McCarty says. “But in 2015, the S20-T6 brand beans have surpassed the previous yield standard we set with the S20-Y2 brand beans.”
Staying Connected to the Community
While their seed dealership and farming operation keep the Dean family busy, they also stay connected to their community. David Dean serves as vice president of First Cooperative Association’s board of directors, while Christopher Dean is a member of the local Lions’ Club.
The Deans are excited about the future of agriculture, from drones and other forms of new technology to advanced seed genetics. “I enjoy having three generations involved on the farm,” says Jerry Dean, who hauls grain in the fall and helps with spring tillage. “We work well together.”
Christopher Dean is grateful to carry on his family’s agricultural heritage and is glad he and his wife, Brianna, can raise their infant daughter, Dakota, on the farm. “There’s a lot to learn in farming and in the seed business,” he says. “It’s nice to have Dad, Grandpa and Syngenta to lean on.”
