Meet the Industry Member: Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness June 6, 2022

People First
At Wilbur-Ellis Agribusiness, it all comes down to the people. Our 101-year-old company is still family-owned and operated. We’re not in business by coincidence, but because we have done things the right way, assuring customers we’ll be around for the next 100. At Wilbur-Ellis, we keep our boots on the ground with a committed, knowledgeable staff who provides service that is second to none.

The Power of We®
The foundation for how we do business is right in our initials: W.E. Everything we do is a partnership. We understand solving the many complex challenges growers face every day takes teamwork—so we spend each day working hard to make sure you know you’re not alone.

Canola Varieties
Wilbur-Ellis offers two canola varieties: INTEGRA® Canola 7257RR and INTEGRA Canola 7361RC. Created with the next generation Roundup Ready® TruFlex™ genetics, 7361RC is popular in the Pacific Northwest, and is a part of the PNWCA large-scale TruFlex trial near Pullman. It is adaptable to all soil types and has very good emergence and crop uniformity. Roundup Ready canola allows for in-season applications of glyphosate so growers can control difficult and even resistant weed species they struggle to manage in rotational crops.

Optimizing Plant Growth
When using innovative products including but not limited to RAINIER-EA®, NDemand® 30L, FOLI-GRO® REQUISITE®, VERSATILE® BORON, and/or SONATA®, growers can improve their soil fertility and overall plant health.

Soil Health
It’s no secret that growing a prosperous crop begins with soil health. Wilbur-Ellis is focused on understanding soil health and benchmarking soils to help provide a healthy return on investment for growers.

Canola is highly encouraged in rotations where wheat/peas or wheat/garbanzo beans have been seeded repeatedly and there are compaction issues. Canola’s healthy taproot also improves the soil profile.

Wilbur-Ellis recognizes the importance of soil technology and is diving even deeper into soil data. Stay tuned, there is more to come on this exciting front.

Water Management
Wilbur-Ellis is committed to helping growers manage their water. In 2020, we acquired Probe Schedule, LLC, to better help growers track soil moisture status and calculate irrigation schedules.

Probe Schedule’s irrigation water management software receives and collects data from in-field hardware devices and weather stations. Growers can track their soil moisture status and calculate irrigation schedules from any smart device by incorporating real-time weather station data, forecasts, spray conditions, soil classification, crop specific information, flow meter data, and other irrigation data.

Sustainability
Sustainability is personal to Wilbur-Ellis. Our primary focus is improving soils to grow the best crop. With variable rate technology, mapping, and soil sampling, growers can feed the crop where it has the best opportunity to thrive instead of making a broadcast application. This saves the planet from unnecessary run-off and keeps more cash in growers’ pockets.

Longevity
With urban sprawl expanding faster by the day, Wilbur-Ellis recognizes the critical nature of helping growers produce more on less land, while reducing environmental impact. Wilbur-Ellis embraces the challenge and looks forward to being the premier agricultural service provider for many years to come.

Supporting the PNWCA

The Pacific Northwest Canola Association is promoting what Wilbur-Ellis believes is an agronomically sound approach to a diversified crop rotation in the region. We are members as we believe in supporting their activities in the PNW. This effort brings our growers one of the best returns, for their investment in their farm and their farm’s asset, the soil.

Learn more about our INTEGRA Canola seed varieties at wilburellisagribusiness.com/integra-seed. Feel free to reach out anytime with questions:
• Tim Watts, district sales manager, Pacific Northwest, twatts@wilburellis.com, 509-540-2319
• Joe Lehnerz, sales representative, Montana and Upper Midwest, jlehnerz@wilburellis.com, 406-727-4500

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