Cultivating Knowledge with Brandon Geiger
Brandon Geiger brings a spirit of curiosity and problem-solving to his work, both on his soybean farm and in his family-owned agricultural retail business, Geiger Ag. Brandon has been involved in the ag retail industry since graduating from Kansas State University in 2010 with bachelor’s degrees in agricultural business and agronomy and decided to start his own business in 2023. Based in Highland, Geiger Ag helps farmers make the most of their farms by understanding and improving their soil.
“I wanted to work with growers and meet with them on a daily basis,” Brandon said. “I like helping them make decisions to better their bottom line.”
Brandon treats his own acres as test plots, allowing him to see firsthand what works and what doesn’t. He then shares these successes with other growers to help improve their own operations.
“Every soybean farmer is a little different in how they run their operation, and their experiences have honestly made me a better farmer,” he said.
The soils Brandon works with are as diverse as the farms. Brandon mostly deals with silt loam soil types in his area of Doniphan County, but as he moves to farms southwest of him, he encounters other types. Some farms have sand on one slope, heavy clay in a low-laying area or silt loam on top of a ridge.
“Every farm is a bit different, and that’s why hybrid selection is critical on those farms with varying soil types. You want to plant something that can handle various soil conditions,” he said.
Brandon takes soil samples to identify nutrient deficiencies and works on improving those levels. He invests more money in the higher productivity areas on the farm, as these areas often have more depleted soil due to larger yields. To produce a big yield, crops pull a lot of nutrients out of the soil.
Many soil management techniques and technologies are available. Brandon utilizes grid sampling, also called zone sampling, on his farm. Fertility levels vary on every farm and even across a single farm, so this technique allows Brandon to fertilize where the soil needs it most.
Brandon believes in trial and error when it comes to farming. He experiments with biologicals — products derived from living organisms or their by-products — to leverage the nutrients already present in the soil. The biological market is a growing and evolving space, and Brandon is finding what might not work for one area of farmland could be beneficial for another.
“We try new things every year, and I think my dad gets tired of taking out plots, but that’s how you have to do it. You have to learn and try these things,” Brandon said. “Failure is very important for success.”
Through constant testing and a willingness to try new approaches, Brandon continues to learn alongside his neighbors — proving that curiosity and resilience are as valuable as nutrients in the soil.
This article was written by Kaitlyn Carlson, an intern with the Kansas Soybean Commission.
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