Ag Week: Giving local farmers a boost

Mariah Wetzel, née Mertz, a devoted and lifelong farmer, recently started a new precision agricultural business aimed at improving the profit margins for farms throughout the region.

Her new business, Ag Boost LLC, improves productivity on farms using a number of techniques and practices, including soil sampling, variable rate mapping, zone creation and much more.

When asked why she started such a business, Wetzel said, "To help farmers be more profitable and to utilize their fertilizer and seed better so they don't waste as much money."

Wetzel cut her teeth in the world of farming while growing up at her family's four-generation farm near Hurdsfield, N.D., where she developed her passion for agriculture.

She has since graduated from Bismarck State College in 2017 with an Associate of Applied Science degree in cultural industry technology; "basically an agronomy degree," said Wetzel.

She's also grown quite the family. Wetzel and her husband Kyle have a 12-year-old daughter, Carson, as well as a pair of one-year-old twins, Kayslee and Kayler. Together they live on a farmstead just south of Carrington.

She spent a few years back on the farm after graduating from college. Then, Wetzel began working at the Hefty Seed Company in Hurdsfield, where she remained for five years to help area farmers increase their profits.

Now, she's setting out on her own path as a business owner, with the same purpose she's already had for years: helping farmers make more money.

"Basically, farmers come to me, they give me their field boundaries, then I go in and I find imagery and choose yield data, which the farmers have, and then I make zones," said Wetzel.

From there, farmers can inform Wetzel what they want to apply on their fields, or they can create a yield goal. Once that's determined, farmers will get information designed to help every field reach its maximum potential, such as how much seed, fertilizer, etc., is necessary in each zone.

"We can really help them save money, especially when fertilizer prices are so high right now," said Wetzel about how AgBoost helps their customers. "So we make them more profitable and have a better ROI (return on investment)."

Much of the nitrogen and potash necessary to create fertilizer is imported from sanctions-ridden Russia, causing fertilizer prices to soar to record highs in recent days. That's not to mention the record high prices for gas and other products that can drag down a farmer's profits.

For these reasons especially, Wetzel believes now is the perfect time for farmers to maximize

the productivity of their land.

Wetzel added that she'll be doing plenty of soil testing this fall, and that interested farmers should reach out for more information.

Those interested in utilizing AgBoost's services can call Wetzel at (701) 650-6014, or send an e-mail to [email protected].