Houston, TX (January 13, 2010) - Cabbage grown on Gitzlaff Farms, Inc. resulted in a 20-30% yield increase, credited to the use of Stoller products, even while facing challenging drought conditions. Resulting in an even bigger impact to their bottom line, this multi-generation family farm operation in Kenosha, Wisconsin considers this year’s crop as the “best ever” in the 35 years they have been growing cabbage.

Their fresh market and processing customers have come to expect a consistent, quality product over the years, no matter what growing conditions and challenges the crop may face. So when Paul Gitzlaff was faced with the threat of serious drought conditions and insect pressure, he decided to try Stoller products to help him deal with these potentially devastating issues.

“We went without rain for 60 days,” says Gitzlaff. “A lot of my cabbage varieties are touchy. They tend to go backwards into the ground to look for the water they need if they don’t get it from rain or irrigation.”

To combat these extreme conditions, Gitzlaff applied Stoller’s Bio-Forge^® to his 1,150 acres of cabbage as a regular part of his crop management program. The results were almost immediate.

Plants treated with Bio-Forge^® showed a healthier root system and increased resistance to disease, allowing them to flourish through an extremely dry, challenging season. Cabbage heads were the desired deep green color. Leaves were tightly wrapped, increasing the density and weight of each individual head while protecting the interior of the cabbage head from insect invasion.

With Stoller products, his harvest came in a full two weeks before his competitors. Less water and fertilizer was used over the course of the growing season, reducing input costs and ultimately increasing profits. The heads were uniformly sized and shaped - something valued by Gitzlaff’s processing customers for easy integration into their processing operations.

“This field looks like it has had rain all season and I never irrigated once,” stated Gitzlaff. “When I put Bio-Forge out, the plants just jumped! The roots are strong, the heads are tight and uniform in size and the color is exactly what we look for. Just what my customers have come to expect from us. This is the best cabbage crop we’ve grown in 35 years.”

Products like Stoller’s Bio-Forge^® are designed to manage plant hormones at an optimal level through out the growing cycle. The results are a healthier, higher-yielding crop and a better bottom line for the farmer.

Bio-Forge is a yield enhancer and stress reducer for all crops. It offsets the negative effects of plant stress caused by drought, excessive moisture, frost, herbicide damage and other crop stressors. Proven to enhance a plant’s natural ability to overcome damage caused by disease and insects to increase productivity and overall yield, Bio-Forge may be applied as a seed treatment, in-furrow or as a foliar spray application.

Bio-Forge controls excess ethylene; a gas produced in the cells to regulate the movement of hormones. Reducing the stress ethylene only without reducing the ethylene critical for normal functioning of the plant is vital to productive growth.

StollerUSA is dedicated to helping producers enhance their crops by maximizing genetic expression. The result is in enhanced marketable yield, resistance to insects, nematodes, and disease, while maximizing the return on investment. Stoller products are proven to ensure optimum plant growth by maintaining appropriate hormone balance in combination with supporting nutrients, resulting in healthier, more productive crops that are better able to withstand stress and achieve their full genetic potential.

About StollerUSA

In agribusiness for more than 40 years, StollerUSA markets a full line of products to help farmers increase crop yield and quality. StollerUSA, headquartered in Houston, is actively engaged in basic and practical research to enhance crop productivity in more than 50 countries.