Southern States Cooperative, Inc.

Southern States Cooperative is a Richmond, Virginia-based farm supply retailer and service cooperative. As one of the nation’s largest agricultural cooperatives, it provides a wide range of farm inputs, including fertilizer, seed, livestock feed, pet food, animal health supplies, and petroleum products, as well as other items for the farm and home. Founded in 1923, the cooperative is owned by more than 200,000 farmer-members, and serves its members and non-member customers through 1,200 retail outlets in 23 states.

We strive to operate with the highest integrity and be responsible stewards of the land in our communities. The 4R philosophy helps to maximize economic, social and environmental sustainability for our growers, and provides them with the best management practices and growing solutions possible to increase their operations’ profitability while reducing negative environmental impact. Southern States recognizes the importance of nutrient efficiency and its impact on yield and overall bottom line profitability for the customer.

• Site-Specific Soil Sampling – Consistent, repeatable and provides a better “report card” as to what is happening in the field.
• Variable Rate Application (Crop Nutrients and Seed) – This takes the 4R’s to another level. We want to feed the crop to its fullest potential with minimal environmental impact.
• Variable Rate Lime – The pH is the foundation of crop production. This enables the plant to make the most efficient use of the nutrients in the soil. With a pH that is too high or too low, that efficiency is compromised.
• Compaction Sampling – Soil tilth is key to the plant growth and access to nutrients and water. If the soil is compacted, the plant is unable to penetrate the soil and cannot access the nutrients that are available in the soil. Also, with compacted soil, there is a considerable limit to the water holding capacity. This can also increase the risk for run off and erosion.
• Imagery and Scouting – Southern States nurtures the crop throughout the entire growing season. This means that not all of the nutrients are applied to the field/crop in one application. We use imagery to look for crop health efficiently and then go to those spots to determine what is going on with the crop and how to best address any issues of nutrients, weeds, insects or disease.
• As-Applied Data – Southern States records the application of crop nutrient and crop protection products to ensure that our equipment is operating accurately and efficiently.
• Yield Mapping – While most all farmers know the good areas of their fields and the bad areas of their fields, yield mapping quantifies exactly what those yields are and how we can better manage crop production the following year. The yield map enables the farmer to replace the nutrients that were taken off from the crop based from actual yield rather than a yield goal.