By Andi Anderson
Paul Brautigam, a veteran seedsman from St. Marys, Ohio, and former board member of the Independent Professional Seedsmen Association (IPSA), has joined AXIS Ohio.
Brautigam will immediately take on the responsibility of advancing the AXIS mission of providing top-tier genetics, crop inputs, and service to farmers in northwest Ohio.
“Paul’s experience and knowledge of genetics is extensive,” said Adam Conrad, AXIS Ohio General Manager. “We are looking forward to seeing him bring his agronomic knowledge and passion for serving farmers as we expand the AXIS Ohio footprint of service not only in Northwest Ohio, but all across the state.”
With more than 30 years of experience in seed and crop production, Brautigam has worked as a farmer, seed producer, certified crop advisor, and agribusiness entrepreneur.
He joins AXIS Ohio after 11 years as a regional sales manager for Thurston Genetics, a division of BASF, where he built their business in the northeast U.S. and Canada. Brautigam is eager to once again work closely with individual farmers at the field level.
“My mission has always been about helping farmers improve their ROI (return on investment),” said Brautigam, “and that fits perfectly with the mission of the team at AXIS Ohio. I’m a Buckeye, so I’m very happy to be able to bring what I’ve learned through the years to farmers here in my home state.”
Brautigam earned his degree in agronomy from The Ohio State University with a specialty in soils. He started his career as a sales agronomist for crop input retailers before launching a regional seed company, Corn Belt Hybrids, in 1996.
He later merged that company with Stewart Seeds in 2006. During his career, he also served as an IPSA Board Member and contributed to their research committee.
“It starts with getting the right seed into the ground,” said Brautigam. “That’s always been very satisfying work for me. And now with the current traits, technologies, and biologicals – and new ones quickly coming – we have the chance to see a fuller expression of yield potential on every acre farmed.”
Brautigam grew up on a farm in Logan County near Indian Lake. He and his wife, Cyndi, are “blessed and thankful” to have two grown children and several young grandchildren. “I love helping farmers,” he smiles, “but there’s nothing quite like doing the ‘baby-walk’ with one of these small ones to get them back to sleep.”
Brautigam’s extensive background and dedication to agriculture will undoubtedly contribute to AXIS Ohio's mission to support farmers and enhance agricultural productivity in the region.
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Categories: Ohio, Sustainable Agriculture