‘What Got Us Here Won’t Get Us There’

Alabama producer continues family legacy of innovation and success while forging a new direction for Spruell Farms

 Looking at her father’s work boots displayed at her office in Mount Hope, Alabama, Liz Spruell is reminded that she is building on an immense family legacy.

Sam Spruell was known as an innovator in cotton production, incorporating sustainable and regenerative practices long before those were buzzwords in agriculture. He also was a tireless advocate for the cotton industry, as he took on leadership roles with the Southern Cotton Growers and National Cotton Council.

After Sam passed away in 2021, Spruell Farms had big shoes to fill — and Liz knew there was only one way to do it.

“I gathered everyone together, put his boots on the table and said, ‘Not one of us can fill these boots by ourselves. But we all have strengths, and if we work together, we can continue the legacy of Spruell Farms.’”

Since taking the reins three years ago, Liz has focused her efforts on evaluating and evolving practices that will strengthen the operation for the next generation. For Liz, that means creating a culture of asking questions, admitting when you don’t know something and embracing a willingness to change.

“What got us here won’t get us there,” she said. “We have to be willing to flex, adapt and be open-minded to new technologies. In farming, every year is a blank slate for you to build on what you’ve done before.”

That perspective has influenced all aspects of Spruell Farms, from operations to irrigation to marketing. One of the biggest changes they’ve made on their cotton acres is planting PhytoGen^® cottonseed and moving to the Enlist^® weed control system.

“First year out, I realized we weren’t doing so well with our previous cottonseed brand,” Liz said. “I looked at our yields over a 10-year history and saw they were pretty flat. Some might think that’s great, but my question was: Could it be better? So I started to investigate what else was out there.”

Liz listened carefully at producer meetings and paid close attention to what consultants were saying. One thing she heard repeatedly was that nematodes were causing more yield loss than producers realized. She also heard there were newer nematode-resistant PhytoGen^® brand varieties with high yield potential.

“I met with my local PhytoGen team, and they explained the varieties and the technology,” Liz said. “They acted like partners versus a sales team, and it made all the difference. I decided if we’re going to do this, then we’re going to do it, and I made a broad stroke seed change in one year.”

That was in 2022, and Liz has been pleased with the decision. PhytoGen^® brand PHY 411 W3FE and PhytoGen^® brand PHY 332 W3FE have performed well on the farm, and they’ve increased test plots in the past two years to determine which varieties are the best fit for their varying acres. When you’re open to change, information is one of your best friends.

“I want to do trials on my farm, because it gives me information I don’t have,” Liz said. “The PhytoGen team was willing to share information with me to help me be more profitable on my farm. I value business partners who can do that for me.”

Through that partnership, Liz said their yields hit averages they didn’t think possible on their mostly dryland cotton acres. Before PhytoGen cottonseed, they had never averaged more than 1.8 bales to the acre across 3,000 acres — even in the best weather conditions. With PhytoGen^® W3FE varieties, they’re seeing averages of 2-plus bales/A.

“The first field we harvested in 2024 had a yield my father never saw on dryland, and it was not a good year for rain. That’s another benefit to the PhytoGen — it has great drought tolerance,” Liz said. “Financially, PhytoGen has been a win-win for us all around, because it has yield and quality. You don’t normally get to ask for everything, but we got it.”

Liz’s brother, Jonathan Spruell, said PhytoGen W3FE varieties have helped them with both reniform nematodes and teaweed — two related production challenges. Corn is an important rotation for their cotton acres, because it is not a good host for nematodes. But teaweed has been on the rise in their area because it is difficult to control on corn acres. Teaweed also is an exceptional host for nematodes, limiting the benefit of a corn rotation. PhytoGen W3FE varieties helped the problem in two ways.

“We’ve always used corn in our rotation to help manage nematodes, but the nematodes were living on the teaweed,” Jonathan said. “Now, the PhytoGen varieties help us with resistance to nematodes; plus, we have good options to control the teaweed with Enlist One or glufosinate herbicides.”

Liz said the switch to a different herbicide system has required diligence, but it’s worth the effort to control weeds with fewer applications. Other farmers in their area have experienced the benefits as well, after planting PhytoGen W3FE varieties and using the Enlist^® system.

Liz is proud of what Spruell Farms has accomplished and believes her dad would be too. But she’s looking to the future.

“We keep telling ourselves what got us here won’t get us there,” Liz said. “We’re going to keep evolving so that this legacy continues for my children and the future. I think my dad would be proud of everything we’ve accomplished in these three years.”

To learn more about PhytoGen cottonseed, go to PhytoGen.com.

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^™® Trademarks of Corteva Agriscience and its affiliated companies. Enlist One^® and Enlist Duo^® are not labeled for use in all 50 states. To find product labels, state registration status, and additional resources about the Enlist^® weed control system and its availability, visit Enlist.com. Additional stewardship information on Enlist crops and to review seed product use guide details, visit traitstewardship.com. ©2024 Corteva.  024378  BR (12/24)  CAAG4PHYG062