If you’ve heard Mike speak, you’ll know his slogan is, “don’t guess, soil test.” He advises against assuming that you know what is going on with your soil – wisdom he has collected from his career.
Starting from the beginning, Mike always had a passion for agriculture since being raised on a dairy farm. He went on to school at Winona Tech in 1975 where Gary Zimmer was one of his instructors. At that time, Gary was giving lots of presentations about natural farming practices and soon founded Midwestern BioAg. In 1989, Mike was hired as a consultant, working part-time doing both farming and consulting. He had a dairy nutrition service route in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
In November of 1992, Mike left his family’s dairy farm and started his own consulting business, Lovland BioAg. He recalls, “the business then was not the business we have today.” Then, he was doing everything: consulting and spreading product. As his business grew, he hired help. Thinking back to this time, he sees how selling today is easier because, with the shared workload, he had more time for consulting.
In December of 2008, Midwestern BioAg bought Mike’s LovLand BioAg business.
Reflecting on his career, Mike noted a highlight of being involved with studies published in three of Gary Zimmer’s books as well as building 20+ year relationships with customers and seeing their success grow over time.
His advice: pay attention to the small things – weights, measurements (especially with nutrients) and never forget the big three (chemical, physical and biological) elements of the soil. Always remember: it’s not about today’s sales, it’s about future plans and long-term success.
After 30+ years with Midwestern BioAg, Mike will officially retire this fall. His retirement plans are to winter in Arizona, garden and travel as well as volunteer his time with church programs. Mike thanks his wife of 41 years, Cheryl, for being with him through it all and how great of a resource she was when his business was on his own. He is a proud father of 2 and grandfather of 4.
Thank you, Mike, for your dedicated service to Midwestern BioAg. We wish you all the best on your next adventure!
Gary Zimmer (right) presenting Mike Lovlien (left) with a retirement plaque.
