Inside the CropLife 100: The Mill Puts Data, Experimentation and Grower Trust to Work

For The Mill, being an independent ag retailer means having the flexibility to try something new, test it in the field, and — most importantly — determine whether it delivers a return for growers.

For more than two decades, The Mill has served growers and communities across the Mid-Atlantic. As agriculture has become increasingly data-driven, the CropLife 100 retailer has expanded its role beyond traditional crop inputs to help growers understand what their products and management practices are actually delivering in the field.

Putting Independence to Work

That evolution began in 2003, when Southern States was selling some of its stores. Ben Hushon, then working for a larger organization, partnered with local feed dealer Henry Holloway to pursue the opportunity.

By 2010, The Mill had also developed a unique connection with the broader agricultural community through its farm, home, and garden stores. That relationship helped inspire the company’s Crop Showcase, a field day focused on nutrient management that has grown into a 60-acre living laboratory for testing new ideas and management practices.

Rather than simply looking for the next product to sell, The Mill focuses on nutrients, timing, and management, with an emphasis on the 4Rs of nutrient stewardship.

“We’ve kind of created a reputation, for better or worse, that if you have a new idea, come to us, and we’ll at least listen,” Hushon said.

That independent mindset gives The Mill the flexibility to evaluate products from both large and small suppliers and test them locally before committing.

The approach reflects a simple philosophy: A product may look impressive in the field, but the ultimate question is whether it delivers economically.

“That’s important, but what does it look like at the end with the ROI?” Hushon said.

Moving From “It Looks Good” to “What’s the ROI?”

That philosophy has become even more important as precision agriculture and farm data have moved closer to the center of growers’ decision-making processes.

When growers want to try something new, The Mill increasingly needs to demonstrate results with credible, farm-level data.

The company has seen that evolution firsthand through nutrient management.

Split application of nitrogen, for example, was not common practice in the region 15 years ago. The Mill began working with growers who wanted to experiment with applying more nitrogen in-season. What started as a few growers trying something different eventually became a much more common management practice.

The Mill has continued building on that experience through nitrogen and phosphorus stabilizers, nitrogen modeling, and high-efficiency fertilizer sources. It is also evaluating carbon products, humic and fulvic products, biologicals, and newer approaches to soil-health testing.

But the emphasis remains on measurement.

“We’ve moved from, man, it looked really good, look how big the ears are, look how big the roots are, to, yeah, but what’s the ROI on that?” Hushon said.

The company says its data shows that splitting a grower’s existing fertilizer application is an “absolute win” approximately 85% of the time, even after accounting for the additional application expense.

Building a Data-Centered Business

That work helped lead to Decision Ag Solutions, The Mill’s precision agriculture and technology platform. Five years ago, Tim Hushon shifted from sales agronomy to focus on technology, with an emphasis on analytics, predictive capabilities and, above all, return on investment.

The Mill has tested soil-sensing technologies, including EC data and electromagnetic induction, to better understand soil properties and create management zones for variable-rate applications. Historical yield data can also help determine seeding rates and feed nitrogen models for in-season applications, while satellite and drone imagery add another layer of insight.

The goal isn’t simply to produce another map. It’s to quantify the decision.

Decision Ag Solutions is intentionally flexible, allowing growers to start with the technology that makes the most sense for their operation rather than adopting an entire suite.

“That’s the neat thing about being small,” Tim Hushon said. “We can be so flexible.”

That flexibility also positions The Mill to help growers navigate increasingly complex farm data. Retailers can interpret information, identify trends, and compare results across fields, farms, seasons, and weather conditions.

But technology adoption still comes down to value and follow-through. Growers need to see how a tool works and why it is worth the investment.

After enrolling in the DAS platform, growers get to see how their changes influence ROI by the acre on their own farm using their own data. Using equipment they already own.

The Mill’s experience with biologicals reinforced that lesson. After testing a biological product about a decade ago with disappointing results, the company moved on. Years later, the Hushons realized they may have given up too quickly.

The takeaway: One year’s results aren’t always enough. The Mill encourages growers to test new ideas across multiple farms and conditions and work with a trusted advisor to understand the results.

Looking Ahead

Over the next three to five years, The Mill sees an opportunity for independent retailers to help growers navigate increasingly complex farm data. As satellite imagery, ground-truthing, and analytics advance, retailers can play a greater role in interpreting information and turning it into actionable decisions.

“If we’re bringing value, we have to be willing to charge something,” Hushon said.

For growers, The Mill recommends starting small: Pick one or two new ideas, test them across multiple farms and conditions, and work with a trusted advisor to evaluate the results.

For The Mill, innovation comes down to listening to growers, testing new ideas, measuring results and continuing to learn.