HB Whitaker Farms, LLC

Needham Ag is a family-owned company specializing in the application of new agricultural technologies, innovative flexible solutions and strategic planning to improve profitability for farmers, manufacturers and dealers. Company owner Philip Needham is a native of Great Britain and holds an honors degree in agricultural technology from Silsoe College in Bedford, England. Needham joined Miles Enterprises in 1990 and was promoted to Opti-Crop Division Manager in 1996. During his tenure at the company, Needham hired, supervised and supported 16 crop consultants delivering advanced agronomy services in diverse climates from Oklahoma to Minnesota and the Ohio Valley to Central and the Northern Plains states. Needham is motivated by the desire to help every farmer improve yield levels in corn, beans, wheat and canola while always looking for ways to improve efficiency in farm operations which drives increased bottom-line profitability. The impact of Needham and his teams work can be seen in his home state of Kentucky. USDA data show that average wheat yields more than doubled over a 15-year period from low 30 bushels per acre to the high 60 bushels per acre, with some farmers seeing wheat yields in excess of 100 bushels per acre on fields and farms. Needham and his Opti-Crop Division won the Siteliner Award for industry innovation from Farm Chemicals Magazine in 1996.