Based in Bloomington, IL, Crop Pro-Tech, Inc. has field offices throughout Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa. The offices in Iowa are independently owned. Prairie Crop Pro-Tech is located in east central Iowa and is owned and operated by Jay Johnson. Heartland Crop Pro-Tech is located in northeast Iowa and is owned and operated by Richard Drilling. Mr. Johnson is a former scout. "Whenever a competent scout or supervisor wants to buy a district from me, I'm happy to do that," Harms explains. "The whole idea behind the business was to find a separate person to manage or own each district." Harms keeps close contact with all of his offices almost daily. He sets the standards for pest and weed control after consulting with researchers and land grant universities and manufacturers. During the winter months some of the firms' consultants are sent to Florida for training in plant diseases.

With the emergence of advanced technical trends, such as global positioning systems (GPS), Harms views the role of the crop consultant increasingly as becoming the advisor that transfers technology to the grower. Using the Geographic Information System (GIS), SSToolbox, Crop Pro-Tech offers GPS soil testing in the form of management zones. Management zones are like areas in a field, usually soil types. Using these management zones, fertility recommendations can be given more precisely to reflect productivity. These recommendations can also be downloaded into variable rate spreaders. Additionally, growers' records, such as yield monitor information, tillage operations and insecticide recommendations are kept in a computer database housed in Bloomington.

Crop Pro-Tech also performs contract research. Over the past 22 years, Harms has conducted research for most of the major chemical, seed, and farm equipment companies. Such research has included herbicide sensitivity studies by hybrids, planter compaction and grain loss by combines. Engaging in field research helps Crop Pro-Tech learn which products work well in specific growing conditions. The managers can then utilize that knowledge in making recommendations to growers. Harms also uses this knowledge to perform expert witness work, throughout the country. Harms has also been a consultant for research done in varies countries, such as Egypt, Venezuela and Mexico.

In order to maintain professional certification standards, the firms' employees regularly attend informational seminars. Employees are encouraged to become active members of professional societies and organizations relevant to the agricultural crop consulting field. Most of the staff/managers hold multiple certifications. The latest technology and resources are made available to assist managers in working with the grower. Crop Pro-Tech hosts meetings in the off seasons for its' managers wherein technical representatives from chemical, seed, and equipment companies speak on current research findings within their respective industries.