March was a busy month for your cooperative. While the propane division begins to wrap up and wind down another heating season, and the animal nutrition teams operate at a consistent pace year-round, the rest of the company is ramping up for their busiest time of the year. At our 11 full-service agronomy locations, they have been hard at work putting a winter’s worth of planning and preparation into action. The hundreds of hours of product, application, and safety training we attended across the company will soon be brought into play as we partner with our members to get this year’s crop in the ground. We look forward to welcoming back dozens of longtime seasonal staff, and even more new team members as we are just weeks away from the spring agronomy rush.
Our retail divisions, including Mt Horeb Do it Best Hardware/Lumber, Westby ACE, Mt Horeb and Westby c-stores, and Mt Horeb and LaFarge Auto and Truck Centers, are preparing for the warm weather and increased customer traffic. Here in Mt Horeb, soon we’ll see mounds of fresh mulch, dozens of lawn and garden soils, fertilizer, bark, and stone options, as well as a freshly stocked greenhouse full of some of the best flowers, vegetables, trees, and shrubs the area has to offer. A little further north our Westby ACE store has also packed away the leftover snowblowers and shovels and are ready to showcase the latest grills and just about anything to spruce up your backyard living space. The newly expanded auto and truck center in Mt Horeb is ready to get your vehicle in and out quickly so your family can travel worry free, and our c-stores are always clean and inviting to keep your car (and your kids) fueled up for that next adventure.
The board of directors was also busy in March holding their annual long-range planning session. For two days they listened and worked with division leaders on a few of the strategic goals and strategies that will be implemented to help guide future success for your cooperative. These sessions are important for future planning, but also a great opportunity for the board and management team to openly discuss new ideas and current operations. As we progress through the year, the board will use these sessions to help measure if we are on track to reach our goals.
As we move into April and begin to put the past months of planning into action, this is the time for a friendly reminder about spring safety. Long days and unpredictable weather delays can lead to a lot of stress and anxiety, especially as it relates to getting the crop in the ground. Unfortunately, this can lead to accidents and more delays. Please pay special attention over the next several months to farm equipment pulling in and out of the fields and wide loads coming around the next corner or over the next hill. To our producer members, be extra careful this spring. Get plenty of rest, eat right, take a short walk to unwind, and if you get behind give us a call and we’ll do what we can to help.
As always, thank you for your continued support! Have a very Happy Easter.
