The beginning of April marks the halfway point for your cooperative’s fiscal year. Except for our feed division, which operates in a high paced environment year-round, many of our divisions are ready for their busy season to kick into high gear. The changing season is the unofficial start to the busiest time of year for your cooperative. Our full-service agronomy locations are now ready to put their winter’s worth of planning and preparation into action. While most locations have been able to get an early jump on the season with fertilizer applications, soon every location will be buzzing with all hands on deck. In the next few weeks your cooperative will ramp up to the peak employee numbers for the year.
Planning for the spring planting season is much more than getting the equipment and facilities ready to serve our members. Planning also includes the time our agronomists put in to developing crop plans and individual farm recommendations to fit their customers’ specific needs. New technology, seed traits, crop protection formulations, and even financial planning are just a few of the topics covered during the off-season. Their focus is to help their growers maximize their return on investment, which is especially critical in a market with declining commodity prices that we see today. While some may first look to cut inputs based on lower grain prices, understanding your true cost of production and potential return on investment may tell a different story. Please reach out to one of our highly trained agronomists today to help work through a plan and better understand your total cost of production.
The board of directors was also busy in March holding their annual long-range planning session. For a couple of days they listened to industry professionals as well as our 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 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 great month.
