The Scoop podcast hosts conversations with retailers and industry leaders on top-of-mind topics affecting ag retail today and in the future
Lisa Woodke is sustainability director at Star of the West. She shares how their business has helped connect food companies with farmers to advance conservation agriculture from the field to the grocery shelves. Woodke walks through a handful of real-world case studies, including their work as part of the USDA’s Climate Smart Commodities Grants. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kristen Ireland and Erin Mies started People Spark 5 years ago with a consulting focus to boost a company’s bottom line by increasing profits and margin, increasing retention and engagement, and creating a culture of success. They aim to provide business leaders with simple, practical solutions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
What can organizations do to elevate their entire team’s performance? Dave Mitchell, Founder of The Leadership Difference, says the answer lies in your company’s culture. He’ll be sharing insights during the session “The Foundation of Peak Performance Culture” at the Ag Retailers Association Conference and Expo, which takes place Nov. 28 to 30 in Orlando, Fla. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hunter Carpenter from the Ag Retailers Association shares a bit more about the timing of the pending Farm Bill deadline and how in 2018 even getting the bill done 4 months late is now considered “on time.” See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Richard Gupton with the Agricultural Retailers Associations rejoins the podcast to give an update from DC. With the failure to reauthorize CFATS and EPA’s announcements around pesticide regulations, Gupton shares what retailers need to know about how these actions effect their business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Erich Eller, of Forefront Ag Solutions details how he got hooked on digital agriculture—and using precision ag tools to make in-field decisions. He shares how his consulting business helps farmers agronomically and economically do better. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Andrew Lambert, technology services manager at Centra Sota Cooperative, shares how his team is structured to help farmers advance their yields and return on investment. He says technology can be overwhelming because of how everything intertwines like a cobweb. But as a baseline: the exponential benefits will come when they are able to get a majority of their farmers optimizing soil sampling, variable rate fertilizer, and yield mapping. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Even with a footprint across 10 states, the team at GreenPoint Ag is focusing on the local communities they are part of. Shannon Fortenberry, Community investment manager at GreenPoint Ag, shares more about the programs the company has stood up in the past couple of years, which now boast giving matches up to $1,000 per employee and two days for volunteering which have already totaled 2,000 hours this year. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Matt Dolch is the corn product manager for NK Brand at Syngenta, and he says he’s a bit of an outlier for his generation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Joseph Rickard is a crop protection product manager at WinField United who shares the past three years have definitely taught us one thing about the ag retail industry—it’s still a face-to-face business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Amy Asmus from Asmus Farm Supply didn’t have a linear path to being in ag retail–from a graphic designer, to a county correctional officer, she found agronomy via the Certified Crop Advisor program. Asmus shares the value of coming together with peers across the industry as part of the Agricultural Retailers Association and more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Blake Gates, national accounts manager at Morral Companies, shares how the company serves the industry as a fertilizer manufacturer and retailer. He brings to life the importance of stewardship, advocacy, and in particular what has benefited him and his company in being a member of ARA. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Richard Gupton from the Ag Retailers Association comes on The Scoop Podcast to detail what retailers needs to know about recent WOTUS news, train safety discussions, non-compete agreements, and EPA’s action on diesel trucks in California, plus more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hunter Carpenter with the Ag Retailers Association is cautiously optimistic the Farm Bill will get done this year. But he says right now, everything hinges on the ongoing debt ceiling discussions. In addition to the timing of the Farm Bill, Carpenters says there are five provisions they are advocating for on behalf of ag retailers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
It’s a full year push for George Madison, an agronomy specialist with Co-Alliance based in west central Indiana. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tim McArdle is working as the ResponsibleAg Industry Ambassador. He highlights how ResponsbileAg is an industry program for the industry that “lights the way for you to be in compliance.” And he shares how being a member of ResponsibleAg can improve an ag retailer’s bottom line. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Hunter Carpenter has been on the policy team at ARA for nine years, and currently works as Senior Director of Public Policy. He’s been advocating for the ag retail industry, and says while his focus is on building relationships, it’s also part of the job to witness some of the theatrics. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tyler Bottoms, Commercial Director at AgVision Software, says if he could solve one problem with a magic wand, it would be to reduce the ag retail industry’s technical debt. As he explains in the podcast, there are questions every ag retailer can ask themselves as they seek out new technologies. And with ongoing labor shortages, it’s important to be taking on more efficient ways of doing business. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Karl Wyant, director of agronomy at Nutrien, says the past 18 months have particularly put into focus the decisions growers are making about fertilizer. Int his episode he talks about how his team is working to help farmers evaluate all the tools in the toolbox, and at times, do more with less while place an intense scrutiny on fertilizer use efficiency. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Grant Mason, sales manager for Wheeler Brothers Grain in western Oklahoma, shares how the team doubled their agronomy business in just a few years. Mason shares how the business is getting bigger—both retailers and manufacturers are consolidating—and it required the team at Wheeler Brothers Grain to take a new approach to the market. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As one of the first retailers to commercial selective spraying in their agronomic offering, Jeff Crissinger, VP of Agronomy Sales/Marketing at NuWay-K&H Cooperative shares how they are positioning this technology with growers in 2023. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Court White manages the ag sales team at Logan AgriService. When he joined as a sales team member he says it was like jumping on the bullet train. But he shares what helps his team stay focused, set goals, and reach success. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Brice Bonin is Sales/E-Business Support Administrator at Nu-Way K&H Cooperative. She details what their team has learned with two years of hosting a digital portal for their agronomy and energy business. Early successes were getting 80% of key accounts active within three months. A longer-term lesson has been realizing patience pays with the backend complexity inherent in ag retail. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Matt Comrey, a technical nutrition agronomist with Wilbur-Ellis, is based in Yuma City, California. He shares the challenges northern California growers are facing across the variety of crops he helps consultant on. Specific to the drought conditions, he highlights 3 tools growers can use to manage water to the best of their ability. Also, as a 40 Under 40 awardee, he shares for those in the early chapters of their career in ag retail to “stick it out” and find an ag retailer who will invest in ...
Clayton Cunningham, Seed Hub manager at Crops 63 for Ceres Solutions, shares the main driver in farmers picking their seed choices. And Clayton gives insights in how selling and delivering seed is changing, per farmers’ preferences. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The 2022 Winner of Business Innovation Award details the 10-year journey which has been a springboard for improved efficiency, business growth, and happier teams at Ceres Solutions. Uriah Paddock shares how success with digitization makes it easy to be hungry to make all of your business activities electronic. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Kyle Okke, co-founder of AgMafia and ag consultant at Agile Agronomy, shares those who were prepared in 2022 had less hiccups in season—both farmers and retailers. Okke shares while farmers may have gotten what they wanted, it may not have been exactly what they planned to get. And waiting for the right thing to happen leaves a lot of vulnerability for audibles to have to be called. He puts it simply as the game of agronomy is logistics, agronomics and economics. See omnystudio.com/listener for ...
Matt Clark is a digital technology manager at Ceres Solutions. The Crops 63 location was recently recognized as the 2022 Business Innovation Award winner. Additionally, Matt was named to The Scoop’s 40 Under 40. He shares how Ceres Solutions is challenging itself and challenging growers to adopt technology to improve how they do business. And he talks about a unique “test plot” for technology. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
When and how are the big questions being asked around key regulations and issues for ag retailers. As Richard Gupton from ARA says, the developments around the pending rail strike are still up in the air. He also gives updates on OSHA and EPA policies. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
After the mid-term elections, ARA’s Hunter Carpenter says it’ll take a focus on getting things done in a bipartisan fashion for the 118th Congress. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
