For Ag Retailers, Keeping the Grower Partnership Strong
February 9, 2022 At times these days, it seems as if ag retailers are being bombarded in their traditional role as key partners to grower-customers from all sides. Yet, many of these have not only embraced these challenges but used them to their advantage.
This was the overriding message given by three key ag retailers at the recent PACE Executive Forum webinar, “Earning a Closer Partnership with Farmers.” This was hosted by CropLife magazine and was the third in a series of three such topical webinars conducted over the past few months discussing key ag retail industry topics. The speakers at this event were Amy Asmus, a Co-Owner at Asmus Farm Supply in Rake, IA, Greg Musson, head of the California-based ag retailer GAR Bennett, and John Oster, a representative at The Morral Companies located in central Ohio.
First, the panelists looked at long-standing issues when it came to grower-customers. This included consolidation, which has led to catering to the needs of ever larger growers. According to Asmus, adapting to new market realities is key here, especially when it comes to information.
“Growers are much more informed,” she said. “We used to think that we owned that grower’s information, but this is getting spread out over more relationships. This gives us ag retailers an opportunity to work with other stakeholders and allows for a more wholistic picture to form.”
Another challenge in 2022 is the ongoing generational shift happening at several farm operations across the country. “We have had a challenge with switching generations at customers,” she said. “These new owners want to make their own decisions vs. what their dad did. We need to work closely with the new generation to keep them as our trusted partner.”
According to Morral’s Oster, one of the keys to keeping this relationship with the new farm generations is handling data, not to mention differentiating between traditional ag retailers and e-commerce providers. “The new has worn off of that, and it’s not a new pony anymore, with some people even getting bucked off,” he said of e-commerce providers in 2022. “[Ag retailers] are really going to be able to take advantage of data and the relationships we’ve built with those guys. We know the areas where grower-customers can cut back and still maintain yields. We are on their dirt; the other guys are not.”
Loading ...The bottom line, says GAR Bennett’s Musson, is ag retailers can maintain and strengthen their partnerships with growers by changing with the times. “Anybody who doesn’t like change should never get into agriculture,” he said. “All we do is change.”
To hear the full one-hour webinar, please visit paceexecutiveforum.com.
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