Planning Ahead a Key to Supply Chain Challenges for Ag Retailers, Growers
March 2, 2022 By now, several volumes of information have been presented to the entire ag retail industry discussing the ongoing supply chain crunch and its overall impact on market dynamics. In fact, this issue even shows up in talks focusing on other topics.
In mid-February, attendees gathered at the EFC Systems Summit, held in Nashville, TN. Most were there to hear about the technology company’s latest product developments and marketplace moves. But in addition to this, there was also a panel discussion looking at the topic of AgTech Opportunities for Ag Retail. Yet, the very first question posed to the panelists asked about the current supply chain challenges. According to Ryan Meister, Vice President of Digital Transformation for Frontier Cooperative, one of the ways his company is managing supply chain issues is to encourage grower-customers is to “plan ahead.”
“We do farm plans,” said Meister. “This helps our team with their product forecasting. It is sometimes hard to talk with a grower in June about what they will need for the next year when they had just finished planting for this year. But it needs to be done.”
Brad Oelmann, President of Farrell Growth Group, agreed that pre-planning in today’s supply chain environment is a must. “This is an opportunity for ag retailers to be proactive with their customers,” said Oelmann. “The thing that won’t change once we get through these supply chain disruptions is the need to forecast, and that all starts with a farm plan.”
Loading ...The final speaker on the panel, Daren Coppock, President/CEO for the Agricultural Retailers Association, pointed out that today’s supply chain disruptions opens the door for ag retailers to strengthen their “trusted adviser” status with growers. “To me, that’s where the story is,” said Coppock. “Ag retailers have the experience and expertise to find products, if they exist, or to come up with Plan Bs or Cs if necessary. I think it’s a great opportunity for retailers to demonstrate their value to the customers.”
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