CropLife Retail Week: AgroLiquid-Monty’s Merger, Farmer Sentiment, and New MACA Head

Eric Sfiligoj and Lara Sowinski talk about AgroLiquid’s recent purchase, farmer feelings from November, and a new leader for the Mid America CropLife Association.

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*Below is a partial and edited transcript:

Eric Sfiligoj: Hello. Welcome to another edition of CropLife Retail Week. I’m Eric Sfiligoj, editor of CropLife. I’m back from my trip to Houston and back in studio with my friend Lara Sowinski. Lara, how are you doing?

Lara Sowinski: Pretty well, thank you. How about you?

ES: I’m doing good. Obviously, this time of year, most of us are getting ready for the holidays, and I am unhappy to report that normally about this time of year. But two weeks out from Christmas I am done shopping. But this year I am behind schedule. I think I’ve only bought about half the gifts that I need, so I seriously need to get some shopping done this coming weekend. And next week. So because I’m running out of days.

LS: You better step on it.

ES: Yeah. Tell me about it. How about you? I know you have more children than I do.

LS: I only have one to buy for, although I get an inordinate number of gifts for him, but I am. I’m very behind this year. Probably more behind that I’ve been in a while, so.

ES: Okay. All right. Nice to know that we’re all procrastinating about the same exact. All right, well, hey, Miss Lara, to share with our viewers, I have a couple of bits of information to share. I know we’ve been talking a lot about consolidation, and I know usually in a year like we’ve just had here in 2024, where revenues for a lot of folks were, were down. Normally that does usually spur a little bit of consolidation.

I know we saw it on the retail front when we did a couple CropLife 100 recently, but we also now have one taking place in the crop nutrient space. We found out this week that our friends at AgroLiquid have acquired Monty’s Plant Food Company out of Louisville, Kentucky, and that merger will take place on January 1st.

So coming up here at the end of the month, Monty’s and AgroLiquid will be combined. And according to AgroLiquid CEO Nick Bancroft, he said that, that both companies share similar goals in advancing agricultural innovation. But there are different approaches to achieving these will create new opportunities to optimize nutrient efficiency and productivity for customers.

So again, that’s a merger that will be taking place here in January 1st. And our best wishes to our friends at AgroLiquid and Monty’s. We know both companies very well, and I’m sure that combining resources, they will do quite well in 2025.

LS: I saw that news as well. So congratulations to both companies. Yeah.

ES: So hey speaking of customers growers, retailers. I think you have a little news to share with their viewers on that front. So take it away.

LS: I do, the latest, Purdue University, CME Group AG Economy Barometer, came out this barometer, a survey results are from November 11th through 15th. And this was really the, did change from October’s sentiments to November.

And the barometer, was up 30 points from October to November, up 30 to 145. So, what changed? Some of the reasons, behind the improvement in farmer sentiment include expectations for a future regulatory and tax environment for the ag sector that is more favorable than expected prior to November elections. So specifically across the board, mostly positive sentiments in November, one third of respondents in November said they expect their operations to be funded, better off financially a year from now, compared to 19% of those, that responded in October.

Likewise, when asked to look ahead five years from now, over half, 52% of November’s respondents said they expect the US ag to experience widespread good times, compared to 34% who felt that way in October. And thirdly, the increase in optimism, in November’s survey spread to Farmers Investment Outlook. 22% in November said it’s a good time to make large investments compared to 15% who felt that way in October.

So following the 24 election, again, this was, surveys, November 11th through 15, big swing in farmers perspectives on environmental regs impacting us. In October, for instance, 41 of respondents said they expected the regulatory environment to become more restrictive in the next five years. In November, just 9% of farmers said they expect more restrictive, regulations in the next five years.

And then, the caveat, if you will, again, we’ll see positive sentiments, in November, nonetheless, the biggest concern expressed by farmers as the transition to a new administration gets underway is the future of agricultural trade. With over 2/5 of survey respondents in November saying they think a trade war is either likely or very likely.

So, again, good news, in terms of farmers sentiment from October to November, not only, you know, environmental regs, tax outlook, etc., but, I think just the again, the uncertainty, which, you know, regardless of who won the election just now, that we know what’s ahead. So, anyway, I always enjoyed that Purdue University CME Group.

ES: And you’re right I mean I know covering, you know, agriculture for the better part of a quarter century myself. I know the one thing that growers hate more than anything else is uncertainty when it comes to the weather, when it comes to regulations, the environmental, you know, and again, we had we had the election they now have we now know who the president elect is going to be come January.

And, just makes me wonder how much higher though the number would be if we had a farm bill extension, if we just the one, you know, if you’re out there.

LS: You’re right. You’re right. Yeah. It was good to say. I mean it up. It went up this much with an election and again, if there was no talk of tariffs and we had a new farm bill, actually making its way through Congress, I’m sure it would even be higher.

But absolutely, on those parts, we’ll have to wait and see what happens. So yeah. So what else you what else I got?

ES: Glad you asked. I know a couple of videos ago, of course, this was back in September. We reported that our good friend Bonnie McArdle was the executive director at the Mid-America Crop Life Association, announced at their annual meeting that she was stepping down, stepping aside, getting ready to retire.

So, the folks, good folks at MACA have been looking for a new executive director, and this week we found out that they have now found one. Oh, they announced earlier this week that Rodney Schmidt is going to be the new executive director. Now, Rodney has a long history in ag. He worked with companies like ICI Americas, American Cyan, amid Rhone-Poulenc Aventis and Bayer Crop Science, and he was also the MACA president in 2021 to 2022.

So, Rodney’s coming board and he will be transitioning into the executive director role during the first quarter of 2025. I know myself having attended many annual meetings of Mako. Rodney is a really great guy. I think the association is going to be in really, really good hands and hopefully in the near future we will, be able to talk with Rodney a little bit about his plans and goals for the association moving forward.

But in the meantime, we’ll wish Rodney and his family happy holidays and congratulations. And, one more time we’ll say thank you, Bonnie Mccarl, for doing the outstanding job you’ve done over the years. Yeah, no. That’s great. Congratulations to Rodney. It’s a great role. And big, big shoes to fill for sure, but all good, all good indeed.