April 2012
R
Connections
www.viafield.com
April 2012 Issue 20
Encouraging Political Action on Your Behalf
Board of Directors Rick Matt / Pres
Kent Appler and Rick Matt visit Capitol Hill in Washington Clermont
Ron Balek / VP
Manly
Steve Fullerton / Sec
Rockford
Brad Brownell
Westgate
Jerry Jellings
Oelwein
Jim Jorgensen
Rudd
Dennis Meyer
Northwood
Karl Benjegerdes Rick Rex Rodney Shaffer Mike Staudt Jim Trainer
Manly Marble Rock Arlington Floyd Northwood
Contacts Kent Appler 563-423-5293 CEO [email protected] Brad Foster Grain Mike Harden Agronomy
641-420-5685 [email protected] 641-315-2515 [email protected]
Bill Hayes 563-426-5566 Feed [email protected] Mike Kuboushek 563-380-6156 Energy [email protected]
Viafield CEO Kent Appler and Board President Rick Matt, along with other Land O’ Lakes member cooperative general managers From Left: Rick Matt and and board Kent Appler in Wash D.C. presidents, brought their insight and concerns to Capitol Hill in Washington this April to call for a new farm bill, request support for farmer owned cooperatives and encourage regulatory relief for agriculture. “This is our third time lobbying in Washington on behalf of Iowa’s farmers, and I am always proud to represent our members when it comes to legislative issues,” says Appler. “I feel confident we accomplished our objectives and raised awareness about three main issues.” To achieve those objectives, Appler and Matt, in conjunction with the other Iowa delegation, met with all of Iowa’s congressional delegates (both senators and all five representatives). Following is a summary of what was discussed. Viafield supports continuation of national agricultural policy to achieve two broad objectives. 1). Assure a stable supply of food produced in
the United States at a reasonable cost to consumers. 2). Support family farms as the predominant structure for ownership and control of food production. To achieve those objectives, Viafield urged the House and Senate Ag committees to develop a new farm bill to replace the Food, Conservation, and Security Act which expires in 2012. Encouraging Iowa’s Congressmen to support farm cooperatives was also a priority. The Iowa delegation thanked members of Congress who are members of the Farmer Cooperative Caucus and urged support in 2012 of the Farmer Cooperative campaign to raise awareness of the vital role that farmer cooperatives play in American agriculture. Congressmen who were not members were encouraged to join. America’s farmers, ranchers, cooperatives and other ag businesses face a deluge of new and proposed regulations that will affect the way we do business and add costs to production of food, fiber and fuel. The goal while in Washington was to initiate oversight activities and legislation to restrain unwarranted regulator action by administrative agencies. The Board of Directors and the Viafield team encourage our members to ask questions and become involved in legislative issues that affect the agricultural community. For more information on this story please contact Kent Appler.
United Supply and Demand
United Suppliers and CF Industries invite Mike Harden to Brazil Agronomy Team Leader Mike Harden was invited this winter by United Suppliers and CF Industries to tour Brazil’s fertilizer facilities (picture one) and observe the logistics of the Brazil crop as it was harvested. The aim of the trip was to gain a better understanding of the global demand for fertilizer as well as gain insight on a major bean competitor in the world market. What Mike found was that the average farm in Brazil is 460,000 acres, the corn yields are about half of what they are in Iowa. Mike learned more about Brazilians two bean seasons and how they rotate corn with sugar cane and cotton (Picture two). It takes Brazilians about three days to travel to the port warehouse and about two days to return to the farm (picture three).
1)
From Left: Mike Harden, Bert Frost (Vice President CF Industries) and Matt Carstens (CEO of Fertlizer Division United Suppliers) tour the Port of Santos in Brazil
“With facilities like our dry and liquid fertilizer it’s important that we understand the global marketplace for fertilizer to ensure Viafield and our members have the best supplies possible,” says Harden. Raw ingredients are imported into the United States from all over the world, and Brazil is a major competitor for those supplies. The chart below shows Brazil’s exports for the last two years. One metric ton equals 2,204.62 pounds.
2)
3)
Maximize your Efficiency With Fast, Easy Financing. Hassle-free financing from your cooperative
Viafield has chosen CHS Capital for its producer financing partner, knowing CHS Capital can be trusted to look out for your best interests today and in the years to come. In fact, CHS Capital has dedicated more than 70 years to serving farmers and ranchers as well as cooperatives. You’ve got big plans for the season ahead. Let’s work together to make those plans happen. Maximize Your efficiency with fast, easy financing. No matter how hard you work, there are only so many hours in the day. That’s why it pays to take advantage of convenient operating loans with competitive rates, available right from Viafield. When every dollar counts. And every minute matters. You’ll accomplish more by getting your financing where you shop for inputs. And it doesn’t get any easier than our hassle-free approval
process that gives you fast access to the funds you need to grow your operation. Time is money. And you could use more of both. Viafield offers a complete line of financial packages in conjunction with CHS Capital, a lender that specializes in agricultural financing. Financing with someone who really understands your business can streamline the process and make your life so much easier. Save steps. Save stress. You’ll be working with knowledgeable, friendly people who recognize your challenges and appreciate the need for flexibility. You’ll find it’s fewer steps – and considerably less hassle – than working with a lender who doesn’t understand your operation and what it takes to succeed. Best of all, you get easy access to the funds you need throughout the season, saving you even more time during the busiest weeks. For more information on fast easy financing contact us at: 533 Bradford St. - P.O. Box 38 Marble Rock, IA 50653 - 800-992-2516
Crop production costs: • Crop protection products • Crop nutrients • Seed • Crop insurance • Irrigation • Repairs Livestock production costs: • Livestock purchases • Breeding stock • Refinancing current ownership of livestock • Labor expenses • Feed and supplements • Veterinary supplies Other expenses: • Rent • Family living • Hedging • Transportation
International Students Learning While Working Viafield welcomes ag students from the Ukraine to Iowa and Minnesota This year Viafield has expanded its internship program and partnered with PAR (Professional Ag Resourcing) to include students not only from the Midwest, From left: Riley Pangburn and but from overseas International Intern Oleksandr Sharyi as well. Six students fill anhydrous at Northwood from the Ukraine will participate in our internship program as members of your cooperative’s team. “We are excited for the opportunity to share our knowledge in agriculture with students from a different background,” say Chief Executive Officer Kent Appler. “It is my hope that this strategy will create a diverse and successful workplace for our organization.” About Professional Ag Resourcing Viafield has partnered with PAR (Professional Ag Resourcing) to bring additional resources through an international internship program to our organization. This program was started many years ago with a soil sampling company that found the program extremely successful. Because of the positive experience they were able to open up the resources to co-ops. Based on their success, Viafield is trying this out for the first time. PAR interviews and screens the candidates, provides the J-1 Visa, CDL training, housing, transportation and other support. Viafield offers them employment and presents an opportunity for them to learn North American agriculture and gain experience they can take back to their country.
Our Interns will have a Class A CDL with a tanker endorsement and a chemical handlers license, but will not be able to run an applicator or pull anhydrous. Our international interns come from a plethora of backgrounds within agriculture. These students, ranging from 23 to 29 years of age, will use this internship as a resumé builder once they have completed their schooling. For Viafield this opportunity provides extra resources and presents an opportunity to learn about agriculture in Europe. “Today agriculture is truly part of the world economy, and it’s great to have an opportunity to learn first-hand how other cultures practice agriculture. Plus, it’s great to have friends like our interns who may help open up other business avenues for Viafield,” says Kent Appler. Viafield’s international internship program began in mid March and will continue until November of this year.”
International interns from left: Vadym Kovalenko, Andriy Lyubychenko, Maksym (Max) Maga, Iaroslav Dzysiuk, Oleksandr (Sasha) Sharyi and Stanislav Kerdan
Selective Hedge is an online risk management program designed by a producer for producers. The stunning volatility and collapse of the 2008 market was a stark reminder that producers are exposed to severe swings of profitability on a daily basis. Selective Hedge is based on the idea that “knowing where you are” on a daily basis will lead to more consistent marketing decisions and larger profits. At the heart of the Selective Hedge program is a data management system that tracks a producer’s actual and implied production values, as well as accounting for other risk management structures. This information is then transformed into an equity snapshot called the Revenue Chart that incorporates several different financial and production benchmarks. This allows a producer to make more rational business decisions with confidence, no matter what the market action is. To set up a free trial contact Grain Business Team Leader Brad Foster at 641.420.5685 today!
R
PO Box 38 Marble Rock, Ia 50653
Connections
R
April 2012 Issue In this Issue
• Lobbying in Washington • United Supply and Demand • Viafield International Interns • Producer Financing Information • Selective Hedging Risk Tool
Details Inside
Look inside for more information!
www.viafield.com
Connections
www.viafield.com
April 2012 Issue 20
Encouraging Political Action on Your Behalf
Board of Directors Rick Matt / Pres
Kent Appler and Rick Matt visit Capitol Hill in Washington Clermont
Ron Balek / VP
Manly
Steve Fullerton / Sec
Rockford
Brad Brownell
Westgate
Jerry Jellings
Oelwein
Jim Jorgensen
Rudd
Dennis Meyer
Northwood
Karl Benjegerdes Rick Rex Rodney Shaffer Mike Staudt Jim Trainer
Manly Marble Rock Arlington Floyd Northwood
Contacts Kent Appler 563-423-5293 CEO [email protected] Brad Foster Grain Mike Harden Agronomy
641-420-5685 [email protected] 641-315-2515 [email protected]
Bill Hayes 563-426-5566 Feed [email protected] Mike Kuboushek 563-380-6156 Energy [email protected]
Viafield CEO Kent Appler and Board President Rick Matt, along with other Land O’ Lakes member cooperative general managers From Left: Rick Matt and and board Kent Appler in Wash D.C. presidents, brought their insight and concerns to Capitol Hill in Washington this April to call for a new farm bill, request support for farmer owned cooperatives and encourage regulatory relief for agriculture. “This is our third time lobbying in Washington on behalf of Iowa’s farmers, and I am always proud to represent our members when it comes to legislative issues,” says Appler. “I feel confident we accomplished our objectives and raised awareness about three main issues.” To achieve those objectives, Appler and Matt, in conjunction with the other Iowa delegation, met with all of Iowa’s congressional delegates (both senators and all five representatives). Following is a summary of what was discussed. Viafield supports continuation of national agricultural policy to achieve two broad objectives. 1). Assure a stable supply of food produced in
the United States at a reasonable cost to consumers. 2). Support family farms as the predominant structure for ownership and control of food production. To achieve those objectives, Viafield urged the House and Senate Ag committees to develop a new farm bill to replace the Food, Conservation, and Security Act which expires in 2012. Encouraging Iowa’s Congressmen to support farm cooperatives was also a priority. The Iowa delegation thanked members of Congress who are members of the Farmer Cooperative Caucus and urged support in 2012 of the Farmer Cooperative campaign to raise awareness of the vital role that farmer cooperatives play in American agriculture. Congressmen who were not members were encouraged to join. America’s farmers, ranchers, cooperatives and other ag businesses face a deluge of new and proposed regulations that will affect the way we do business and add costs to production of food, fiber and fuel. The goal while in Washington was to initiate oversight activities and legislation to restrain unwarranted regulator action by administrative agencies. The Board of Directors and the Viafield team encourage our members to ask questions and become involved in legislative issues that affect the agricultural community. For more information on this story please contact Kent Appler.
United Supply and Demand
United Suppliers and CF Industries invite Mike Harden to Brazil Agronomy Team Leader Mike Harden was invited this winter by United Suppliers and CF Industries to tour Brazil’s fertilizer facilities (picture one) and observe the logistics of the Brazil crop as it was harvested. The aim of the trip was to gain a better understanding of the global demand for fertilizer as well as gain insight on a major bean competitor in the world market. What Mike found was that the average farm in Brazil is 460,000 acres, the corn yields are about half of what they are in Iowa. Mike learned more about Brazilians two bean seasons and how they rotate corn with sugar cane and cotton (Picture two). It takes Brazilians about three days to travel to the port warehouse and about two days to return to the farm (picture three).
1)
From Left: Mike Harden, Bert Frost (Vice President CF Industries) and Matt Carstens (CEO of Fertlizer Division United Suppliers) tour the Port of Santos in Brazil
“With facilities like our dry and liquid fertilizer it’s important that we understand the global marketplace for fertilizer to ensure Viafield and our members have the best supplies possible,” says Harden. Raw ingredients are imported into the United States from all over the world, and Brazil is a major competitor for those supplies. The chart below shows Brazil’s exports for the last two years. One metric ton equals 2,204.62 pounds.
2)
3)
Maximize your Efficiency With Fast, Easy Financing. Hassle-free financing from your cooperative
Viafield has chosen CHS Capital for its producer financing partner, knowing CHS Capital can be trusted to look out for your best interests today and in the years to come. In fact, CHS Capital has dedicated more than 70 years to serving farmers and ranchers as well as cooperatives. You’ve got big plans for the season ahead. Let’s work together to make those plans happen. Maximize Your efficiency with fast, easy financing. No matter how hard you work, there are only so many hours in the day. That’s why it pays to take advantage of convenient operating loans with competitive rates, available right from Viafield. When every dollar counts. And every minute matters. You’ll accomplish more by getting your financing where you shop for inputs. And it doesn’t get any easier than our hassle-free approval
process that gives you fast access to the funds you need to grow your operation. Time is money. And you could use more of both. Viafield offers a complete line of financial packages in conjunction with CHS Capital, a lender that specializes in agricultural financing. Financing with someone who really understands your business can streamline the process and make your life so much easier. Save steps. Save stress. You’ll be working with knowledgeable, friendly people who recognize your challenges and appreciate the need for flexibility. You’ll find it’s fewer steps – and considerably less hassle – than working with a lender who doesn’t understand your operation and what it takes to succeed. Best of all, you get easy access to the funds you need throughout the season, saving you even more time during the busiest weeks. For more information on fast easy financing contact us at: 533 Bradford St. - P.O. Box 38 Marble Rock, IA 50653 - 800-992-2516
Crop production costs: • Crop protection products • Crop nutrients • Seed • Crop insurance • Irrigation • Repairs Livestock production costs: • Livestock purchases • Breeding stock • Refinancing current ownership of livestock • Labor expenses • Feed and supplements • Veterinary supplies Other expenses: • Rent • Family living • Hedging • Transportation
International Students Learning While Working Viafield welcomes ag students from the Ukraine to Iowa and Minnesota This year Viafield has expanded its internship program and partnered with PAR (Professional Ag Resourcing) to include students not only from the Midwest, From left: Riley Pangburn and but from overseas International Intern Oleksandr Sharyi as well. Six students fill anhydrous at Northwood from the Ukraine will participate in our internship program as members of your cooperative’s team. “We are excited for the opportunity to share our knowledge in agriculture with students from a different background,” say Chief Executive Officer Kent Appler. “It is my hope that this strategy will create a diverse and successful workplace for our organization.” About Professional Ag Resourcing Viafield has partnered with PAR (Professional Ag Resourcing) to bring additional resources through an international internship program to our organization. This program was started many years ago with a soil sampling company that found the program extremely successful. Because of the positive experience they were able to open up the resources to co-ops. Based on their success, Viafield is trying this out for the first time. PAR interviews and screens the candidates, provides the J-1 Visa, CDL training, housing, transportation and other support. Viafield offers them employment and presents an opportunity for them to learn North American agriculture and gain experience they can take back to their country.
Our Interns will have a Class A CDL with a tanker endorsement and a chemical handlers license, but will not be able to run an applicator or pull anhydrous. Our international interns come from a plethora of backgrounds within agriculture. These students, ranging from 23 to 29 years of age, will use this internship as a resumé builder once they have completed their schooling. For Viafield this opportunity provides extra resources and presents an opportunity to learn about agriculture in Europe. “Today agriculture is truly part of the world economy, and it’s great to have an opportunity to learn first-hand how other cultures practice agriculture. Plus, it’s great to have friends like our interns who may help open up other business avenues for Viafield,” says Kent Appler. Viafield’s international internship program began in mid March and will continue until November of this year.”
International interns from left: Vadym Kovalenko, Andriy Lyubychenko, Maksym (Max) Maga, Iaroslav Dzysiuk, Oleksandr (Sasha) Sharyi and Stanislav Kerdan
Selective Hedge is an online risk management program designed by a producer for producers. The stunning volatility and collapse of the 2008 market was a stark reminder that producers are exposed to severe swings of profitability on a daily basis. Selective Hedge is based on the idea that “knowing where you are” on a daily basis will lead to more consistent marketing decisions and larger profits. At the heart of the Selective Hedge program is a data management system that tracks a producer’s actual and implied production values, as well as accounting for other risk management structures. This information is then transformed into an equity snapshot called the Revenue Chart that incorporates several different financial and production benchmarks. This allows a producer to make more rational business decisions with confidence, no matter what the market action is. To set up a free trial contact Grain Business Team Leader Brad Foster at 641.420.5685 today!
R
PO Box 38 Marble Rock, Ia 50653
Connections
R
April 2012 Issue In this Issue
• Lobbying in Washington • United Supply and Demand • Viafield International Interns • Producer Financing Information • Selective Hedging Risk Tool
Details Inside
Look inside for more information!
www.viafield.com
