It Was A Great Year At Viafield!
Happy Holidays!
R
Connections December 2014 - Issue 48
www.viafield.com
It Was A Great Year At Viafield!
We’re Here For You! Kent Appler
First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to all of our member owners for doing business with Viafield this past year. Without your support, it would be difficult to continue bringing products and services your successful farming operation requires. This past year our member owners saw a large amount of preventative plant acres, grain that was higher in moisture than normal and a very cold and long winter. On the other hand, Mother Nature gave us a favorable growing season with above average yields in the fall. Just like our member owners, your cooperative sustained the same ups and downs this past year. Preventative planting doubled the effect on your cooperative, with less bushels of grain available for harvest and less fertilizer applied in the spring. While we were working through these challenges, our feed division continued to hit record tonnage volumes thru the mills. Our petroleum division likewise, gained market share and profitability increased with our AFD program. Our financial performance also experienced fluctuations. Earnings from local operations increased $2,311,001 over last fiscal year. Even with a decrease in regional patronage, your cooperative was able
to show an overall profit of $4,142,642 up $965,693 over last year. Kent Appler The board of directors recognizes that as the cooperative becomes more profitable, they want to share the profits with you, our member owners. This year, your directors allocated $3,000,000 dollars in patronage to be distributed to our membership with $500,000 in cash and $2,500,000 in non-qualified patronage. They also allocated an additional $500,000 cash revolvement of deferred nonqualified patronage from fiscal year 2013. When you include the spring distribution, your board has sent over $2,000,000 in cash back to the membership in 2014. As a good crop is harvested this fall, your cooperative anticipates a strong financial position in the coming year. With instabilities in the marketplace and changing weather patterns, I have been asked several times, “How does the cooperative cope with the challenges it faces?” The answer is easy; it starts with our team members. We are incredibly fortunate at Viafield to have great team members. We have an extremely tireless group of individuals who do a fantastic job of servicing our member owners. Without such dedicated
563-423-5293
CEO [email protected]
Steve Bodensteiner
641-330-9345
CFO [email protected]
Mike Harden
641-315-2515
Agronomy [email protected]
Bill Hayes
563-426-5566
Feed [email protected]
Mike Kuboushek
563-380-6156
Energy [email protected]
folks, the challenges we face each day would be hard to overcome. Once again, thank you for your business. We work exceptionally hard to earn it at each encounter, every day.
The 2014 Annual Report is now available online. Visit www.viafield.com/annualreports to download your copy.
Strengthen Your Herd With Supplements
Cows need you the most during the long cold winter. Proper nutrition goes a long way during this time of year.
Winter takes a toll on your herd 24 hours a day, increasing its energy requirements dramatically. For spring calving cows, that’s especially significant. Their bodies are already struggling to meet the energy demands of a maturing fetus. Consequently, it’s crucial they remain in sound body condition to successfully calve, produce milk and rebreed promptly. The last third of gestation accounts for about 70 to 80 percent of calf growth, with calves growing about two pounds each day during the last two weeks. So, cows must at least maintain body condition — and preferably gain slightly — during that last period so that they have sufficient energy stores to calve rapidly and easily. The short-term cost of feed to supplement cattle during the winter months often blinds producers to the long-term return they will receive on that investment. If they don’t make the expenditure, they may end up paying the price because their cows may have a reduced ability to conceive and conceive early, and may have a lower overall reproduction rate. Producers should consider making decisions that evaluate potential expenditures against projected calving rates, weaning weights, rebreeding rates and pregnancy rates.
Purina has a wide range of cattle feed supplements, such as Purina® Accuration® supplements, to provide that extra nutrition opportunity. Purina® Accuration® supplements not only provide balanced protein and energy, but also incorporate Intake Modifying Technology® which enhances digestion and aims to prevent overeating by stimulating cattle to eat smaller, more frequent meals. This self-regulated eating means cattle eat just what they need, so less feed is wasted and less hand feeding is required.
When the weather turns bad is when your cattle need you the most. It’s well documented that if they lose weight during this time, it will affect their ability to rebreed. Your Viafield nutritionist has the knowledge and expertise to help you develop the best possible feeding plan for your herd over the winter months. They will make sure that your cattle are in the best possible position throughout the season. Contact either Mike Kirby or Mason Kolbet today to get started.
Mike Kirby 563-423-5293 mkirby@ viafield.com
Mason Kolbet 641-395-2271 mgkolbet@ landolakes.com
Viafield Ag Youth Scholarship Now Available
Your cooperative is now excepting scholarship applications from high school seniors Your cooperative will once again offer six $1000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who plan to enroll as a full-time student in an agriculture-related major. The application deadline for this scholarship is March 13, 2015. Applicants will be judged on their leadership skills, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, motivation, and academic and personal goals. To be eligible, the student or the parent must be a patron member of Viafield. The student must also attend an accredited college, university or technical school. For more details and to aquire an application, visit www.viafield.com/scholarship
Viafield CEO, Kent Appler, presents Geordan Hanson with one of the 2013 Ag Youth Scholarships
Once Again This Fall, Propane Was Tight Energy Update
By the time you read this, the harvest of 2014 should be complete. As I mentioned in last month’s Connections, we were expecting another big drying season with huge demand for propane and possibly tight supplies. Well, I have to say, our guess was pretty close. The harvest season went very well and yields were good. Chances are, you received propane when you needed it, where you needed it, or before you came close to running out. So you’re probably thinking supply must have been good, and product supplies never got tight. Let me tell you what went on behind the scenes at Viafield that you didn’t see.
Mike Kuboushek Energy Team Leader
Propane supplies were again, very tight. There were many days that the propane terminals in Iowa had 4 to 6 hour long lines and some days, the lines were even longer. Viafield filled all of our storage, including the 3 new 30,000 gallon bullets that were installed this summer, prior to the busy season. There were days we pulled loads of propane out of terminals in Kansas and Nebraska due to the tight supplies in Iowa just to keep product in the tanks. We had many days that the propane storage at our facilities got very low, but never completely empty. Your Viafield propane delivery drivers and transport drivers stepped up to the challenge and worked 7 days a week, putting in some extremely long days to meet your needs. If your cooperative would not have had the additional 90,000 gallons of storage, we would have had several days where we would have been empty by 2:00 PM. As it turned out, we never ran out. If you get a chance, make sure to thank your propane delivery driver and transport drivers for doing whatever it took to get everyone’s propane needs met. Everyone on the Viafield Energy Team thanks you for your business in 2014 and we look forward to serving you in 2015.
It’s Time To Talk Seed
Don’t wait until after the holidays. Now is the time to book your seed for spring.
Helping our producers get the most return on every acre is accomplished through many strategies and tactics. Just a few of those tactics are deciding on the right seed for your operation and getting that seed at the best possible price. The agronomy team is fortunate to have a great selection of strong products that will maximise your return on investment. When you place your seed orders now, you not only lock in pricing, but also alleviate protential stress during planting season. Contact your Viafield Agronomy Account Relationship Manager today and get a jump on the spring planting season.
R
1001 Blunt Pkwy Charles City, IA 50616
R
Connections December 2014 Issue In this Issue • Another Great Year for Viafield • Strengthen Your Herd With Supplements • Ag Youth Scholarship Now Available
Happy Holidays Your cooperative will be CLOSED on Thursday, December 25th for Christmas and January 1st for New Years. Happy Holidays Everyone! www.viafield.com
• Energy Update • It’s Time To Talk Seed
Look inside for more info
R
Connections December 2014 - Issue 48
www.viafield.com
It Was A Great Year At Viafield!
We’re Here For You! Kent Appler
First and foremost, I would like to say thank you to all of our member owners for doing business with Viafield this past year. Without your support, it would be difficult to continue bringing products and services your successful farming operation requires. This past year our member owners saw a large amount of preventative plant acres, grain that was higher in moisture than normal and a very cold and long winter. On the other hand, Mother Nature gave us a favorable growing season with above average yields in the fall. Just like our member owners, your cooperative sustained the same ups and downs this past year. Preventative planting doubled the effect on your cooperative, with less bushels of grain available for harvest and less fertilizer applied in the spring. While we were working through these challenges, our feed division continued to hit record tonnage volumes thru the mills. Our petroleum division likewise, gained market share and profitability increased with our AFD program. Our financial performance also experienced fluctuations. Earnings from local operations increased $2,311,001 over last fiscal year. Even with a decrease in regional patronage, your cooperative was able
to show an overall profit of $4,142,642 up $965,693 over last year. Kent Appler The board of directors recognizes that as the cooperative becomes more profitable, they want to share the profits with you, our member owners. This year, your directors allocated $3,000,000 dollars in patronage to be distributed to our membership with $500,000 in cash and $2,500,000 in non-qualified patronage. They also allocated an additional $500,000 cash revolvement of deferred nonqualified patronage from fiscal year 2013. When you include the spring distribution, your board has sent over $2,000,000 in cash back to the membership in 2014. As a good crop is harvested this fall, your cooperative anticipates a strong financial position in the coming year. With instabilities in the marketplace and changing weather patterns, I have been asked several times, “How does the cooperative cope with the challenges it faces?” The answer is easy; it starts with our team members. We are incredibly fortunate at Viafield to have great team members. We have an extremely tireless group of individuals who do a fantastic job of servicing our member owners. Without such dedicated
563-423-5293
CEO [email protected]
Steve Bodensteiner
641-330-9345
CFO [email protected]
Mike Harden
641-315-2515
Agronomy [email protected]
Bill Hayes
563-426-5566
Feed [email protected]
Mike Kuboushek
563-380-6156
Energy [email protected]
folks, the challenges we face each day would be hard to overcome. Once again, thank you for your business. We work exceptionally hard to earn it at each encounter, every day.
The 2014 Annual Report is now available online. Visit www.viafield.com/annualreports to download your copy.
Strengthen Your Herd With Supplements
Cows need you the most during the long cold winter. Proper nutrition goes a long way during this time of year.
Winter takes a toll on your herd 24 hours a day, increasing its energy requirements dramatically. For spring calving cows, that’s especially significant. Their bodies are already struggling to meet the energy demands of a maturing fetus. Consequently, it’s crucial they remain in sound body condition to successfully calve, produce milk and rebreed promptly. The last third of gestation accounts for about 70 to 80 percent of calf growth, with calves growing about two pounds each day during the last two weeks. So, cows must at least maintain body condition — and preferably gain slightly — during that last period so that they have sufficient energy stores to calve rapidly and easily. The short-term cost of feed to supplement cattle during the winter months often blinds producers to the long-term return they will receive on that investment. If they don’t make the expenditure, they may end up paying the price because their cows may have a reduced ability to conceive and conceive early, and may have a lower overall reproduction rate. Producers should consider making decisions that evaluate potential expenditures against projected calving rates, weaning weights, rebreeding rates and pregnancy rates.
Purina has a wide range of cattle feed supplements, such as Purina® Accuration® supplements, to provide that extra nutrition opportunity. Purina® Accuration® supplements not only provide balanced protein and energy, but also incorporate Intake Modifying Technology® which enhances digestion and aims to prevent overeating by stimulating cattle to eat smaller, more frequent meals. This self-regulated eating means cattle eat just what they need, so less feed is wasted and less hand feeding is required.
When the weather turns bad is when your cattle need you the most. It’s well documented that if they lose weight during this time, it will affect their ability to rebreed. Your Viafield nutritionist has the knowledge and expertise to help you develop the best possible feeding plan for your herd over the winter months. They will make sure that your cattle are in the best possible position throughout the season. Contact either Mike Kirby or Mason Kolbet today to get started.
Mike Kirby 563-423-5293 mkirby@ viafield.com
Mason Kolbet 641-395-2271 mgkolbet@ landolakes.com
Viafield Ag Youth Scholarship Now Available
Your cooperative is now excepting scholarship applications from high school seniors Your cooperative will once again offer six $1000 scholarships to graduating high school seniors who plan to enroll as a full-time student in an agriculture-related major. The application deadline for this scholarship is March 13, 2015. Applicants will be judged on their leadership skills, scholastic achievement, extracurricular activities, motivation, and academic and personal goals. To be eligible, the student or the parent must be a patron member of Viafield. The student must also attend an accredited college, university or technical school. For more details and to aquire an application, visit www.viafield.com/scholarship
Viafield CEO, Kent Appler, presents Geordan Hanson with one of the 2013 Ag Youth Scholarships
Once Again This Fall, Propane Was Tight Energy Update
By the time you read this, the harvest of 2014 should be complete. As I mentioned in last month’s Connections, we were expecting another big drying season with huge demand for propane and possibly tight supplies. Well, I have to say, our guess was pretty close. The harvest season went very well and yields were good. Chances are, you received propane when you needed it, where you needed it, or before you came close to running out. So you’re probably thinking supply must have been good, and product supplies never got tight. Let me tell you what went on behind the scenes at Viafield that you didn’t see.
Mike Kuboushek Energy Team Leader
Propane supplies were again, very tight. There were many days that the propane terminals in Iowa had 4 to 6 hour long lines and some days, the lines were even longer. Viafield filled all of our storage, including the 3 new 30,000 gallon bullets that were installed this summer, prior to the busy season. There were days we pulled loads of propane out of terminals in Kansas and Nebraska due to the tight supplies in Iowa just to keep product in the tanks. We had many days that the propane storage at our facilities got very low, but never completely empty. Your Viafield propane delivery drivers and transport drivers stepped up to the challenge and worked 7 days a week, putting in some extremely long days to meet your needs. If your cooperative would not have had the additional 90,000 gallons of storage, we would have had several days where we would have been empty by 2:00 PM. As it turned out, we never ran out. If you get a chance, make sure to thank your propane delivery driver and transport drivers for doing whatever it took to get everyone’s propane needs met. Everyone on the Viafield Energy Team thanks you for your business in 2014 and we look forward to serving you in 2015.
It’s Time To Talk Seed
Don’t wait until after the holidays. Now is the time to book your seed for spring.
Helping our producers get the most return on every acre is accomplished through many strategies and tactics. Just a few of those tactics are deciding on the right seed for your operation and getting that seed at the best possible price. The agronomy team is fortunate to have a great selection of strong products that will maximise your return on investment. When you place your seed orders now, you not only lock in pricing, but also alleviate protential stress during planting season. Contact your Viafield Agronomy Account Relationship Manager today and get a jump on the spring planting season.
R
1001 Blunt Pkwy Charles City, IA 50616
R
Connections December 2014 Issue In this Issue • Another Great Year for Viafield • Strengthen Your Herd With Supplements • Ag Youth Scholarship Now Available
Happy Holidays Your cooperative will be CLOSED on Thursday, December 25th for Christmas and January 1st for New Years. Happy Holidays Everyone! www.viafield.com
• Energy Update • It’s Time To Talk Seed
Look inside for more info
