In the six growing seasons since being formed as one entity, WinField United has been able to accomplish its mission, says Brett Bruggeman, the organization’s president. He highlights how WinField United is eyeing the changes to be made to prepare for the future.
Tell us about the change in strategy.
Our retail owners and their 4,000 retail sellers have always taken an agronomic leadership position. We’ve expanded our strategy to build on our agronomic leadership by adding more of a focus on total acre economics. It is really the expansion of what we call ‘building digital solutions’ on products, services and connections.
How will you serve the grower of tomorrow?
First, there’s outcome-based crop-level value. For example, this includes carbon levels, grain starch levels, grain protein levels. It’s the new markets that help the grower take advantage of what’s happening downstream with some of the food companies looking to pay for those premiums.
Also, it requires risk management tools. We redesigned our Answer Plot program to really turn those into actuary tables. The WinField United Advanced Acre Rx prescription program uses a systems approach to agronomy using data and insights from the Answer Plot program. It’s all about how to increase predictability and try to take as much risk out of farming as you can.
What does the retailer of the future look like?
In the crystal ball, it could go a thousand different ways. We’re focused on how do we make it feel and look like one-step that has the efficiencies while maintaining the trusted relationships and local expertise of the retail seller right at that point. You need market access. You need people who are going to sit down and consult and be that trusted adviser with the grower.
How is the business more resilient?
In the past year, 90% of the company’s business was conducted using Evolve software, which digitizes every transaction and provides for greater tracking of orders through the system. As a result of that and other initiatives, the company took more than 1 million miles out of its supply chain network.
