Think About This: When Everything Comes Together
There were no surprises when I pulled the report of our most-read news stories on AgProfessional.com in 2018. The trending theme among the best-performing headlines: mergers and consolidation.
As just one example, the formation of Nutrien at the very beginning of 2018 created the world’s No. 1 potash producer and the No. 3 nitrogen producer. Chuck Magro, CEO of Nutrien, says more consolidation is necessary in the industry as the farmer-customer pool continues on its own consolidation trajectory. (Read more from Magro on page 16.) And then the company made headlines this past summer in the ag technology space with its acquisition of Agrible for $63 million.
At the 2018 Farm Journal AgTech Expo, an important theme surfaced—and it’s tied to mergers and consolidation in a way—and that’s collaboration.
As businesses align and their resources combine, the opportunities accelerate. But bringing together complex technologies and ideas is a challenge. That’s what our columnist Steve Cubbage says he’s looking forward to the most in the ag tech space—who is going to really bring together the Internet of Things in a useful way. (Read more here.)
That strikes at the universal value in bringing things together, particularly when it seems fractured or disjointed. You sit at that intersection. As a trusted adviser to farmers, retailers and consultants have a powerful position in helping farmers adopt technology and adapt to change.
We highlight some examples in our January cover story on the Retailer of the Year, Simplot Grower Solutions. That story can be found here. Where does your story start?
