7 Top Producers Reflect and Look Ahead
We asked some of our previous Top Producer of the Year awardees to share a bit about what’s happening on their farming operations — looking at both the past year and out on the horizon.
Q: What Went Well This Year?
A: I would say our marketing plan worked well this year. We also purchased a John Deere See and Spray sprayer that saved us a lot of chemical expense. ~Bill Came
A: Our understanding of how to capitalize on carbon markets increased substantially this year. ~John Carroll
A: We had one of the most efficient planting and harvest seasons. Our team has really turned into a project management group and refined its processes. As the leader it is very humbling and exciting to watch. ~Kristjan Hebert
A: The market was volatile, giving two major spikes to price grain. Better prices had farmers and elevators in the majority of the corn belt sold out, so storage was not an issue as this crop dropped into the bins. Prices for fertilizer and fuels moderated. ~Ben Riensche
A: We had an overall reduction of conventional fertilizer by 40% using biologicals. ~Roric Paulman
Q: What Do You Want to Improve Upon Next Year?
A: We have been doing a lot of drainage work and liming to improve yields. We plan on continuing those things but hope we can get some rain to see some benefit. ~Bill Came
A:We aim to develop strong No. 2 people for key positions in case we lose No. 1. ~John Carroll
A: We’ll work on cost cutting through efficiency and communication. Inflation control will be the name of the game next year. ~Jeremy Jack
Q: In Years of Tighter Margins, Where Does Your Focus Go?
A: We always try to be as efficient as possible, regardless of how tight our margins are. The areas we focus most on are keeping our machinery costs per acre as low as possible and making sure that we aren’t spending money on inputs that aren’t giving us a return. ~Bill Came
A: We’d focus on hunting for expansion opportunities in distressed assets. ~John Carroll
A: It goes to margin management, where can we reduce costs and increase revenue. As commodity prices drop, expenses are always slow to follow, historically; it is our job to find the opportunities in cost reduction in order to protect margin for the operation. ~Kristjan Hebert
A: We focus on inflation control. Practices that had an ROI in the past might not in the future. ~Jeremy Jack
A: Expenses and increased efficiencies are always key. We hone in on how to do a better job with the people and resources we already have without adding any additional. ~Ron Rabou
A: Our focus is cost control. Fewer things make sense with $4 corn than $7 corn. No. 1 on the hit list is equipment costs. Farm machinery has inflated 100% in five years, with routine 20% increases. A lot of the tech gadgetry used to sell this has not stayed functional, and a lot of it just provides information without analysis or production system guidance. Also, vendors can’t expect farmers to hold their inventory for them with increased interest rates. It’s time to push back on the payment cycle. ~Ben Riensche
Join us Feb. 5 to 7 in Kansas City for Top Producer Summit. This is the leading networking and education event!
