Just before his retirement from Nutrien, Jeff Tarsi talks about his career and how ag retail has evolved over the past four decades.
“I used to say that in being an agronomist, decision-making was 50% art and 50% science,” he says. “You took what you knew from the science side of the business, and then you added what your gut told you. Probably the most amazing thing that I’ve seen occur over my 40 years in this business is today we’ve moved that now to where it’s 90% science and 10% art or intuition.”
Starting his career at BASF, other roles in his career included at the ag retail division of ConAgra, Agrium, running CPS and now finishing his career at Nutrien. He’s participated in hundreds of mergers and acquisitions.
“I don’t know how many titles I’ve held in this company over the years, and titles never meant anything to me,” he says. “My dad told me one time: you can’t eat a title or feed kids with a title. And he was 100% right, but my point here is, I never asked for a single one of those jobs. And I believe if you put your head down, and your rear end up, and you just do the job in the seat you’re in somebody is going to notice.”
He shares insights on the ‘game-changer’ merger of Agrium and Nutrien seven years ago.
“That’s the thing I love about this company is we’re a first mover,” he says. “We’re in a cycle where you have to be efficient. And you have to drive efficiency. You’re going to really see this organization transform itself going forward—around efficiency and around the ability to better serve our 600,000 grower customers that we have across the globe.”
3 Big Trends
When asked to reflect on the trends shaping ag retail, Tarsi points to these:
Consolidation: He says consolidation in ag retail is influenced by what starts at the farm level.
“Consolidation is on the footsteps of really keeping up with our grower customers. The consolidation occurs first at the farm gate,” he says.
Technology: Tarsi reflects having a front row seat to see how technology has manifested with innovation from crop chemistry and new molecules, to GM crops, to equipment/GPS and now artificial intelligence.
Biologicals: He points out Nutrien has invested more than $500 million of investment from Nutrien.
“We think that’s the next big wave,” he says.
As for the next generation of ag retail leaders, Tarsi encourages them to stay on top of and in front of the momentum.
“My biggest deal for young people is: Run to change, not away. People say lean in. I go heavier than lean in. Run to it, absorb it, be a sponge.”
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