Any good buyers left?

[Blaithin]

I appreciate your comments, but it sounds like
You’re not familiar with how places work other than the one you’re at. I’ve seen location merchants working on the driveway cause they have grain experience, they grade cars. But now, they’re hiring idiots who don’t know anything. To do hedging, I agree that you don’t need grain knowledge. But to do shipping, grading, talk to farmers, you better learn what you’re doing or not one of your customers will respect you.
I’ve dealt with a lot sales people who didn’t grow up on a farm but were willing to learn, and they were great reps. What I’m saying is the 4 terminals I’m talking about are hiring people who don’t know shit from brown paper.

I've worked at more that one place, more than one company. They are all fairly separate between the office and the terminal. Some merchants were a bit more... interested? in terminal work than others, but still not much.

Smaller elevators are more likely to still have sales working in the terminal but the high throughput ones, not so much. It would make sense for sales to do a day or week every now and then in the grading room to brush up on stuff. It would also make sense to have terminal staff tag along with sales now and then to learn a bit about that side of the business. But while that gets talked about, it doesn't usually happen. Job positions are now specialized and full time on their own.

It's a throwback to still have a CSR that also has hands on grading. The most you can hope for is they can read the CGC guide and reference posters and translate why your grade is what it is.

Out of the dozen merchants I know I can think of one that should/could be able to offer a grade but he has no interest in doing so and would play dumb. Grading is not his job. Just like out of the dozens of terminal staff I know, none would be able to manage a sale or contract. Doesn't matter what company they work for, they're all at high input, high output facilities and are required to do one job only. It's a small circle, companies and staff know what other companies and staff are doing.

The hope farmers can have is that new staff that are hired, either in the terminal or for sales, are trained up well, by knowledgeable people, because honestly, even a farming background is only the most basic of help. If you can tell the difference between barley, wheat and canola you're ahead of the town kids sure, but it's rare to find someone that, even though they were raised on a grain farm, can distinguish between CWRS, CPSR and CWRW or can pick heated out of a cereal grain. That is more than a background skill, it takes training. Training takes time.

The biggest downfall I've seen recently is with so many new builds going up, the trained staff are predominantly going to these new builds, leaving the older builds high and dry. They have no option but to hire mostly inexperienced staff and they have little to nobody around to train these new, no experience, people.

None of this means don't go in the grading room and watch though. Do that.

[tubs]

What I do when a guy does not get treated fairly I put the company in the penalty box and don't deal with them for awhile and this can be over the littlest thing staff has to be freindly and treat you like a customer sometimes they forget that

[Bushpusher]

What I do when a guy does not get treated fairly I put the company in the penalty box and don't deal with them for awhile and this can be over the littlest thing staff has to be freindly and treat you like a customer sometimes they forget that

If I follow that rule I’d end up taking 2 terminals in my area off my list. Same company though. That’s the point I’m at, been burned too many times. If someone calls to buy my grain and can’t talk about what’s happening in the market and tries to feed me bs, why bother.

[tubs]

If I follow that rule I’d end up taking 2 terminals in my area off my list. Same company though. That’s the point I’m at, been burned too many times. If someone calls to buy my grain and can’t talk about what’s happening in the market and tries to feed me bs, why bother.

Then just deal with grain brokerages lots of those around too.

[walterm]

I sure agree that many of the CSR's at many of the elevators are green as grass. With time they many will do well but as in any business some are duds. We will sell regularly to several plants and there is only one or two with what I call a old time type of grain buyer. It is definitely on us as the farmer to make sure things are done right as these young people just don't realize the problem. Funny thing today is grade doesn't seem to matter anymore, its all on price. What is my grain worth net to me? Doesn't matter whether they call it #1 or #3, what is the net price? When some outfits use different grades and protein spreads for their base grades , I always have to ask what's my net price. I think a year like this those with uncontracted grain to sell will be far more in the drivers seat. I'm sure there are is going to be more times of price increases at certain elevators just to finish off a train. I think the "merchant" buying grain that are above the local CSR's for several elevators are going to earn their paycheck this year.

Your right to a point about what they call it not your issue for price. They can pay you what ever they want for what ever quality they need. That is why feed is sometimes priced higher than milling wheat. However do you think they don't care about quality? Otherwise why not just sell over the phone why do they always want to see a sample? Their customers sure want to know what they are buying for quality.

Grades are only a guarantee of minimum and maximum tolerances of disease, damage and FM in lot of grain so they can bin and blend to meet end users needs.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

We will need to get used to having unqualified young people in positions such as this.

This is in no way a rant against the younger generation, I've never bought into that.

But it is acknowledging that there are almost no farm kids left to draw from to fill these positions due to the declining number of farmers.
And the baby boomers that currently fill these jobs are retiring en masse.

There are lots of smart, capable, hard working kids who didn't grow up on a farm ( and lots of farm kids who don't fit the mold too... ), but the hands on experience, work ethic, and knowledge that comes from growing up being intimately involved with a farm ( or any other family business for that matter), just can't be replaced. Not many businesses that can involve the kids from a young age where they can pick up on the attributes the work force values.

Our farm kids can likely get into any job they want, and set their own conditions, their skill set is so rare and valuable now.

[LEP]

The “merchant” at one of the places I’m talking about has no previous grain experience other sweeping the driveway. How can I trust that person when I’ve caught mistakes made by them on the driveway? Now they’re the one watching the others? Makes zero sense. I asked who they learned from, the names I was given…I laughed. One was the current manager who yet has to leave the safety of their office to talk to me when I’m there. Never seen this person outside of their office once. Just a joke. The other was an idiot, was trying to buy my grain and seemed scared to come to the farm, couldn’t talk farming if his life depended on it, now I hear he’s got a big promotion. This year I’ll be asking to see grade inspector certificates, I want proof that the people grading my grain are actually trained. Or they accept my third party grading cert, or I go elsewhere. Game over. I’m
Not playing anymore

I think you are getting your terminology wrong. A merchant is the person located in head office and manages the book of business for a particular grain on behalf of the company. They set the price for the company level and after taking into account freight and competitive factors, set the price for individual locations.

The people you refer to are the CSR's. They basically have to carry a conversation and dial the phone not much more. Don't expect wisdom to come from them.

Also don't rely on a grain company for marketing advice or reliable info to make a decision. According to half the reps that I deal with it is always a good time to sell right now.

Pay for a couple good newsletters.

[shtferbrains]

Farm kids are sometimes better able to carry on a conversation and inspire some confidence that they know what you are talking about or can pick it up with a short explination.
Assuming they haven't spent their life in the basement gaming. That has been happening for 20+ yrs.

They also sometimes arn't as intimidated by the grumpy old farmer show.

.

[DaneG]

Why not have government inspectors to grade at elevators they are in every slaughter house to inspect and grade carcasses.

[Bushpusher]

I think you are getting your terminology wrong. A merchant is the person located in head office and manages the book of business for a particular grain on behalf of the company. They set the price for the company level and after taking into account freight and competitive factors, set the price for individual locations.

The people you refer to are the CSR's. They basically have to carry a conversation and dial the phone not much more. Don't expect wisdom to come from them.

Also don't rely on a grain company for marketing advice or reliable info to make a decision. According to half the reps that I deal with it is always a good time to sell right now.

Pay for a couple good newsletters.

Good point. But I’m not getting my terms mixed up. Pioneer calls their head buyers at the terminals merchants. I agree with you though, merchants are the guys in head office. Pretty sure pioneer just uses that title to make their people sound smart, but talk to them for a minute and you realize they’re just csr’s. In the last year in my area pioneer’s been hiring people with a pulse cause they can’t get anyone good. Everyone who was good left. And I don’t rely on them for information, I just think that the person buying my grain should at least be able to carry on a conversation about what’s happening in the markets, if they can’t, I won’t deal with them cause they’re an idiot.

I do get some newsletters and like I said in my first post I hired an advisor this year also