chem dealers

[darren442]

I am an agronomist and i have come to realize that the farmers today are up against a never ending battle. When a dollar is made there are 5 hands infront of them wanting 25 cents each. Were does it ever stop? It was brought to my attention that in the USA there are no chemical programs and here in Canada that is a major part of the Chem sales.The company i work for seems to think that selling there best suppliers product to keep them happy is better then giving the best agronomy advice possible. And I recommend the best chemical fit regardless who makes it. I'm starting to realize that some chem dealers are only out for themselves. My advice to you is find someone who is really out for your best interest and they really try to get you the best yield at the lowest cost. Granted theses companies may be hard to find but don't let loyalty be the reason why you still buy at your local dealer. Shop around and find someone who actually is looking out for your best interest. Try a consultant, they make a living on giving the best advice they can.

Good luck on your 2006 growing season

[crusher]

Finally someone who calls a spaid a spaid

[crusher]

Finally someone who calls a spaid a spaid

[crusher]

Finally someone who calls a spaid a spaid

[crusher]

Finally someone who calls a spaid a spaid

[SASKFARMER3]

Thank you now the whole of western Canada can believe what I say is true.
Just backed up by a Chem dealer.

[darren442]

What i failed to mention is that alot of people can talk but there is no action ever taken. I have actually quit my job so that i can find an employer that will let me be an agronomist and not a salesmen who's life revolves around quotas and bonus's made by amount of product sold.

My only advice i can give to anyone is check out Opti-crop on the internet. Lots of good information and there is something on there for everyone.

[northfarmer]

right on the money, literally...our farm will not be goaded into a product based on the margin oportunity for the retail chain, or the distributor, having been srewed before, not again....no different than being enouraged financially to use certain grassy weed herbicides becasue of the canola system you buy into....make every buying decision stand on its own, by the value it adds to your business....

is there anyone out there selling seed/chem/fert direct over the internet yet?

somebody should, maybe a bunch of farmers should do it?

[darren442]

The only thing about selling over the internet is the the cost of getting the product to your door would kill you. The price for frieght on a pallet of chemical would be big. I always thought if say 100 farmers each throw in five thousand dollars and just do it themselves.Have a reasonable markup of say 6-10% on everything, but you can buy in volume and save.Lease bins for your seed and fert. Find a used blender, maybe someone has a heated shed for a chemical building. Someone donate a couple acres for a building site. Then you could buy from who you want and get product shipped in from the cheapest source. Basically your starting your own ag retail to sell just to the members. This way it evens the playing field for everyone that has joined.

It's just a thougth

[wmoebis]

Darren442 Aren't you princaply talking co-op. I agree, but look at where our co-ops have gone. Seems to me they have lost the total concept of co-operative buying and selling. The farmer owned co-op grain companies have left us high and dry.
Don't get me wrong, we have to reinvent the wheel, just like the producer owned producer car loading facilities.
Seems,agast, that we have to re do what our forefathers did 50-60 yrs ago. Guess it's PROGRESS.
By the way what province you in?

[northfarmer]

not talking about a pallet at a time..i am interested in truckload quantities, ie, purchase all chemistry and seed for season....have truck and trailer and will go get it myself. Same with fert. many farms have the inhouse capablility to get the stuff themselves, why pay for the additonal cost of frieght and then the markup.

you could have central warehousing in each prov, offer delivery if required, use internet to get the price point into the market and use low overhead and high margin to offer lowest prices

not fond of coop idea, maybe new gen coop or simply private enterprise - most reponsive to market conditions, I am not opposed to someone making money, but more for me in the deal

I guess I would like to see more options than the local line co and the few independents that are in the game

we have in house competency on agronomics and do our own research into new product data and seed - give me the market to shave some of the 20 to 30% distributors and retailers inevitably make off my inputs....I sell volume wholesale, and am forced to by my inputs at retail...

I have volume buying ability and still pay too much to middleman, we need to get up the value chains on not only what we sell, but also what we buy.

[northfarmer]

sorry..above I meant to meant low overhead, low margin....must have been a freudian slip thinking of how I am treated by some vendors...

[darren442]

I'm in alberta use to be in Manitoba. The idea is like a coop but actually just a bunch of guys getting together to get cheaper pricing, you need a bussines to do it. If you can buy in large volumes the price goes down. Getting guys together isn't about making money it's about being able to lower your inputs buy not paying high markups from a retailer. The bussines may only make a few thousand dollars each year but each farmer who is in on it may save $5000 in inputs. Like i say it's just an idea but there has to be a way to get the price retailers get for the average farmer.

[wmoebis]

I agree with the concept.
How did the co-ops start? "It was actually just a bunch of guys getting together to get cheaper priceing".
The infastructure is there the concept is there the only trouble is we have let CEO's run it into the ground.
Do we need to reinvent the wheel here too? Maybe so.
I can't get the best price from my local co-op unless I volume buy. Which is bunch of crap and right out of co-operative concept. The idea of co-operative buying is buy volume so all members can share equally on the advantages of it and equally share the rewards of the price.
I like your concept but it is nothing new. Our grandfathers had the same vision. Do we need to reinvent the wheel maybe so.

[darren442]

What was lossed in the concept of the co-op was it became a retail and open to the public. Then pricing had to be the same in the community.Then the equity came into effect which is crap and just a bunch of smoke and mirrors to justify why there products are higher. I'm just thinking of a private co-op so to speak, a non-profit organization that really makes no money, but the members save. I think when you let everyone in on the co-op principle and you start wanting to make money thats were the focus is lost. If the main focus is on saving money on input costs then thats a win win situation.If every farmer could get there inputs at retail costs what more can we ask for. I know for a fact there is as high as 30% mark up on some micro nutrients. If you could buy them for say 6% markup that is a great savings to you right there if you use them. I ust think there has to be a better way of buying inputs. Now i'm not a farmer but an agronomist but giving you the best advice i can with out pressuring you into buying inputs based on quotas or making a chem company happy makes my job easier and i have a better sleep at night.