2nd Quarter Newsletter 2015

Visit us @ www.prideag.com

MANAGER’S DESK

Jerald Kemmerer-CEO/GM Pride Ag Resources Hope your spring is going well. The recent rains have been helpful but of course, more is needed to keep wheat crop moving forward and to allow us to plant for fall crops, as you all know.

The auditors have completed their task in reviewing your cooperatives financials. We did not meet our anticipated goals, at least not my goals as manager.

This financial situation seems to be the same pattern for most cooperatives throughout southwest Kansas.

It has been difficult dealing with lack of moisture in past four years and only half of wheat

SECOND QUARTER 2015

crop productions during that time.

The fall bushels helped offset some our lack of wheat bushels, but we could not get enough of the fall crop marketed in time to overturn the loss in wheat revenue. Our auditor will review the audit with you at our 100th year anniversary annual meeting on May 8th.

Even though financial targets were not met, I believe the numbers will at least indicate the positive impact Pride Ag Resources has from its diversification and strong balance sheet.

As we begin the new fiscal year, we are off to a good start with the movement of grain and good spring agronomy applications acres.

All other departments of

Pride Ag Resources seem to be off to a good start this new fiscal year too.

As your Pride Ag Resources cooperative continues to grow especially in our areas of expertise, I would like to introduce two new areas. One of the growth areas is the production of turf fertilizer under the registered trademark name of Augusta Green.

This production facility is located in Ensign which allows us to utilize unused assets in the old fertilizer shed. The Fertilizer used for turf production is the same that we use in crop production but fine-tuned for Kansas soils. The marketing of Augusta Green will be through our Ace Hardware stores and other retail outlets.

Inside This Issue 2 Safety 3 Ace Hardware - Grain 4 Feed 5 Agronomy 6 AV Energy 7 IT-Department - Board of Directors

I would also like to announce the purchase of an Alco building in Lyons Kansas for development of another Ace Hardware store.

What makes this Lyons store logistically ideal is that we go to Lyons for salt approximately 30 times per year. We look for the start up to happen very soon.

As mentioned this is your cooperatives' 100th year celebration. We are looking forward to a great evening with great speakers and a good program. I hope you all can attend in celebrating the past 100 year’s success.

Safety Division

Skyler Hayes Safety Director

FARMERS AND DEPRESSION While there is not a broad consensus among professionals about whether or not farmers have a greater percentage of depression than the general public, no one will deny that farmers, as are any segment of the population, susceptible to depression. There is not usually a single cause of depression, as depression can be a combination of biological,

psychological and social factors.

Lifestyle choices, relationships and coping skills can also play a role in depression. Stressful life events or anything that makes one feel useless, helpless, alone, sad or overwhelmed by stress can trigger depression.

Some symptoms of depression can be physical, such as back pain, headaches, sleep difficulties, sexual problems and digestive disorders. Anger can also be a symptom of depression. Displays of anger include irritability, sensitivity to criticism, loss of one’s sense of humor, road rage, short temper and violence.

Another symptom of depression is reckless behavior such as dangerous sports, driving recklessly and engaging in unsafe sex.

Other reckless behaviors include drinking too much, drug abuse and compulsive gambling.

The two most common treatments for depression are therapy and medication.

Therapy is often very effective, as the simple act of opening up to a therapist can bring a swift sense of relief. If going to a therapist is not an option, opening up to a trusted friend or family member can bring great relief.

Antidepressant medication is the other common treatment for depression, and people taking antidepressant medication often report relief.

Some practitioners feel that therapy offers a more permanent solution to depression than medication.

Depression must be treated on a case by case basis, and one wants to make certain that, if antidepressant medication is to be used, that it prescribed by a doctor who is trained in mental health.

Lifestyle changes are effective tools at treating depression.

Even if one is receiving therapy and/or medication to treat depression, lifestyle changes can help lift depression.

Regular exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep and reducing stress care all lifestyle changes that may help alleviate one’s depression.

Exercise releases feel good chemicals in the brain such as endorphins and serotonin can boost one’s self esteem and can improve one’s sleep. Eating well (not a lot) can also help with depression. Eat smaller, wellbalanced meals through the day.

Try to stay away from sugary foods, as you will pay for the quick boost they give you with a crash later on in the day. Bvitamins and certain omeg-3 fats can also give your mood a boost. We all know that not getting enough sleep can lead to irritability and moodiness. Aim for about eight hours of sleep each night. Lastly, try to reduce stress. For the average farmer, this is a tall order. Drought, commodity prices, harvest and other busy seasonal times, equipment breakdowns, government mandates, family obligations, high overhead costs, etc. etc. The list seems to go on and on for farmers.

Because of the stress level in farming, it is so vitally important to practice the other lifestyle changes.

Depression is a complex mental health issue. What one should understand is that depression is an illness, and, just like other illnesses, it is treatable. The first step is to seek help if you think you or a loved one may be suffering from depression. Find a doctor, family member, trusted friend, therapist, pastor or priest to talk to and get 2

started on the road to recovery.

Remember that almost all cases of depression can be treated successfully.

GRAIN DIVISION

------------

ACE HARDWARE

Gaylene Friesen Grain Specialist

Jack Lane, Ace Manager

Garden season is upon us and Ace has all your garden needs from fertilizers to rotor tillers to live plants. Ace has a full line of chemicals and pesticides for all your garden needs. We are carrying a full line of Toro mowers from walk behind to zero turn radius mowers. Stop by and take a look at the zero turn with a steering wheel rather than dual sticks. The Maize store also has a full line of Stihl products for all your outdoor needs, contact them or any of the Pride Ag Ace locations. There will be all different things happening at the different locations so keep checking the Pride Ag web site for up to date happenings. The Pride Ag Ace locations thank you for your business and continued support.

How many words does it take to describe what’s going on in the grain world? Zip, zilch, zero, nada, NOTHING! That pretty much sums it up; there is just not any new news for the grain traders to trade on. We need rain; no new news there. It’s planting time; even the March 31st USDA Planting Intentions report didn’t spark an acre war between corn and soybeans. The rumor that more acres could be planted to milo hasn’t added any spark either. Also at this point, we do not know if the basis on old crop milo will continue into new crop milo.

We will know more on that as new crop export sales get booked. The wheat has been damaged by winter kill and drought in a lot of areas; no new news there.

Worldwide there is still a lot of wheat in inventory, and with a bin buster corn harvest, we have plenty of corn in inventory; no new news there. That is why the least little thing such as rain or freezing temperatures

causes such drastic swings in the market. We saw that this week. With scattered rains over the weekend, the wheat market dropped 27 cents on Monday and continued down all week. Have we seen the low in wheat yet? Maybe; maybe not. According to CHS Hedging, some of the things to watch in the coming weeks that will affect the price of wheat are: • US exports are down.

We are still approximately $30 MMT overpriced to be competitive in the world market.

• The Rosario Grain Exchange in Argentina lowered their expected wheat planting area from 4.4 million hectares to 4.1 million hectares.

• France’s StrategieGrain increased their projection for EU soft wheat production by 1 MMT. • Russia is expected to lift their export tax on wheat at the end of June unless their winter wheat crop conditions deteriorate.

• ProZerno, a Russian analytics group, has estimated Russia’s wheat production 58.1 MMT as opposed to trade estimates of 50 to 55 MMT. 3

Date

Wheat Corn Milo Soybean

01/6/15

5.91

4.17

4.15

9.71

02/4/15

5.13

3.96

4.07

8.87

02/19/15

5.05

4.02

4.43

9.22

03/19/15

5.10

3.86

4.27

8.77

4.94

4.60

14.02

Last Year –May, 2014 AVG.

7.68

it’s been up a couple of days in a row.

Remember, marketing your grain takes a different strategy than it did 10 – 15 years ago. As the saying goes, “Hope for the best; plan for the worst”.

-------------------------

My own observation, of things to watch for are: •

•

The value of the US Dollar. The Dollar has been very high the last few months.

Therefore, it’s been much harder for the US to win export bids.

The US Weather particularly in the wheat and corn belt.

Both too much and not enough rain will have effects on the grain markets.

Even though we have no control over current events and weather, we do have control over our decision making process.

Keep informed. There are lots of commentaries you can read.

We have some on our website, and you can read CHS Hedging commentaries at chshedging.com. Know your breakeven point for your wheat so you can take advantage of up markets.

Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking the market will keep going up just because

FEED DIVISION

Calvin Carey Feed Sales Specialist

Bull Management The bull is often the most nutritionally forgotten part of the beef herd. Proper bull management, particularly nutrition is vital to ensure the long-term viability of beef herd. The bull contributes one-half of the genetics to each calf crop and without a functional bull that contribution and an adequate calf crop is not realized.

Therefore proper and adequate nutritional management of the herd bull is paramount to the breeding season success and economic viability of the beef enterprise.

There are a number of well - defined nutritional periods during a bull’s life.

*Pre-pubertal – pre-weaning – during this period the bull is at the dam’s side and nutrition during this period is likely adequate to ensure normal growth and development.

Exceptions would be indicated when the cow or heifer’s nutritional environment limits milk production. Creep feeding of the beef herd is often utilized.

Protein tubs can also be used to supplement the bulls’ protein needs when pastures are limited. *Post-weaning - this period of nutrition development should allow bulls to grow at nearly the bull’s genetic potential. The nutrition goal of this period is to grow bulls rapidly, avoid excessive fat development, and avoid digestive upset that might affect the soundness of the bull. Research indicates that either under or over feeding nutrition during this period can have a detrimental effect on bull development and attainment of puberty and semen quality. *Conditioning prior to the breeding season – this period is the most important next to development phrase. Not only do growing bulls need this conditioning period, but mature bulls need to be conditioned before entering service during the breeding season.

Growing bulls generally have just gone through the development phrase of a high energy diet.

There needs to be a transition ration from the high energy to the maintenance diet that is foraged based.

The 4

conditioning period should be around 60 days. This time frame should be adequate time for the bulls to adjust to a new diet. Well-conditioned bulls can moderate their fat cover or “harden up” like-wise thin bulls have time to increase body condition. The 60-day time frame also provides adequate time for the sperm population to turnover and quality sperm to develop prior to the bull entering breeding season in a body condition score of 5.5 to 6.0. This body condition score provides the bull adequate body reserves to draw on during the breeding season. * During the breeding season the nutritional environment during this period is almost the same as the cow herd. Special nutritional attention for bulls is nearly impossible during this period. The conditioning period prior to initiation of the breeding season becomes all the more important. Bulls during the breeding season can lose 100 – 400 pounds of body weight which equates to a loss of 1 to 4 units of body condition score.

The amount of bodyweight and body condition loss will be influenced by age of the bull. Body condition, length of the breeding season, level of activity, experience by the bull and breed type of the bull can also be influenced. *Post nutrition after breeding season – bulls after the breeding season likely will need some attention to restore their bodyweight and body condition.

The amount of bodyweight and body condition that needs to be replaced after the breeding season will depend on how much bodyweight and body condition the bull mobilized.

The length of the breeding season and the resulting recovery period will dictate the intensity of the feeding program to recover lost bodyweight.

Young bulls that still have growth requirements will result in greater feed inputs. Terminal sire type bulls may require supplemental feed to regain bodyweight due to poor pasture conditions. Maternal sire bulls are expected to regain bodyweight and body condition on pasture with minimal supplementation and mineral.

BULL REQUIREMENTS Yearly Bulls (1,000 – 1,100 lbs.)

Preconditioning (2 lbs. ADG) CP,lbs.

TDN, lbs.

2.30 14.0 During Breeding CP,lbs.

TDN, lbs.

2.30 14.0 After Breeding CP,lbs.

TDN, lbs.

2.30 14.0 – 15.0 Two-Year-Old Bulls (1,400 lbs.)

Preconditioning (1 lb. ADG) CP,lbs.

TDN, lbs.

2.10 15.0 Three-Year-Old Bull Breeding CP,lbs.

TDN, lbs.

2.10 16.0

Give us a call to visit about your bull management and our nutritional programs.

AGRONOMY

Shanon Schwartz Central Dispatch/Agronomy

The chemical facility is state of the art with a one scaled repack area and two drive through bays that are equipped with flowmeters.

Both systems are controlled

by Kahler Automation for accuracy and efficiency. We also have a large warehouse that is well stocked and ready for your chemical needs. Fill free to stop by and visit with Shanon, Harold, or Tyler for any chemical needs you may have.

Pride Ag Resources Chemical Repack Facility in Ensign has a vast selection of corn, milo and soybean herbicides for your crop planting needs. We also have a large supply of glyphosate, and other burn down chemical. Chemical can be picked up or delivered from the chemical repack facility in Ensign.

5

Pride Ag Resources has a semi-truck dedicated for chemical delivery to other Pride Ag locations as well as, direct to the farm. Please call any Pride Ag agronomy location or agronomist for your chemical needs.

AV Energy

Chris Klein

MAINTAINING DIESEL FUEL QUALITY FOR LONG TERM STORAGE Diesel fuel has a limited shelf life and the degradation process begins when it leaves the refinery.

The EPA now mandates the use of ULTRA LOW SULFER DIESEL fuel. Since ULSD has only been mandated for a few years there are various opinions on the usable shelf life of the product.

The consensus seems to be in the 6-9 months range as the fuel begins to darken and insoluble gums and varnishes form in the fuel.

Fuel system contaminates should be captured in the fuel filter of a well-designed system.

Unfortunately many contaminates are not captured and deposits begin to form.

Obstruction of injector ports and the resulting poor fuel atomization causes power loss and deposits in the cylinders.

Excessive contamination in a fuel tank will plug the fuel filter quickly and at the most inappropriate time.

Maintaining your fuel for reliable performance starts with clean, pure, uncontaminated fuel going into a clean tank. The tank should be kept as filled as safely and reasonably possible to limit the air exchange from tank breathing. Moderate temperature elevation causes fuel and air to expand. Air is drawn back into the tank as cooling conditions contact the stored fuel and air.

Environmental contaminates such as dirt, moisture and airborn microorganisms may enter the system as tank breathing occurs day after day.

Premium diesel additive should be used to stabilize fuel from oxidation, provide lubricity and maintain cleanliness of the tank and fuel delivery system.

Premium additives also enhance the power and performance of the fuel and premium additives will aid in extending the shelf life of stored fuel and controlling moisture.

Steps to maintain fuel quality:

1. Maintain fuel quality by inspecting the fuel at bottom of tank.

Water, debris, sediment, and microorganisms can be found on tank bottoms because they are heavier than fuel.

A fuel test should be performed annually for detection of moisture and microbial growth.

2. Proactive and preventative maintenance procedures a. Water removal from tanks as needed and water building up should be monitored b. Testing of bottom sample annually for moisture ppm and any microbial growth c. Treat semiannually or annually with a fuel biocide. d. Any buildup of sediment, particulate, etc. should be removed The above article was supplied by ET Products.

Every gallon of clear and dyed diesel that AV Energy sells either to Pride Ag’s Cardtroll locations or directly to our customer’s tanks is treated with a premium diesel additive. If you are looking for a little more protection we also offer Cenex’s Ruby Fieldmaster and Roadmaster.

To find out more about Fieldmaster and Roadmaster go to www.cenex.com.

6

I hope everyone has a safe and profitable summer, and if there is anything we can do for please give us a call.

Chris Klein AV Energy, LLC O. (800)752-1580 O. (620)225-4994

IT Department

Richard Broz rbroz@prideag.com Pride Ag Resources IT Manager

Pride Ag Resources would like to invite you to browse our website www.prideag.com. This site is updated daily with local and national news. We try to inform you what is happening at our local branch locations.

The website will provide you information on our departments, coop news, and employment opportunities.

Use it to look at your local Grain and Overnight cash bids. (These prices reflect a 10 minute delay).

Our feature this month will be Patron Access.

Features: • Access your accounts 24/7, with the ability to view multiple accounts.

• Summary and detail information and the ability to print copies of A/R tickets.

• Grain tickets available when YOU have time (after daily Updates are complete).

Sign up to receive daily cash bids by emails and text messages.

Welcome to Patron Access!

As patrons of Pride Ag Resources, you will now be able to access your accounts receivable balances as well as individual invoices, grain receiving accounts, grain contracts, prepaid and booking balances, And equity balances. You will also be able to pull volume statements for the year.

Patron Access is located in the navigation bar on the left side of our Web site (www.prideag.com). If you are new to Patron Access, please choose “New Account Request.” When the information is completed and sent, an e-mail will be forwarded to the main office.

We will set up the accounts you requested and advise via e-mail when this is complete.

After that, you simply sign on using your own username and password that you created.

Only you have access to your accounts.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Scott Mac Nair ........................ Chairman Tony Bleumer... .............. Vice-Chairman Clint Hamilton ......... Secretary-Treasurer Jeremy Derstein ........................ Director Butch Irski ................................. Director Jeff Reinert ................................ Director Bruce Giessel ............................ Director Toby Whipple….........Associate Director Jeff Breuer…..……….Associate Director Jerald Kemmerer………………CEO/GM Debby Kennedy….......Newsletter Editor

7

Pride Ag Resources 2nd Quarter 2015

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE

Published quarterly by the

PAID

Pride Ag Resources

DODGE CITY, KS PERMIT #399

710 West Trail, Dodge City, KS 67801 (620) 225-4193

8