March 2012

Chore boots and gardening gloves are part of the necessities of daily life at Walton Rural Life Center, where students from kindergarten through fifth grade immerse themselves in handson agricultural projects. Story on page 6.

Board of Directors March 2012

District 1

Contents Walton seed plant bulks up to meet demand

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 4 Demand in bulk seed results in upgrade to seed plant facility in Walton.

Myron Voth Vice Chairman

Cecil Wiebe

Making a difference

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 5 MKC employees share their time and talent with their communities.

District 2 Planting the seed

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 6 & 7 Today’s children are generations removed from farm life and the concept of where food comes from. Learn how some teachers, schools and agencies are working to bring agriculture into classroom curriculum.

David Mills Secretary

Duane Johnson

District 3

C J Blew Chairman

Jason Gaeddert Kathy Murphy, third grade teacher at Walton’s 21st Century Rural Life Center, and some of her students provide water for the school’s sheep.

At Large

Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center third grade student, Emma Claassen ,encourages Lucy Bell to leave her stall so it can be cleaned.

Developing the leader within

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pages 8 & 9 MKC has a long standing tradition of providing opportunities to employees to develop their leadership potential.

Neal Beam

Keith Becker

Associate

Randy Ellwood

President & CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dave Christiansen Vice President & CFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Danny Posch Vice President & CMO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Spears Director of Energy Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jason Creed Director of Southern Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Erik Lange Director of Northern Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Steve Peterson Matt Brack

MKC Connections Managing Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kerry Watson Mid Kansas Coop Association P.O. Box D • Moundridge, KS 67107 • 620-345-6328 www.mkcoop.com

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The path least traveled As silly as this may sound coming from a guy who admittedly enjoys the warmth of spring sunshine, summer evenings and fall days, I love this time of year! While this time of year used to be considered our “slow time”, it is when we essentially cram every kind of imaginable meeting into four months.

The reason I love this time is that I actually look forward to the meetings. While I may dislike the travel and every minute being scheduled for the foreseeable future, the exchange of ideas with so many different people provides me with a way to challenge everything we know today. This exchange allows for intelligence to be cumulative and not singular and it allows for an environment that fosters the innovation necessary for improved performance. It is in this sharing of ideas and concepts, trials and errors, and successes and failures that we learn from each other.

We have increased our efforts to provide opportunities to our members to participate in “idea exchange” sessions. We’ve already provided a number of these sessions in which many of you have taken advantage of. We’ve hosted meetings designed to help producers understand and use tissue sampling with the intent of increased production. We’ve provided sprayer clinics for those who own their equipment. Our energy division recently hosted meetings to help you better understand the refined fuel delivery (RFD) program as well as fuel and oil warranties. Additionally, Team Marketing Alliance sponsors a number of meetings designed to improve our customers’ understanding of how to capture the best in crop insurance and marketing tools. We’ve also offered a host of meetings that covered a range of topics including social media, input financing, utilization of TMA’s Patron Access and MKC’s Customer Portal. We are in the final stages of planning this year’s women’s meeting to be held April 19. The list of meetings goes on and on!

We believe that meetings of this kind are

By Dave Christiansen, President & CEO

imperative for us to foster an environment for cultural exchange that will provide all of us improved performance opportunity.

That is part of your coop’s mission today.

employees or customers as he or she would like. While it may seem like a “drop in the proverbial bucket”, these meetings are just one of my many efforts that I love to do.

I read recently in a great book - and I’m paraphrasing - that the exchange of ideas is to cultural evolution as breeding is to biological evolution. It makes sense to me.

Exchanging ideas is the value of what we can accomplish this time of year and why I look forward to it.

I have hosted about a dozen meetings this winter and they have provided me the opportunity to listen to and visit with about 100 growers. If you’ve never attended one of these meetings and would like to, contact your location manager and we will get you added to the schedule. I try to keep the group size to less than 10 growers which allows for some great open dialog, so it may take a while to get to everyone on the list.

Stop and think for a moment of the evolution that your local cooperative has gone through since its inception. We continue to transition our company, which was once solely a warehouse model, to a company that can help you decipher and utilize the gigabytes of information flooding your every waking hour and help you successfully navigate the “risk” minefield that surrounds us.

I think there are times when we don’t give ourselves the credit due for what the coop has achieved with your help. I’m referring to more than just achieving financial success, because it’s given that we need to be financially successful. I’m referring to the recognition and anticipation of what could be detrimental to the success of our member owners and developing the type of programs that can help them deal with managing these issues.

I will acknowledge there are still some people who are certainly more comfortable with the same old problems than proposing and dealing with new solutions. (I get reminded of this occasionally by those who prefer not to change anything.) But I always reflect back to a quote that I keep nearby: “The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year.”

During this time of year, I try and host as many informal meetings with producers that I can. One disadvantage for a larger company is that the CEO doesn’t get to spend as much time with front line

One of the great things I’ve seen happen in these meetings over the past few years is there is less focus on the past and a much greater emphasis placed on the future and where the coop needs to concentrate its efforts and resources to best help our growers.

These producer meetings are interesting on many levels but one of the most extreme examples of the heterogeneous nature of our customer base is the varying opinions surrounding invoices and statements. I'm sure you're aware that our statements have significantly changed and we continue to make adjustments to them based on customer input. At a recent meeting, one producer stated he really preferred to never receive any paper. He could have easier access, less paper to sort through, easier document retention and the flexibility to develop the spreadsheets he wanted. He also desired to receive payments and pay bills on line. Seated across the table was another producer who resided in the opposite camp. He wanted everything sent to him, including invoices. The best part is that we completely understand and acknowledge that they are both correct and we will strive to develop methods to make sure we are meeting the needs of those two customers and all the people who reside somewhere in between.

Cont. on page 10

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Walton seed plant bulks up to meet demand

By Kerry Watson

capacity it was designed for. “For the past four years, we had been exceeding capacity during soybean and wheat planting,” stated Lange. “The demand for product outgrew the system’s capabilities.”

Lange commented that procuring inventory during the peak season was a problem. “It created the need to be able to store almost an entire season of seed at one time,” stated Lange.

Larger and faster farming equipment means today’s producer farms at a much faster pace than he did twenty years ago.

To keep up with this pace MKC continually analyzes their facilities to ensure they have the speed and space to meet the needs of their customers.

At MKC’s agronomy center in Walton, the need for more speed and space was especially true as the demand for bulk seed had increased two-fold resulting in an upgrade to the current system. The recent installation of four bulk seed bins has doubled the center’s seed storage.

According to Erik Lange, Director of Southern Operations for MKC, the old system was being operated above the

Installed in the late 1980’s, the old system had multiple inefficiencies. All seed had to be weighed across the truck scale and during wheat or fall harvests it created an inconvenience when customers were delivering grain at the same time customers were trying to pick up seed.

The seed plant now has its own scale hopper eliminating congestion at the truck scale.

The overhead design of the old bins was also creating inefficiencies as the treater had to be physically moved to each bin when treating beans. “It was increasing wait times, employee effort and waste,” stated Lange. “This new system features a series of conveyors that allows the treater to be stationary.”

For second year, MKC to offer revenue program for double crop soybeans

By Kerry Watson

For a second year in a row, MKC is working with Swiss Re to offer a revenue program designed to assist growers in managing the risk (primarily weather) associated with growing double crop soybeans.

MKC was the first in the nation to offer this one-of-its kind program last year when double crop soybeans weren’t traditionally eligible for federal crop insurance. According to Dave Spears, Chief Marketing Officer for MKC, the program was offered in 11 counties last year and representatives are working to expand to additional counties this year.

“The counties are yet to be determined,” stated Spears.

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Spears further commented that MKC continues to work with Swiss Re as to the parameters and details of the program. Pricing and details of the program are yet to come.

“Swiss Re is a global reinsurance company and by working with them on the program, MKC is able to transfer the risk to Swiss Re,” stated Spears. “We are able to bring a risk management program to our customers and at the same time transfer that risk to a global company who is in that business.”

More information will be made available once program details are finalized.

To treat certified wheat, the old system required the seed to be loaded in a truck and then taken to the truck scale to be weighed. It then went to the seed cleaning plant to be treated. “It was an inconvenience for our seed and grain customers as well as customers wanting seed cleaning,” stated Lange.

“Customers had to schedule well in advance for treating purchased seed.”

Lange foresees the recent upgrade at Walton will make it much easier for customers to schedule pickup or delivery of treated certified wheat seed. “The average load time will be about 15 minutes or less,” said Lange. “The new system will also make it much easier to treat bulk bags and re-bag bulk bags.”

The upgrade to the bulk seed system doesn’t mean that Walton has done away with bagged seed. According to Lange, treating bulk bags and re-bagging bulk bags will now be much easier.

“This upgrade is so we can better meet our customers’ needs,” stated Lange. “It doesn’t matter if it’s bagged or bulk, we are here to provide either service.”

Save The Date 47th Annual

STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING Thursday, July 19, 2012 6:00 p.m.

BiCentennial Center Salina, KS

Making a difference MKC employees take great pride in donating their time to their communities. MKC encourages their employees to help keep their communities strong by supporting organizations of their choosing. The following are examples of how some employees volunteer to make a difference in their community.

Daniel Huls, II Elevator Superintendent – Burns, Kansas Daniel is nearing the completion of his first two-year term as a city council member for the Burns community. Daniel became active within his hometown after a number of local residents encouraged him to do so. Along with serving on the city council, Daniel volunteers his time helping coordinate the city’s annual car show.

“I got involved with the city council and the annual car show because it was a way for me to give back to the people of this community who saw a potential in me and helped guide me towards a better path for my life.

What I’m doing is rewarding and there’s no better way for me to pay back those folks.” - Daniel Huls, II

Matt McCune Location Manager – Talmage, Kansas Matt is a volunteer firefighter for two rural fire departments in Dickinson County. He is currently taking classes to further his training as a fire fighter and estimates that he will average 80 calls throughout the year.

“I volunteer for the fire departments because my brother’s life was saved by a local fire department. This is my opportunity to pay it forward to someone in need – possibly even one of my customers some day.”

- Matt McCune

Matt Henderson Location Manager – Longford, Kansas Matt volunteers as a little league wrestling and baseball coach for youth and teens ages 6 to 18 years. He has been coaching for the past six years.

“I volunteer not only because I enjoy spending time with the kids and helping them learn a new sport, but also because I think sports can help kids develop skills they will need as adults. Dealing with adversity and achieving goals are some of those skills.” - Matt Henderson

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Planting the seed

by Kathy Hanks, Freelance Writer

legislative cuts. The program trains and provides extensive lesson plans and workshops across the state to a variety of educators, and Musick, as well as the KFAC board have come to greatly appreciate the major support from entities such as MKC.

6-year old Jody Mead and 5-year old Colton Lauderdale, like to share their knowledge of agriculture. They are two of Tiffany Pacey’s kindergarten students who still live on a farm. (Photo by Kathy Hanks)

School funding cuts forced a McPherson teacher, Tiffany Pacey, to eliminate class field trips to the farm.

But, she still wanted to introduce her Eisenhower Elementary School kindergarten students to the world of agriculture and help them understand where their food came from.

So, she visited the Groveland branch of Mid Kansas Cooperative and brought back different grains to discuss with her curious students.

“I was flying by the seat of my pants,” Pacey admitted.

She had her fifth grade son Tanner Pacey, who already had developed a passion for agriculture, help out. He brought a power point presentation of farm crops that he put together, along with his collection of model tractors and drills to share with the students. She didn’t realize until later that MKC would send a representative to the classroom to talk about agriculture.

“That’s what we’re going to do next year,” Pacey said.

On a recent morning, Pacey spoke with her students who were sitting before her in a semi-circle on the floor, explaining to

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them why Kansas was known as the wheat state.

While the majority of her class is removed from farm life there are some, like 6-yearold Jack Barrow, who have their unique perspective on agriculture.

“My Uncle has a farm and he cuts the wheat with the combine and puts the grain in the elevator,” Jack said. “I liked to ride in the combine, but it got so dusty because the door broke off.”

Faced with the challenge of teaching her students a vital lesson that would have connected them to the number one industry in the state, Pacey admits she had to wing it. But, she now knows where to turn for helpful information.

The KFAC programs train educators offering agricultural based, hands-on learning tools, plus they offer a 250-page guide and lesson plans for just the cost of postage. The program also provides summer training courses, as well as a new 2012 program, “AG Counts,” through the Be Ag-Wise workshops they co sponsor with the Kansas Farm Bureau. Musick and her staff go to the inter-city schools presenting hour-long assemblies.

“We hope the teachers will take the resource packets and model given to bring ag into the classroom curriculum,” Musick said.

It’s even more vital than ever, Musick says, because the children of today are generations removed from the farm.

“They haven’t been to grandpa’s farm to see the cattle and don’t have a sense of connection to where their food comes from,” Musick said.

Even in rural areas, the agricultural industry has become focused on one or two crops on a farm.

Mid Kansas Cooperative is committed to bringing agriculture to the classroom through its financial support of such programs as Kansas Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (KFAC), and the Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center, at Walton.

“I grew up on a ranch and never went to a feedlot. I didn’t know soybeans,” Musick said. “How do we make that connection that that they (students) understand the agricultural system we have and the importance of how much it supplies to the state? It’s our number one industry, what does it pay in income for the state?”

“MKC is one of our major donors,” said Cathy Musick, executive director of KFAC. A non-profit organization, they lost 19 percent of their budget in recent

Meanwhile, in Harvey County, at the Walton 21st Century Rural Life Center, field trips to the farm simply entails walking outdoors to the school’s barn or the

greenhouse to see how things grow.

As a fourth generation Harvey County farmer, Alan Entz is glad that his three children have had the opportunity to experience the Walton School.

While his children are growing up on the land that their great-great- grandfather homesteaded when he arrived from Prussia, some of their classmates wouldn’t have had such an ag-based background if it weren’t for the Walton Charter School.

The innovative teaching ideas in a rural center came about as a way to save the school, said Natise Vogt, principal. The ag based charter school was the dream of former USD 373 superintendent John Morton. He saw it as a way of saving the ailing school in the rural community that was down to 80 students in 2005.

Meanwhile, the building designed to hold 130 students has a current enrollment of 154 students. Expected enrollment for the next year is 160.

“They learn the growing aspect from planting and propagating in the greenhouse,” Entz said.

There is another collaborative partnership because the facilitators at KFAC trained the Walton faculty, many who were city slickers before switching over to an agricultural-based charter school.

“They attended our summer course and they were able to pick up lesson plans and use that for planning to be an ag charter school,” Musick said. “We had a neat connection with them one summer.”

Those courses gave Vogt and all the staff the courage to put on their chore boots and garden gloves and lead their students into such lessons as cleaning a barn, feeding calves, hatching chicks, raising chickens, collecting the eggs and then marketing their product.

They have even learned the frustration of supply and demand, said Staci Schill, a first and second grade teacher. Her students put the large red sign outside the school announcing eggs for sale. The students even give up recess to clean the eggs and package them in hand painted egg cartons. They sell the eggs for $2 a dozen, and have learned to count by 12 and work in dozens.

Then, they put the money they earn back into the school, using it for such things as buying fruit trees and feed for the school’s sheep.

Meanwhile back at Eisenhower Elementary School, Jack Barrow knows that at his uncle’s farm the seeds are in the ground for next season’s harvest. And thanks to his teacher, he also knows what grain is used to make bread.

“I like my bread with butter,” Jack said.

“The rural life center is so popular there is a growing support to keep it, plus there is a waiting list to get in to the school,” said Entz.

Meanwhile growing pains, and state budget cuts to education has made the Walton Rural Life Charter Foundation even more vital. Mid Kansas Cooperative is an important supporter of the school, Vogt said.

“MKC is definitely helping to sustain the school,” said Entz, a MKC member.

That’s important due to state budget cuts to education. “To keep it going we need the community backing. The elevator at Walton welcomes the students for tours and they explain what goes on there so they can learn different facets of farming.”

Entz hopes through the program all the students will have learned to understand their daily bread and how it originates rom, a tiny seed.

Kathy Murphy, third grade teacher at Walton's 21st Century Rural Life Center, and some of her students tend to chores in the barn at their school.

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I consistently hear from customers how much they depend on MKC to employ knowledgeable, dependable and trustworthy people. They also express concern about making sure we are doing everything we can to retain those employees. Leadership development is one of our rigorous efforts to do just that. Allowing those employees who have the desire and the capacity to continue their development throughout their career is one of the best ways we have discovered to achieve the mutual objectives of the customers, employees and cooperative. As our business environment continues to change and if we truly believe in our “Shared Growth. Shared Success.” mission, it’s imperative for us to continue to develop our employees.

Dave Christiansen, President & CEO

Developing the leader within

By Kerry Watson

It goes without saying that good leadership is crucial to any successful business.

Many people, however, will question what makes a good leader and how can someone develop himself or herself into a good leader if they are not one to begin with?

The answer is that there are many factors that contribute to good leadership.

MKC has a long standing tradition of providing opportunities to employees to develop their leadership potential. Brett Myers, Director of Development and Training for MKC, makes sure employees know about the different programs available to them.

“We are always looking for programs that will allow team members to build a unified vision for MKC,” states Myers.

Programs that are gaining in popularity among MKC employees include Tomorrow’s Agribusiness Leaders, Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership (KARL) program, and Land O’ Lakes Executive Agribusiness Program (LEAP).

Tomorrow’s Agribusiness Leaders (TAL) - a jointly sponsored initiative of the Kansas Grain and Feed Association and the Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association - is an intensive leadership development program designed to teach participants about the state and federal legislative and regulatory process and how to be a better leader within the industry

Matt Porter, Location Manager at MKC’s facility in Benton, sought out the TAL program after hearing about the positive experiences of coworkers who had participated in the program.

“After researching what TAL was about and what its intended purpose was, I decided that the program represented many of my professional interests,” stated Porter. “I saw it as a way to continue my professional development.”

While the TAL program allows participants to gain exposure on a state and national level, the KARL and LEAP programs offer state, national and international exposure.

KARL is a two-year course offering intensive study, training and travel for future leaders in agriculture and rural communities. Tricia Jantz, Controller for Team Marketing Alliance, was accepted to the program this past spring and already has traveled to different parts of the state to learn about economic development for those areas. She has also participated in classes where participants practiced their communication skills, learned about conflict management and visited the state Capital where they heard from all three branches of the government and how policy decisions are made and upheld.

Jantz is finding her experiences through KARL to beneficial to her job.

“If there’s one thing I’ve taken away from KARL, it’s that I need to continually nurture and build relationships with our customers and employees,” said Jantz. “Everything else will take care of itself if we are taking care of these relationships.”

The class will travel to Washington DC this spring to meet with elected officials, government agencies, think tanks, and agriculture related organizations. Jantz will also have the opportunity to hone her leadership skills on an international level when the KARL class travels to Peru in March, 2013. During this trip, participants will learn about international trade relationships and domestic and foreign policies. The class will also learn about the country’s agriculture, culture and customs.

Erik Lange, Director of Southern Area Operations for MKC was encouraged by MKC’s CEO and President, Dave Christiansen, to apply to Land O’ Lakes Executive Advantage Program (LEAP) – a 12 month course designed to help participants train for future leadership positions within the cooperative industry.

Matt Porter (right) is shown with Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt. Matt had the opportunity to visit with the Attorney General when he and members of the TAL class attended the Kansas Legislative Action Day in January.

“Exceptional employees are what make the difference when positioning the cooperative to provide the most value to its cus-

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“Exceptional employees are what make the difference when positioning the cooperative to provide the most value to its customers,” stated Christiansen. “Since Eric joined MKC as a location manager at Whitewater, he has demonstrated a strong aptitude for learning and helping others develop their own skill set.”

Christiansen commented that Lange’s farming background also helps him when making operational decisions. “He’s walked in our customer’s shoes many times,” stated Christiansen. “That proves to be very beneficial when he and his southern region team are strategizing on how to benefit our growers.”

Lange was appreciative of the opportunity to interact with some of the best managers in the system and to further his skills.

Tricia Jantz participates in a mock television interview with Ken Rahjes, Network Coordinator for KRVN/Rural Radio Network. The interview is just one of several training modules offered through the KARL program.

“I’ve taken similar courses in the past,” stated Lange. “But none of them were as in depth and directed towards leading our industry into the future as this one was.”

LEAP also provided participants a chance to study the agriculture industry on an international level when they traveled to Argentina this past fall. Lange commented that he learned a great deal about Argentina’s import and export business, grain production and dairy processing and also discovered similarities to the same processes in the United States.

“While I feel the United States is pretty good at production agriculture, I discovered there are other countries who are doing things very close to us,” stated Lange.

A variety of challenges—environmental, economic and political—are unfolding and will continue to test agriculture, agri-business and rural communities.

Brett Myers challenge is to keep finding programs that will further develop the leadership potential of MKC’s employees.

Myers believes the experience MKC employees gain from participating in these intensive leadership programs is perhaps one of the truly sustainable advantages the cooperative has over their competition.

Lange visited a 20,000 hectare farm near Rosario, Argentina this past fall. The farm included soybeans, corn, lima beans, edible peas and chick peas. He is shown standing in a field of soft red wheat that was two weeks from being harvested.

Lange visited a 20,000 hectare farm near Rosario, Argentina this past fall. The farm included soybeans, corn, lima beans, edible peas and chick peas. He is shown standing in a field of soft red wheat that was two weeks from being harvested.

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TMA offers new program Devin Schierling is excited about a new federal crop insurance program that he and his sales staff at Team Marketing Alliance are offering. Producers can maximize their 2012 corn and soybean revenue potential when they select the Trend Adjustment (TA) endorsement for their crop insurance policies.

Revenue Protection Policy with the enterprise unit structure, he has the potential to increase the farm’s revenue by $83 per acre and raise the APH by 18 bu. per acre. The result is an extra 14.4 bushels to safely forward market. The producer’s investment is less than $14 per acre and he gains a net return of $69 per acre.

According to Schierling, the TA endorsement will adjust actual production history to reflect long-term increases in historical yields in certain counties (determined by USDA) and can provide benefits in a number of different ways.

According to Schierling, the TMA sales staff represents a very small number of professionals who understand the new program.

“Whether it’s by increasing minimum crop insurance guaranteed revenue, additional preventative planting coverage or the increased number of bushels a producer can safely forward market, this endorsement can help insure the farm’s revenue potential,” stated Schierling.

The adjustment is calculated on a field-byfield basis and is maximized if there are 10 years of crop specific production history.

According to Schierling, producers who don’t have 10 years of history can still enhance their farm’s revenue potential with just a three-year history.

Schierling gave the following examples about the program: Example #1 A producer in Sedgwick County has a dryland corn operation that produces 94 bushels per acre (based on a 10-year history). If the producer purchases an 80% Revenue Protection Policy with the enterprise unit structure, he has the potential to increase the farm’s revenue by $55 per acre and raise the APH by 12 bu. per acre. The result is an extra 9.6 bushels to safely forward market. The producer’s investment is less than $12 per acre and he gains a net return of $43 per acre.

Example #2 A producer in Sedgwick County has an irrigated corn operation that produces 178 bushels per acre (based on a 10-year history). If the producer purchases an 80%

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by Kerry Watson

“The endorsement can be somewhat confusing,” stated Schierling. “I’m confident the training our staff has received will allow them to convey the true value of the program to our customers.”

Producers have until crop insurance sales closing to add this endorsement.

The path least traveled As I wrap up each of these producer meetings, I always ask the participants to make sure they take advantage of our excellent location general managers whenever they want or have the time to do so.

The location managers are integral stakeholders in our company and are charged with communicating with you and making sure the message gets delivered and not overly filtered. While there are a handful of administrative items we centralize, the most important one we will never centralize is listening to and taking care of a customer’s needs. This is the responsibility of the location general manager and his or her team. The information they gather and share helps us chart or make adjustments to our course. This same information is taken into planning sessions throughout our company and into the boardroom.

Thank you for sharing your ideas and thank you to those of you who have been increasing your business with your cooperative. We’ve again added more than 100 new members this year. With the obvious exception of bushels (due to some untimely dry weather), it is with your help that we’ve increased volume in every other commodity area in the company. It’s apparent you have been promoting the value of your coop and we appreciate it.

A business we consider an integral stakeholder in our company recently asked us,

Cont. from Page 3

“How do we help you grow?” I will ask you the same question, and it doesn’t have to be interpreted to mean “size”.

We will continue our efforts to provide you with the educational opportunities and the environment to foster cultural exchange. We see that as one of our most critical and most rewarding missions. Due to the initial investment required to provide these types of exchange opportunities, it’s a path not many of the people competing for your business choose to take. While reducing your price by $20 a ton or raising the price of wheat by a nickel is nice, it won’t insure success for either one of us. With a career steeped in sales, I will be one of the first to acknowledge that price is important. However, it’s no replacement for use of appropriate risk management programs and access to good timely knowledge.

This year we’ve been fortunate enough to lead the pack in timely programs with exceptional values that resulted in good business growth for MKC and income opportunities for our customers. Talk about shared growth and shared success!

With your unrelenting input, we will continue developing and offering programs designed around your needs. Please take advantage of them!