I don’t know about you, but there’s something about the first few days and weeks of a new year that I really enjoy. I guess it’s something to do w/ the idea of having a “clean slate” that has always made January a really good month for me in terms of being positive and productive, hope you feel the same way!
This time last year there definitely wasn’t a lot of positivity heading into the 2022 season. In fact, there was probably more uncertainty than any year I can remember (especially in agriculture). Take for instance, the crop protection industry… We were concerned about product supply and demand because of; supply chain disruption, rising production costs, covid, global shipping delays, energy shortages, price increases, tariffs and trade wars w/ China… just to name a few! Even though many of those issues still exist, for some reason I’m not feeling the panic going into 2023 that we all felt. Maybe it’s because we’ve learned to adapt or function in this new environment?
Deciding on 2023’s Crop Plan?
One thing that I have noticed recently is that many growers that I speak with still haven’t decided on their crop plans for 2023. Granted, it’s not an easy decision to make given the fact that it’s becoming harder and harder to be profitable with poor market prices, rising production costs related to seed, fertilizer, crop protection, fuel, and equipment. Then there’s also the labor shortages, rising interest rates, and inflation that are on the top of everyone’s minds right now. It’s easy to point to technology we have on the farm today and admit that there’s a lot of what we do today that’s a lot easier than when our grandparents were farming, but I think there are just as many areas that are much harder today to navigate than they were 10-20 years ago. Growers have to pay attention to every single detail and weigh their options carefully –this brings up something that happened last week that I wanted to share…
Pay Attention to the Details…
A friend called me the other day after he had been quoted a really good price on a product that he uses. He asked if I thought that was a good price, I told him it was definitely a good price, probably a dollar better than I could sell him the product for, so he went on his way… A day or two later he called me and gave me the scoop on how this price was indeed “too good to be true?”
At FBN we’ve always tried to get our growers setup w/ things like 0% financing, cash discounts, and free shipping. It’s just how we operate, this is our big push each season, usually starting in November and running into the new year. I guess he and I just completely lost track of how maybe that’s how FBN operates —but not everyone operates this way!
Long story short, by the time he figured out that his options were really high interest rates to finance his order –or he could have gotten a very small cash discount that was easily offset by extremely inflated shipping costs, he was much better off purchasing that same product from FBN… how crazy is that? It’s really easy to get distracted by a number and completely miss the fine print..
FBN’s Model is Farmers First
Listen, I know you have a lot on your plate so I will wrap this up. Myself and our team at FBN are really looking forward to working with you in 2023. As always, if there’s anything we can do for you don’t hesitate to give me a shout. Lastly, if you’ve never done business w/ FBN before, or maybe it’s been a few years, I strongly encourage you to give us an opportunity this season! We have some great “first time customer” discounts to take advantage of. We can also help you find the best possible prices on your inputs this season by leveraging our price guarantee program and price transparency. We also manufacture many of our own products and sell them “direct to farm” as opposed to brokers and middle men that take their cut before your products reach your farm.
Lock Down Financing w/ FBN!
There’s never been a better time to give us an opportunity! Probably the best place to start w/ FBN is apply for 2023 financing. You can also use this form to renew your existing input financing, click here to get started. You will definitely want to take advantage of our 0% financing opportunities this season w/ interest rates being higher across the board, and rising, this season.
Hope to hear from you soon!
Happy New Year!
Cotton Rohrscheib
Farmers Business Network
335 Hogan Lane, Suite 200
Conway, AR 72034
Direct: (501) 206-1664
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