Chuck Spencer Named Director, Government Affairs

Chuck Spencer will join GROWMARK as Director, Government Affairs, effective April 20, 2009. In this position, Chuck will be responsible for the management direction and strategy development regarding legislative, regulatory and trade issues pertinent to the GROWMARK System. He will also develop and implement strategies to promote GROWMARK’s position on key issues and maintain relationships with industry, legislative and agriculture organizations, officials and associations.

Chuck’s professional experience includes more than 15 years of state and federal legislative and regulatory work for the Illinois Farm Bureau. Most recently, he was director of national legislation and policy development, responsible for directing the organization’s policy program, promoting the organization’s position on federal legislative and regulatory issues, and directing grassroots advocacy programs. Other relevant positions at Illinois Farm Bureau include associate director of state legislation where Chuck represented the organization before the Illinois legislature, and assistant director of natural and environment resources, responsible for representing the organization at public meetings with U.S. and Illinois government agencies and implementing environmental regulation and conservation programs.

Chuck is a registered national lobbyist and has extensive relationships with state and federal government agencies, as well as industry organizations and associations. He received his B.S. degree in agriculture from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

GROWMARK Media Day

The second annual GROWMARK Media Day was held on March 25 in Bloomington, Ill. The event was designed to show members of the print and broadcast media the various products and services GROWMARK and its member cooperatives offer.

The day began with opening comments by Jim Hoyt, vice president, strategic planning and corporate services. Presentations were made by Dale Durchholz, senior commodities market analyst and Rob Huston, manager, AgriVisor, LLC; Joe Dillier, director, plant food; Tom Hunsley, FS Seed soybean/wheat product manager and Dennis Garzonio, FS Seed seed corn product manager; Randy Holthaus, grain systems marketing manager; Sid Parks, manager, precision farming; John Cripe, energy risk manager; and Bill Taft, Logistics Division manager. After each presentation there was a question and answer period where the nine attendees could interview the speakers for their publications and broadcasts.

A Day for Safety

This post is courtesy of Pat Titus, Illini FS safety and regulatory administrator.

The Illini FS Safety Committee conducted an all-employee Safety Day on March 2nd in Tuscola, Ill. Employees from the ag supply cooperative came to learn more about the importance of safety in the workplace.

“This was a great opportunity for all of our employees to get together and receive training that pertained to their field," said Dennis Mangers, safety committee member. Topics included ergonomics, hazardous material communication, pesticides, and safety attitude as well as several other job-specific topics. GROWMARK Safety Services Manager Doug DeFilippo and Safety Specialist Jenny Poole assisted in the training.

“As we work around our five-county area, not only do we want our employees to be safe but we want to let our customers know that we take care in educating the employees to work safely," said Pat Titus, safety and regulatory administrator. "Our objective is to give the employees training they can use on and off the job. Many of us live in the little towns throughout our trade territory. We want the communities we serve to know that we offer a safe working environment to our employees."

In addition to training and education, employees were recognized for their service to their communities. Employees were recognized who served on fire departments, emergency squads, or LEPC boards. HAZWOPER (Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response) and CPR-trained employees were also recognized.

As a reminder of their commitment to safety, all employees signed a safety contract at the Safety Day. Copies will be made and will hang in all of the cooperative's facilities.

DeFilippo presented Dave Mattingly, Paris facility, with the T.R.U.T.H. (That’s Really Using The Head) in Safety Award. Mattingly was also awarded the Illini FS Partner in Safety Award for 2008. He earned these awards as a result of designing temporary electrical systems for the double-tank anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks.

David Rich, GROWMARK career development trainer, led an afternoon session focused on the importance of customer service.

Iowa FFA Essay Contest Winner Announced

Becca Siemens of Buffalo Center, Iowa, has been named the Iowa winner of the 2009 GROWMARK essay contest for FFA members. The theme of this year’s contest was “Homegrown Fuels: Good for American Agriculture.”

Siemens is a student at North Iowa Community School and a member of the Bison FFA chapter. Her FFA advisor is Dean Gerzema.

As the contest winner, Siemens will receive a $500 scholarship from GROWMARK at the Iowa FFA State Leadership Conference, held in Ames during April. The Bison FFA chapter will also receive a $300 award in honor of her accomplishment to help future students.

Four state runners-up will each receive a $125 scholarship. The runners-up and their FFA chapters are: Emily Hansen, Earlham FFA; Josh Rohn, Linn-Mar FFA; Marcus Samson, Diamond Trail FFA, and Josh Schade, North-Linn FFA.

Students were asked to describe renewable homegrown fuels made with agricultural commodities and the benefits they provide.

This is the sixteenth year for the program, sponsored by the GROWMARK System and FS member cooperatives, in conjunction with state FFA leaders, to help young people develop their writing skills, learn about current issues in agriculture, and understand the unique role of cooperatives.

Siemens's winning essay is below:

Homegrown Fuels are Good for America and Agriculture

Imagine a world where our cars, planes and homes are fueled by renewable resources, but not just any renewable resource, the “Perfect Resource.” We have the potential of producing one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels available to the world, and it’s right underneath our feet. The truth is, we’ve been growing it for hundreds of years! Now is the time to put it into action: locally, nationally, and across the world. Ethanol and biodiesel, made respectively from corn oil and soybean oil, may be the answer to the prolonged question of how to cleanly fuel our world.

Soy biodiesel is currently the most widely tested and used biodiesel in the United States. Biodiesel contains no petroleum although it may be mixed with petroleum to produce a desired blend. It is nontoxic and is biodegradable, making it a huge environmental, “yes.”

To illustrate just how big of a difference using soybean oil in a biodiesel fuel could really make, picture this fact quoted from Frontier FS Cooperative: “If only 1% of all diesel fuel used in America was replaced with soy biodiesel fuel, it would amount to 600 million gallons of fuel that we would no longer have to purchase abroad. We need to get the word out about this product. It not only supports our economy but also is an environmentally sound alternative fuel choice.” Now that’s a big difference, and the opportunity is right here!

Ethanol is stretching its potentials too. Ethanol’s market share is now 78% of Iowa fuel. A recent study states that just blending ethanol with gasoline saves the consumer 45 cents at the pump, and with Iowans buying over 1.2 billion gallons of ethanol blends in 2007 alone, that makes a huge impact. Not only does it directly save us money here at home, but it saves us money through oil imports. Using homegrown ethanol reduces U.S. oil imports by 9 billion gallons.

With new technologies in the ethanol industry, and increasing usage across the nation, the ethanol industry has resulted in more than 47,000 new jobs in Iowa. This not only benefits those receiving the jobs, but it boosts the economy of thousands of rural communities across the state. More employment opportunities mean a larger population of people to help support our schools, small businesses, and other assets in our small towns.

But ethanol has more than just the economy going for it; the positive environmental status of ethanol is another benefit. By using E85, we can reduce ozone-forming pollution by 20%, fuel life cycle greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 30%, and the release of other toxic chemicals into the environment. Another important factor, which isn’t often thought of in the production of fuels is water usage. It takes 33% less water to produce a gallon of ethanol over a gallon of gasoline. For a more visual example, a typical 40 million gallon ethanol plant uses the same amount of water daily as an 18 hole golf course.

Homegrown fuels, such as biodiesel and ethanol, are becoming a more popular alternative choice for fueling our lives everyday. The word is out, and people are catching on. Even big events, like the Indy 500 are promoting these fuels. Indy car drivers burn 100% ethanol in their engines, and can’t say enough about the performance it provides, even at 220 miles per hour, and that’s something nobody can argue with.

Homegrown fuels have provided so much opportunity locally and nationally. Living on a farm in “Small Town”, Iowa, I have learned to understand the importance and potential of these alternative fuels. The facts are there, now all we have to do is show it, and maybe someday our world will be powered by that “Perfect Alternative Fuel:” the one right beneath our feet.

2009 GROWMARK System Marketing Conference

The 2009 GROWMARK System Marketing Conference was held on March 11 at the Embassy Suites in East Peoria, Ill. Over 300 managers and marketing personnel attended.

Featured presenters included Ira Blumenthal, president of Co-Opportunities, Inc. He spoke about change in the marketplace and how some companies go from "distinction to extinction." He offered three ways to deal with change - ignore it; adapt, adjust, and react to it; and to use it as a catalyst to make further changes. He noted that in today's marketplace, collaboration is a key component to success.

Dr. W. Scott Downey of Purdue University led a panel discussion focused on results from a survey of large acreage producers. He spoke about three eras in history and the changing expectations consumers had during those eras. The study showed that today customers value the relationship they have with a salesperson more now than in the past. These findings were reinforced by panelists Don Bierman of Wabash Valley Service Company, Brock Bentsen of Conserv FS, Inc., and Bruce Zimmerman of AGRILAND FS, INC.

The keynote speaker of the conference was Mike Ditka, Pro Football Hall of Famer. He spoke about how he achieved success on the football field both as a player and a coach. He encouraged attendees to "play their ACE - attitude, character, and enthusiasm."

GROWMARK FS, LLC Announces "Stack Up and Order Up" Seed Sweepstakes Winners

This post and photos were provided by Marty Dunton, GROWMARK FS seed business manager.

GROWMARK FS, LLC has announced the winners of this year’s Stack Up and Order Up Seed Sweepstakes. The contest, open to all commercial farmers in the GROWMARK FS territory, recently concluded with the awarding of the grand prize, a 2009 Chevy Silverado ¾ ton 4x4 pickup truck, to Brian Bahnck of Ottsville, Penn. Bahnck is a customer of GROWMARK FS in Bloomsbury, N. J. and was presented the keys to his pickup at ceremonies held at the GROWMARK FS headquarters in Milford, Del. Steve Buckalew, GROWMARK vice president, Eastern retail operations, presented the keys to Bahnck along with Esmond Crooke, GROWMARK FS Salesperson from Bloomsbury, N.J. Bahnck was also recognized at a recent grower meeting in the Broadway, N.J. area, where he was introduced as the contest winner. Bahnck was all smiles and very grateful to have won the contest. “ I can’t believe I won. I am really happy that my name was chosen. This is a really nice truck! Thank you to everyone at GROWMARK FS.”

Pictured above is the Chevy Silverado truck awarded to Brian Bahnck, GROWMARK FS customer. (Left to right): Duane Orr, GROWMARK FS territory seed manager; Esmond Crooke, GROWMARK FS salesperson; Nicole Bishop; Bahnck; Steve Buckalew, GROWMARK vice president, Eastern retail operations; and Larry Milton, Chevrolet sales rep.

In addition to the Grand Prize, the contest also featured two first place prizes of a 20/20 Seed Sense Planting Monitor system. These award winners were recently presented with their prizes at an awards day at the Curryville GROWMARK FS facility near Martinsburg, Penn. Richard Howells of Roaring Springs, Penn. and David Hernley of New Paris, Penn. were the winners of these monitors. The Seed Sense Monitors are designed to give better and more information than the sanitized population monitors in use on most farms today. This monitor lets you actively manage your planter and make adjustments to make your planting better. “We are pleased to give these gentlemen the latest technology in planting monitors,” said Marty Dunton, GROWMARK FS seed business manager. “With the information received from these monitors, they will have the chance to make changes to their planters that will help them establish the best seed placement and stand possible.” Howells and Hernley were both excited to receive the monitors which were presented by GROWMARK FS salesmen Ed Kreider and Dave Stolz; Bill Brown, manager of GROWMARK FS in Curryville; and Ralph Horchler, GROWMARK FS Seed Division territory sales manager.

Pictured at right are the winners of the 20/20 Seed Sense planting monitors. (Left to right): Gerald Clark; Bill Brown, GROWMARK FS Curryville, Penn. manager; Richard Howells, prize winner; David Hernley, prize winner; Ralph Horchler, GROWMARK FS territory sales manager; Dave Stolz, GROWMARK FS salesperson; and Ed Kreider, GROWMARK FS salesperson.

The final prize of the GROWMARK FS Stack Up and Order Up Seed Sweepstakes was awarded to David Kerschner of New Tripoli, Penn. Kerschner received 12 free units of FS Brand VT Triple™ Corn and 12 free units of Dekalb Brand VT Triple™ Corn from GROWMARK FS. Like the other winners, Kerschner, a customer of GROWMARK FS in Leesport, Penn., was thankful to be chosen as a seed sweepstakes winner. “It is really an honor to be chosen. I did not know if I should believe it when I was first contacted,” Kerschner said. “I called Gary Snyder (GROWMARK FS salesperson) to find out if it was true.”

At left is the winner of 24 units of FS and Dekalb brand seed corn. (Left to right): Randy Weyer, GROWMARK FS manager; Tim Kleinsmith, GROWMARK FS facility manager; Chris Young, GROWMARK FS territory sales manager; Lisa Rice, GROWMARK FS Leesport facility; Eugene Pieja; David Kerschner, prize winner; Gary Snyder, GROWMARK FS salesperson; and Eric Turner (kneeling).

Snyder said, “David has been a very good customer of GROWMARK FS and me for years. I am very happy he won this prize. It is nice to have one of my customers chosen as a winner.”

The GROWMARK FS Stack Up and Order Up Seed Sweepstakes contest was designed to promote the technology available from GROWMARK FS in its FS brand corn and HiSOY soybeans as well as the Monsanto brands – Dekalb and Asgrow – which FS markets as well as the planting technology of the Precision 20/20 Seed Sense Monitor which FS distributes throughout its territory. “This contest gives us a chance to showcase the ever advancing technology in seed as well as important agronomically related technology that will help our customers grow better crops,” said Dunton. “We want to be the best supply partner with each of our customers, and these are tools that can help us achieve that goal.”

GROWMARK, Inc., Illinois Farm Bureau, and IAA Credit Union Receive Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Certificates

GROWMARK, Inc., Illinois Farm Bureau, and the IAA Credit Union joined their affiliated company COUNTRY Financial in displaying their support of their employees in the National Guard and Reserve by signing a Statement of Support for the National Guard and Reserve.
Colonel (ret.) Gene Blade and Lieutenant Colonel (ret.) Reginald Bernard from the Illinois Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve presented Statement of Support certificates to company representatives Thursday, February 26 at 2:00 p.m. in a ceremony held at the IAA building.

The Statement of Support confirms these companies join other employers in pledging that:

• They fully recognize, honor and enforce the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-Employment Rights Act (USERRA).


• Their managers and supervisors will have the tools they need to effectively manage those employees who serve in the Guard and Reserve.


• They will continually recognize and support our country’s service members and their families in peace, in crises and in war.

Supportive employers are critical to maintaining the strength and readiness of the nation’s National Guard and Reserve units. By meeting the Statement of Support criteria, these companies proudly recognize their Guard and Reserve employees, who continue to answer their nation’s call to defend our way of life, and agree that their personal sacrifices are essential to the strength of our nation.

These companies join a cadre of Fortune 500 companies, state and federal agencies and thousands of America’s employers in demonstrating support for our armed forces. By signing the Statement of Support, they send a clear message to their employees that, while they are serving their country, they do not have to worry about their civilian jobs.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR) is a Department of Defense agency established in 1972. The mission of ESGR is to gain and maintain employer support for Guard and Reserve service by recognizing outstanding support, increasing awareness of the law, and resolving conflicts through mediation. ESGR volunteers provide free education, consultation, and if necessary mediation for employers of Guard and Reserve employees. More information about ESGR Employer Outreach Programs and volunteer opportunities is available at http://www.esgr.org/

GROWMARK Senior Vice President of Finance Jeff Solberg (center) accepts the Employer Statement of Support for the Guard and Reserve from Ret. Lieutenant Colonel Reginald Bernard (left) and Ret. Colonel Gene Blade (right).

GROWMARK Vice Chairman Rick Nelson Named Master Farmer

This post and photos courtesy of Josh Flint, associate editor, Prairie Farmer magazine.

Rick Nelson is one of those folks you could call a “details” guy. He likes learning the intricacies of everything from option strategies to computer spreadsheets to planter row units. He monitors every farm expense three different ways. And he pays attention to the details of cultivating relationships with family, friends and business associates.

That very attention to the finer points of his farm and his life has earned Rick the designation of Master Farmer in 2009. The Paxton farmer began farming with his father shortly after graduating from the University of Illinois in 1974.

Today, Rick farms 2,100 acres in rural Ford County. He relies on some part-time help, and now enjoys working with his son, Mike, who recently returned full-time to the farm. His wife, Pat, helps with bookwork and, as Rick says, “keeps the wheels turning.”

In addition to the farming operation, Rick runs an elevated scraper and a backhoe for building dams, berms, waterways, channels and basins. He strip tills about 60% of his corn and no-tills 60% of his beans. He added Trimble’s RTK autoguidance system this past fall, making it possible to accurately match his fall strip building and spring planting.

Off the farm, Rick serves as vice chair of the GROWMARK Board of Directors, as treasurer of Heritage FS and as president of Ludlow Cooperative Elevator. He also formed the East Central Illinois Cooperative Association to promote the benefits of cooperatives to young farmers.

A member of the local Gideons and of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Paxton, Rick has served in various deacon and board positions. He’s heavily involved in worship music and has taught Sunday School for the past decade. Rick and Pat have two sons, Chris and his wife, Sharon, and Mike and his wife Amanda.