Certified Propane Specialists Meet

Certified Propane Specialists from across the GROWMARK System met in Indianapolis to learn about new technologies and efficiencies in the propane industry.

Keith Milburn, IMS director, gave a demonstration of the new wEBS system, which will allow more streamlined service to residential and business customers. Program participants also learned about "Extreme Professionalism" from Dave Rich, GROWMARK senior trainer, Southern Region.

A representative from BlueBird bus service gave a presentation on their new propane-fueled school bus line, and Rick Roldan, NPGA president, adressed the group as well.

The attendees were then able to attend the PERC seminar and trade show, where they visited with manufacturers and others about the latest trends.

GROWMARK Employees Earn Microsoft Certification

Five GROWMARK Information Management Systems (IMS) employees earned Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certifications by passing the Microsoft Dynamics Financials version 10.0 exam.

The globally-recognized standard of demonstrated expertise in Microsoft Dynamics was earned by: John Bevill, applications specialist; John Boitnott, applications support specialist; Rachel Hensley, applications support specialist; Brandy Passmore, applications support specialist; and Sally Whaley, applications specialist.

This certification is one of the requirements for GROWMARK to maintain Gold Certified status with Microsoft.

Charlesworth named C-FAR Chairman of the Board

Jim Charlesworth, GROWMARK marketing research director, has been named chairman of the board for the Illinois Council for Food and Agricultural Research (C-FAR). He has served on the board for four years.

C-FAR’s mission is to advance profitable, consumer-sensitive, environmentally sound food, agricultural, and related systems by securing funding for relevant research and outreach and fostering public participation in program guidance.

2010 GROWMARK Media Day

The third annual GROWMARK Media Day was held on March 23. The group of media representatives from across Illinois toured three System facilities and listened to presentations by GROWMARK division representatives.

Tour stops included the Alpha Distribution Center, WESTERN GRAIN MARKETING, and Sunrise Ag Service Company's Illinois River facility in Havana.

Participants enjoyed the tour format and commented they learned a great deal from all the presenters.

2010 FS Marketing Conference

The 2010 FS Marketing Conference was held on March 10 in East Peoria, Ill. More than 350 System employees attended the one-day event.

The morning keynote speaker was Scott McKain, vice chairman of Obsidian Enterprises. He spoke about ways to differentiate your business from others who provide similar goods and services. To create distinction, he recommended using four cornerstones: clarity, creativity, communication, and customer experience focus.

The Agronomy, Energy, Facility Planning and Supply, and Logistics Divisions each offered a panel discussion about ways to connect with customers. Making customized recommendations, building on proven performance, embracing change, and providing operational excellence were all demonstrated.

Former Miami Dolphins coach Don Shula was the wrap-up speaker. He used the acronym "COACH" to sum up his philosophy on teamwork and leadership. To succeed, you must be Conviction-driven, Overlearn, be Audible-ready, have Consistency, and be Honesty-based.

GROWMARK Announces Iowa Essay Contest Winner

Evan Rethmeier of Laurel, Iowa, has been named the Iowa state winner of the 2010 GROWMARK essay contest for FFA members. The theme of this year’s contest was “Exploring Careers in Agriculture.”

In his contest entry, Rethmeier said: “I have a particular interest in the crop specialist – client relationship from the crop production farmer’s point of view. Just as my father is part of such a relationship today with his farming operation, one day I may be part of such a relationship also.”
Rethmeier is a student at Newton High School and a member of the Newton FFA chapter. His FFA advisor is James Horn.

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

Four state runners-up will each receive a $125 scholarship. The runners-up and their FFA chapters are, in alphabetical order: Amy Andrews, Vinton Shellsburg FFA; Cassie Galm, Spencer FFA; Logan Kinyon, Creston FFA; and Brandy Zumbach, North-Linn FFA.

Students were asked to describe an agricultural career that interests them and interview a local FS employee about opportunities in that career field.

This is the seventeenth 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.

Gentry Elected to Illinois Forage and Grassland Council Board

Dave Gentry, GROWMARK forage/turf and retail products manager, was elected to vice president of the Illinois Forage and Grassland Council (IFGC) board of directors. He has served on the board since 2008.

IFGC provides the framework that unites industry, producers, educational, and government institutions for the production, marketing, and wise use of forages and grasslands.

GROWMARK Employees Recognized by NCFC

Seventeen GROWMARK System employees were recognized at the 2010 National Council of Farmer Cooperatives’ (NCFC) Information Fair, a communications contest that recognizes excellence in the publications, member relations, and marketing products of farmer cooperatives.

Earning first place honors were: Karen Jones, publications and news specialist, and Tiffany Loercher, graphic designer, in the Employee Publication category; Ann Kafer, director, Corporate Communications and Marketing Services, and Amy Bradford, corporate communications manager, in the Multimedia Presentation category; Krista Wolf, manager, brand strategy and marketing communications, and Bev Long, marketing communications manager, in the Advertising Campaign category; Jenny Haycraft, marketing communications specialist, Jeff Bunting, seed corn product manager, Howard Brown, manager, agronomy services, and Kevin Black, insect and plant disease technical manager, in the Advertising Catalog/Product Guide category; and Haycraft and Marty Dunton, GROWMARK FS, in the Advertising Brochure category.

Second place honors were given to: Jones and Jane White, creative design manager, in the Annual Report category; Jones in the Color Photography category; Haycraft and Dunton in the Advertising Catalog/Product Guide and Advertising Brochure categories; Haycraft in the Advertising Leaflet category; Haycraft and Bob Williams, Frontier FS Cooperative, in the Direct Mail category; and Jones in the Online Publication category.

Third place honors were earned by: Jones in the Column category; Dorothy Ahlenius, corporate communications and marketing services administrative coordinator, in the Annual Meeting Promotional Materials category; Haycraft and Lance Ruppert, crop protection marketing manager, in the Advertising Leaflet category; Haycraft and Dunton in the Advertising Brochure category; and Haycraft and Williams in the Direct Mail category.

Honorable mention went to: Jones in the Feature Article, Column, Color Photography, and Online Publication categories; and Haycraft, Mike Scheer, manager, agronomy marketing and communications, and Ron Durdle, energy marketing and communications manager, in the Direct Mail category.

NCFC is a national association representing America's farmer cooperatives. There are nearly 3,000 farmer cooperatives across the U.S. whose members include a majority of our nation's more than 2 million farmers, ranchers and growers.

GROWMARK Employees Recognized by NAMA

Two GROWMARK employees were recognized at the Region IV Best of NAMA awards ceremony, a communications contest sponsored by the National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA).












Earning first place honors were Krista Wolf, manager, brand strategy and marketing communications, and Bev Long, marketing communications manager, in the Regional Multi-Media Campaign and Televison – Single or Series categories for the “Local Answer to Your World of Needs” campaign.

NAMA is the nation’s largest professional association for professionals in marketing and agribusiness.

MID-CO Winter Outlook

The 2010 MID-CO COMMODITIES Winter Outlook meeting was held on January 26 at the Doubletree Hotel in Bloomington, Ill.

Attendees listened to presentations by MID-CO staff about the corn, soybean, and wheat outlook for the year. Presentations were also made about the dollar and its current role in the world economy.

The event was well-attended and a great opportunity to network and learn more about marketing and the services MID-CO offers.

GROWMARK Honored with Ag eBusiness Excellence Award

AgGateway, a non-profit consortium of businesses serving the agriculture industry, awarded GROWMARK with the sixth annual Ag eBusiness Excellence Award for its pioneering use of technology and implementation of the AgGateway tools and standards.

Tim Piper, GROWMARK executive director of IT and chief information officer (center) and Gary Garrett, GROWMARK IT project planning manager (right), accept the Ag eBusiness Excellence Award from Josh Wall, AgGateway representative.

The award is sponsored by AgGateway’s technology business partner, CSC, a global leader in providing technology-enabled solutions and services, and was presented to GROWMARK for the second time in six years. CSC will present a donation this month to The Boys & Girls Club of Prairie Central (Illinois) in recognition of the award.

AgGateway, which helps member companies improve their profitability and productivity by educating, promoting and expanding participation in eBusiness in agriculture and agriculture-related businesses, initiated the award to recognize member companies which best demonstrate the objectives of AgGateway, including implementation of eBusiness standards, use of implementation tools, industry education, and overall promotion and expansion of eBusiness in agriculture and agriculture-related businesses.

Josh Wall, AgGateway representative (left), presents a donation to the Boys and Girls Club of Prairie Central (Illinois) to Ann Moody, GROWMARK seed operations manager. Moody is the treasurer of the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club.

“By taking advantage of eBusiness technologies and AgGateway’s tools, GROWMARK was able to improve speed and accuracy of shipment notifications, contracts and invoices,” said Rod Conner, president and chief executive officer of AgGateway. “In addition, GROWMARK’s customers have seen improvements in service, saving time and freeing employees to deliver even better customer service.”

“We’re honored to receive this award,” said Bill Davisson, GROWMARK chief executive officer. “GROWMARK is committed to leveraging the newest technology to improve the way we do business, minimize our costs, and deliver the best service possible to our member-owners.”

Sharing Knowledge Worldwide

On Dec. 16, 25 visitors from the Chinese Agricultural Development Bank of China met with Jeff Solberg, GROWMARK senior vice president of finance; Marshall Bohbrink, GROWMARK vice president of risk management and treasurer; and Gary Nebergall, FS Agri-Finance marketing manager at the GROWMARK headquarters in Bloomington, Ill.




The Chinese visitors were taking part in the University of Illinois China Leadership Program, a customized financial management program at the Urbana-Champaign campus. The program included faculty lectures on financial as well as ag-related topics.


As a complement to their classroom study, the visitors were also able to meet with various agribusiness leaders in Illinois, as well as American farmers.

A Year's Worth of Safety

After a one year hiatus, Safety and Insurance Services once again ran their Children’s’ Safety Poster Contest this fall. Open to children and grandchildren of FS member cooperative and GROWMARK facility employees, the contest had an excellent result with more than 100 posters submitted from 18 member cooperatives.

"We were very happy with the quality of the posters drawn by the children and grandchildren of our System employees," said Doug DeFilippo, safety services manager. "The selection process was difficult with so many posters showing excellent safety messages."

Each entrant receives a certificate of appreciation and the 12 winning posters will be featured on the 2010 GROWMARK Compliance Calendar. The winning artists will also receive their choice of a savings bond, Walmart, Toys R Us, or FS gift card.

This year's winners are:

January: Bretlyn Crow, age 12, Lincoln Land FS, Inc.

February: Yaley Steele, age 11, Gateway FS, Inc.

March: Kenzy Moore, age 8, Wabash Valley Service Company

April: Katie Gress, age 8, AgVantage FS

May: Mackenzie Cryder, age 10, GRAINCO FS, Inc.

June: Paige Myroth, age 10, Conserv FS, Inc.

July: Cole Perry, age 13, Gateway FS, Inc.

August: Emily Knuth, age 9, Frontier FS Cooperative

September: Erica Patrick, age 9, Frontier FS Cooperative

October: Travis Hahn, age 8, Frontier FS Cooperative

November: Kaitlin Rutz, age 13, Madison Service Company

December: Katilin Schmitz, age 7, Gateway FS, Inc.

Supporting the Future of Agriculture

The FS Seed Division of GROWMARK recently renewed its commitment to Illinois Ag in the Classroom programs with a check for nearly $59,000. The check was presented to IAA Foundation chairman Philip Nelson at a ceremony held November 19, 2009 in Bloomington.

“Although agriculture is constantly advancing and continues to be an integral part of our lives, today’s youth are becoming less and less exposed to it,” said Steve Barwick, GROWMARK senior vice president of marketing and operations. “In the past, it was common to have some link to agriculture in every family, either directly or indirectly. Kids today are becoming less conscious of the importance of agriculture and are not making the connection between how it is vital to their everyday lives.”

The FS Seed Division has provided annual contributions to the Illinois Ag in the Classroom program since 2003. One-half of the donation is used for direct grants administered by FS member cooperatives at the local level. This year’s contribution brings the six-year total to nearly $349,000.

The IAA Foundation was established in 1987 to support educational, research and charitable activities which benefit agriculture, Illinois farm families, and county Farm Bureaus. Illinois Ag in the Classroom provides agriculture-based curricula for K-8 students and teacher training. The IAA Foundation supports Illinois Ag in the Classroom programs through a variety of annual fundraising and donations such as the one from FS Seed.

A Day of Remembrance

The Illinois Farm Bureau Family of Companies held a ceremony in honor of Veteran's Day on November 11.

Elizabeth Fozard, a COUNTRY Financial employee who recently returned from a tour of duty in Afghanistan, addressed the group. Representatives from the Illinois Farm Bureau and GROWMARK also spoke, and the Family of Companies Choir sang.

A Humvee was also on display for employees to view, along with several local servicemen and women who could answer questions about their service.

Energy Marketing Managers Meet

Nearly 40 energy marketing managers from across the GROWMARK System met at the brand-new Marriott hotel in Bloomington for a two-day meeting on sales leadership.

The attendees heard presentations from Gordon Lee, GROWMARK Southern Region manager, on leadership lessons learned from his personal experiences in the System; Andrew Bennett on creating a culture conducive to building strong relationships with customers and making sure everyone in the company is working toward the same goals and objectives; and Kyle Fricke from Afton Chemical, manufacturers of Dieselex Gold. GROWMARK Energy Division personnel also spoke to the group.

"The program was well-received and I think attendees were able to take home some useful information," said Ron Durdle, energy marketing and communications manager. "We are working on several ways to follow up on some of the ideas brought out by our speakers."

Copies of both Lee and Bennett's presentations are available on the Energy Resources site.

Helping Create CleanFARMS

This post and photos are courtesy of Janice Johnson, Ontario communications specialist.

For three days in late October, farmers were able to bring their obsolete pesticides, unused animal health products and used sharps (needles, syringes and scalpel blades) to a series of 16 collection sites across Ontario for safe and environmentally responsible disposal. There was no cost for this service to farmers and all organizations volunteered their time and labor to the success of the program.

FS hosted five drop off locations: GROWMARK’s Ontario Distribution Centre in Kitchener, North Wellington Co-operative Services in Harriston, Huron Bay Co-operative in Dundalk, Vineland Growers Co-operative in Jordon Station, Thunder Bay Co-operative Farm Supplies and Co-operative Regional de Nipissing Sudbury in Thornloe.

Jeff McCallum, communications and marketing specialist for North Wellington Co-operative Services in Harriston said farmers were very positive about the program and that almost half of the participants traveled more than 40 kilometers to get there, with the furthest coming from about 80 kilometers away.

From all accounts, the program at the FS locations was an overall success.

Dave Rogers, Dundalk branch manager for Huron Bay Co-operative reported an overwhelming response with the allocated canisters overflowing to almost filling a full trailer load.

"There was a much larger number of farmers in with obsolete crop protection products than ever projected,” Rogers said.

Scott Wright, Vineland Growers Co-operative purchasing manager and health and safety management co-chair said they didn’t expect a big response, but he was proven wrong.

“During the three days we received product from 101 farms, three other dealers and one government agency. In total we filled 16 totes, six barrels, 13 skids and five boxes of animal health. This could not have been accomplished without the help from several volunteers,” Wright said.

Ben Postuma, general manager of Thunder Bay Co-operative was impacted greatly.

“I commend the chemical companies for their efforts in this program and am totally impressed with the amount of clean up this created in the local area." he said.

Pesticide collection programs have been run in Canada by CropLife Canada since 1998 under the CleanFARMS banner. More than 270,000 kilograms of obsolete product have been collected in Ontario during previous collection campaigns in 2001 and 2005.

This program is co-ordinated by AGCare with financial support from CropLife Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Other project partners include Ontario Farm Animal Council, Canadian Animal Health Institute, Ontario Veterinary Medical Association and Ontario Agri Business Association. For more information, visit http://www.agcare.org/ or http://www.ofac.org/.

Frank Galfusz, GROWMARK Ontario Distribution Centre shift supervisor proudly displays the mass of collected obsolete products that he helped compile. The accumulation consisted of three boxes of animal health medication, a box of sharps and 20 skids and three drums of obsolete pesticides. “The oldest product collected was lead arsenic that had a Pesticide Control Products registration number of 19, which suggests that it was the 19th product registered with the Act in Canada,” Galfusz said.

Roxana Open House

An open house and customer appreciation event was held at Madison Service Company's Roxana, Ill. fuel terminal. Nearly 50 customers stopped by to tour the facility, purchase discounted fuel, and enter a drawing for FAST STOP gift cards.

The facility includes a 24-hour, unmanned FAST STOP Express fueling station, as well as 30,000 gallons of bulk fuel storage for both Madison Service Co. and GROWMARK. Distillate/biodiesel blends of B2, B5, B11, B20 or any blend in between are available. Fuels can also be additized with the proprietary FS Dieselex Gold performance enhancer, SURE-FLO cold flow improver and Premium Diesel Express additive.

Fueling the Cure

Information in this post was taken from a press release distributed about this program. Photos are courtesy of Betty Thornton, Heritage Cooperative.

Three Ohio cooperatives deployed pink propane delivery trucks this month in a unique partnership to support the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

"All of us have been affected by cancer in some way," said Eric Parthemore, Heritage Cooperative CEO. "We hope that Fueling the Cure propane delivery trucks can serve as a gentle reminder to people how important cancer research is for all Ohio families and encourage our customers, employees, and communities to join us in giving."

Heritage Cooperative employees pose beside a pink propane truck at the kick-off event for "Fueling the Cure." From left to right: Ray Etgen, energy manager; Jamie Conley, propane driver/sales representative; Cathie Olejniczak, energy coordinator; Eric Parthemore, CEO; John Dunbar, COO; and Keith Bailey, energy specialist.

Each of three cooperatives - United Landmark, London, Ohio; Southwest Landmark, Xenia, Ohio; and Heritage Cooperative, West Mansfield, Ohio - has committed to make a minimum of $10,000 corporate donation to the Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research by October 2010. In most cases, the amount will be based on a donation of $1 per delivery stop from October 2009-October 2010. In addition, the cooperatives have set a goal to raise $5,000 in donations by employees and customers during the year-long campaign and help The James establish 50 new donor-benefactor relationships.

Jamie Conley (left) and Eric Parthemore at the kick-off event. Conley is the only female propane driver/sales representative among the three sponsoring cooperatives. She will drive the Fueling the Cure truck for Heritage Cooperative, in memory of her mother-in-law and in honor of her sister and several customers who are breast cancer survivors.

Each cooperative is donating in-kind use of a brand new pink propane delivery truck to serve as a roving billboard for the campaign. Each of the cooperatives' other delivery trucks will have a Fueling the Cure decal on the truck tank or door.

The campaign website at http://www.fuelingthecure.org/ will track donations with a fuel gauge that will be updated at least monthly.

Proud Ohio State fans create the "Block O" at the kick off ceremony. From left to right: Eric Parthemore; E. Gordon Gee, president of The Ohio State University; John Dunbar; and Thad Dixon, propane manager of United Landmark.

Menard Terminal Open House

GROWMARK Energy Division hosted an open house at the Menard Terminal near Petersburg, Ill. on October 7. Nearly 50 member cooperative employees, vendors, and industry leaders attended the event.

The facility was purchased in August 2008, and offers storage for more than 10 million gallons of gasoline, disesl fuel, ethanol, and biodiesel. Custom biodiesel blends are made with a state-of-the-art ratio blending system. Member cooperatives and other customers within a 100-mile radius are served by this facility.