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.