It was a beautiful day for a media tour in Illinois on Tuesday. About a dozen journalists joined representatives from GROWMARK to tour some of the unique facilities of South Central FS around Casey and Effingham. Chuck and I both got to attend the event this year and we’ll be bringing you some of the highlights of our trip, including …
FS System Lubricants Keep Motors Running Smooth
From heavy-duty diesel engine oils and tractor hydraulic fluids to motor oils, industrial fluids and greases, GROWMARK is a leading manufacturer and supplier of lubricant products through the FS System. GROWMARK’s lubricant marketing manager Tom Drew says the lubricants division includes a wide range of products and brands. “We also have Archer lubricants, United lubricants, we do private label and …
GROWMARK Building Fertilizer Storage Facility in Iowa
GROWMARK is building a dry fertilizer storage facility at Stuart, Iowa that will have the capacity to hold 15,000 tons and will complement the acquisition of CF terminals made by GROWMARK in 2011. Construction will begin in spring 2012 and completion is expected in fall 2012. The facility will have rail receiving capability from the Iowa Interstate Rail System which …
Conversation with a Speaker
The 59th Speaker of the House spoke about leadership and the importance of the nation’s energy security during an appearance at the GROWMARK, FS System “Gold Rush” event in East Peoria, Illinois to introduce re-formulated Dieselex Gold. Denny Hastert, who is an Illinois farm boy, says growing up on a farm taught him the responsibility and leadership that helped serve …
GROWMARK CEO Pleased with Pursuit of Maximum Yields
GROWMARK CEO Jeff Solberg is very pleased with response to the FS Green Plan Solutions program to help growers discover new methods that will help them attain maximum yields. I had a chance to chat with Jeff as he attended the Pursuit of Maximum Yields (POMY) grower event last week in Collinsville, Illinois. He told me that the program is …
Getting Social with NCGA and GROWMARK
In this week’s ZimmCast you can hear about how GROWMARK is using social media to create a buzz and how the National Corn Growers Association is using social media for membership recruiting and grower services. At the NCGA biennial Membership Symposium last week in Florida, Chuck talked with Director of Development Tim Brackman and Nebraska Corn Growers Association chairman Brandon …
Lowell Catlett Sees Bright Future for Ag
Dr. Lowell Catlett, New Mexico State University economist and futurist, has been looking into the agricultural crystal ball for nearly 30 years. I remember seeing him speak back when Timbuk3 had their one-hit wonder “The Future’s So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades” and Lowell used to gallop on stage to that tune wearing sunglasses. That song was a hit back …
GROWMARK Celebrating 2012 International Year of Cooperatives
During this year that the United Nations has declared the “International Year of Cooperatives,” GROWMARK has a number of projects going on to participate. To learn about them I spoke with Amy Bradford, Corporate Communications Manager. Amy says GROWMARK has several programs underway. One of them works with their local cooperatives called, “You’re on the World Stage.” It allows them …
Social Media is a Great Tool for Cooperatives
It has never been easier for cooperatives to reach out to members and potential members than it is these days with social media. One cooperative that has taken the social media plunge and found it very worth their while is Frontier FS, which covers the area around Jefferson, Wisconsin – right between Madison and Milwaukee. I talked with Becky Wiedenhoeft, …
Mobile Technology Replacing Brochures At Trade Shows
Why pack cases of flyers or brochures to stack in your trade show booth when you can just bring along an iPad to display more information in a multi-media format? Pioneer Hi-Bred used to bring along more than 50 different product brochures to trade shows. Now they bring an iPad with a company-branded app. Pioneer, along with GROWMARK, worked with …