The first time I understood the incredible value of the US agriculture supply chain, I was in an unexpected place. I was riding in the back of a Humvee bumping along a dirt road outside of Srebrenica in Bosnia in 1999. Riding along with me was one of our translators, a 30-something man who spoke…
My thoughts this week are about transparency. Everyone wants transparency with them. It is a far different game when asked to share information with others. My thesis this week is that the game has changed. Information is power has been replaced with Information is power if shared. Please allow me to explain. The benefits of…
An important concept in the world of continuous improvement and operational excellence is the Japanese term “gemba.” Roughly translated, gemba means “the place where actual work is done” or “the place where value is added.” In manufacturing plants where continuous improvement was honed, going on a daily gemba walk is often required of all managers. …
I was asked a few weeks ago to give a short talk about how I see the agricultural markets in 2023. A short talk is normally no sweat, but publicly predicting the next few months sent me into a cold sweat. The ag supply chain is crazy right now. How was I going to explain the craziness…
Over the past few weeks, I have traveled to various locations across the 10-state footprint our organization serves. I’ve also spoken to several executives at various companies about the state of the agriculture industry and overall economy. All have the same great need – people. Apart from the tech industry dealing with the post-pandemic hangover,…
In the agricultural world, we’re starting a new year. Thus it is time to discuss annual goals and objectives. There is always a fair amount of handwringing about the exercise, so I thought I would provide my views on the subject, as they have evolved over my career. First, I believe in goals. As a…
A few weeks ago, I met with several of our wholesale customers. It was a phenomenal meeting which allowed for a lot of discussion. One of the topics of conversation was around communication and the disconnect between what information and market intelligence we’re providing them and what they want more of. As they explained, I recalled a sales…
In the late 1990s, I served as an airborne rifle platoon leader with the US’s Southern European Task Force, the US’s quick reaction force for Europe and Africa. At the time, Africa was in a tough spot, with any number of African countries either actively engaged in civil wars or on the verge of…
Our company recently hit a key safety milestone. We’re far from perfect but we’re making progress. As our team discussed ways to celebrate, I was reminded of my time as a peacekeeper with the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment in 1999 and how hard we worked just to make sure nothing happened. My thoughts this week…
I am a space geek. One of my guilty pleasures is watching SpaceX launches on YouTube. I love how they broadcast them live and enjoy learning about what is happening at each step along the rocket’s journey. This past week I was in Orlando for a conference when a colleague told me that a new weather satellite was…
