In the last year, I have talked with numerous ag retailers. Each and every ag retailer has told me they really want to be a part of the sustainability solution. They want to help their farmers avoid regulation. They want to help their farmers implement more soil and water conservation. But then…then it gets complicated. As we all know, it is easy to talk sustainability, but it is far more difficult to operationalize that talk. How does an ag retailer “make good” on their sustainability talk?
Today I have the privilege of introducing our 3-tiered Sustainability Solution for ag retailers. For years, Agren has been known for its high-end conservation planning tools like SoilCalculator, PondBuilder, BasinBuilder, WetlandBuilder, and WaterwayBuilder. But with today’s announcement, we are making an enormous step forward with our sustainability offering to ag retailers.
Tier 1
Retail agronomists tell me, first and foremost, they need tools to “start the discussion” with farmers because they are relatively new to the principles of soil and water conservation. They need science-based information that gives them the confidence to start the discussion. As one agronomist said, “If I can’t help a farmer understand his problems, how can I even start a conversation about solutions?” And for them to be successful, ag retailers need this information to reside within their precision ag platform. With a series of intuitive, color-coded map layers, Agren’s Tier 1 helps advisors start the important conversations with farmers; to identify specific resource concerns like soil erosion or nutrient loss and help target areas of greatest concern.
Tier 2
When general information is not enough to move the conversation along, retail agronomists need tools to help farmers understand their management decisions and evaluate their impact. Using Agren’s Tier 2, ag retailers can demonstrate how various practices can reduce soil erosion and/or reduce nitrogen loss. Product and service promotion are easily integrated into the scenarios selected by the ag retailer. For example, to encourage soil conservation, the scenario might be strip till. Or to promote the benefits of a nitrogen stabilizer, the retailer might choose to model a nitrogen stabilizer as one of the scenarios.
Tier 3
While Tier 1 and Tier 2 products provide ag retailers with the basic tools to start a conversation and generate interest. Agren’s Tier 3 delivers the strategy. Tier 3 allows ag retailers to offer custom solutions to a farmer. Ag retailers can use Tier 3 to deliver a full-suite of soil and water management services for customized resource management, by modeling the effects of site specific soil conservation practices such as strip-till, cover crops, and contour grass strips or by designing highly interactive plans for structural practices like sediment basins, grassed waterways, drainage ditches and ponds. Ag retailers can offer Tier 3 directly through their sales agronomists or can choose to implement these custom solutions through a back office service.
Nothing exists anywhere, in the public sector or the private sector, like Agren’s 3-tiered Sustainability Solution.
- It is simple
- It is accurate
- It uses proven models and design methods
- It provides value to society and to growers
- It is comprehensive
- It is built for retail agronomists and private ag advisors
- It integrates with precision ag platforms
- It is second to none
- And it gets better every day
I would love to give you a tour of our 3-tiered Sustainability Solution. Contact me directly for more information, or read more here.
