| Bulk Seed means more with less | |
Progressive Ag Improves Quality, Efficiency and Service with Bulk Seed.Two years ago, the directors at Progressive Ag Center in Stewartville, Minn. Looked at the market and decided to add bulk seed handling to the co-op's services. But seed manager Jonathan Buckmeier had additional hopes for bulk handling. We were hoping to improve our seed quality with bulk handling," he recalls. "There's less handling with bulk than with bagged seed and less chance of damage to the seed. Also, it gives us better opportunity to take delivery of seed earlier in the fall."
Progressive Ag's new bulk handling facility opened this year. Customers took advantage of the new service and Buckmeier realized his hopes for less handling and improved customer service. "We can load seed either from the bulk bins or minibulk bags in the warehouse right on to a conveyor and then into a truck or tender or truck," Buckmeier says. "Customers love the convenience. We can load 200 units of seed in about 8-10 minutes."
More Bulk, Fewer BagsWhen Progressive Ag's directors approved the move to bulk seed about 15 percent of the co-op's customers got their seeds from minibulk bags. The rest used the traditional small bags. Today, Buckmeier says more than 75 percent of customers get their seed through either minibulk bags or the bulk facility.
"Some customers were concerned that our service would suffer, but it has improved," he says. "In addition to faster service we also offer delivery of the bulk seed within a 60 mile radius. There are a few customers who feel more comfortable using small bags, but I expect to see more of them change to bulk next year.
We haven't had to sell the service to anyone," Buckmeier adds. "The neighbors who've used it do a good job of that."
The ideal candidate for bulk, Buckmeier says, is a progressive producer farming a large acreage with little help on the farm.
More Service, Less HandlingNot only does bulk handling improve customer efficiency, Buckmeier notes, it also improves the co-op's efficiency as well.
"We have it set up so we can treat the seed as it goes from the bin to the conveyor," he says. "It still takes two or three people to handle the loading and the treatment. But when we're loading untreated seed, all we need is one person to handle the loading and direct traffic at the same time."
The system is easy to learn, Buckmeier says. That's allowed him to train several employees to operate it, freeing him to spend more time on other responsibilities, even at the height of planting season.
"When it's busy, the customers come in three or four at a time, but the system is so fast that they seldom have to wait more than 15 minutes," he notes.
More BusinessEven in its first season, bulk handling has proved its worth to Progressive Ag Center, and Buckmeier is hoping to expand operations in the future.
"Right now we have four bulk tanks, each with a capacity of 2,000 bushels. We're looking at whether we need more tanks. We only have one bulk tender right now and I'd like to get at least one more fro next season. We expect to see more of our customers take advantage of the system next year," he says.
If you're thinking about the bulk handling systems, we have more information and solutions to fit your needs.
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