Positive Vibes
Many of us just came back from the Western Seed Association (WSA) meeting in Kansas City. This year’s meeting was well-attended and full of optimistic industry folks. It could be accurately described as resonating with positive vibes generally reflecting the industry in four areas:
Fall Movement
In spite of lingering inventories out West, the industry generally had good movement this fall. While the hand-to-mouth buying and shipping made it extra challenging all the way up the supply chain, the end result was seed moved from source to consumer.
Winter Carryover
Many of our customers tell us they have shipped out nearly all the seed they’ve brought in, and further reduced most all of their own carryover from last year. They tell us their warehouses are nearly empty and they will need seed for spring. Their cash is also not tied up in inventory.
Willing/Needing to Book
As another indicator of increased optimism, we are finding customers feeling the need to get select items on the books for spring. This forward booking is much more in line with normal/traditional behavior.
New Product Interest
As reflected in the high attendance and conversations at last week’s WSA, distributors and suppliers found many opportunities to talk about new product and ways to grow their business.
Dedicated Coating Website
We recently created a dedicated website for our Smith Seed Coating services. This site is full of valuable information to help you, your staff and your customers. Use the site to learn more about the benefits of coating and details about our specific formulas, like our AquaTEKsc™ and Nitro-NP™. Log into our Customer Portal to upload your new coating order. We’ve also included easy access to necessary documentation including MSDS sheets and OMRI certificates.
And be sure to visit the extensive video library, including classroom lectures from Dr. Joe Bouton on the fundamentals of rhizobium, the nitrogen cycle, and the benefits of coating legumes. Check it out at SmithSeedCoating.com
Learning Library
Speaking of digital updates, we are also in the process of revising our video library to put all our video resources in one easily searchable location. These videos are intended to be tools to help you, your staff, and the end user. All the videos should play easily on mobile and desktop devises, as well as project to external monitors. Feel free to use them in your training sessions, sales interactions, and simply for personal learning.
If you haven’t tapped into this resource, visit SmithSeed.com/videos sometime soon. While you are there, check out the second part of our 129-day legume study, and see for yourself why red clover is a good choice for spring planting and why alfalfa may be worth considering for cover crops. Its still a work in progress, so be sure to bookmark the site, and check back often.