Newsletters - United Ag Coop

UNITED AG
COOPERATIVE
PO BOX 118
ALMENA WI 54805
715-357-3650
J A N U A R Y
2 0 1 6
Chairman’s Message
Our mission is to
provide quality
services at a fair price
for our customers
through a locally
owned cooperative.
INSIDE
THIS ISSUE:
General
Manager
2
Grain
3
Feed
3
Accounting &
Finance Manager
4
Bulk Fuels
4
Propane
5
Credit
Manager
5
Convenience
Stores
6-7
Agronomy
8
Hello, My name is
Roman Molls Jr. but everyone calls me Sonny. I milk
75 cows and run 35 angus
beef cows. We finish all of
our steers and farm 400
acres in the Almena area.
As Chairman of the
Board, I will say that the
Board has worked as a team
to make the necessary
changes to ensure the success of United Ag Co-op.
As always, the Board’s duty
is to protect the equity of the
patrons while looking for
ways to grow the Co-op.
Over the course of the last
year, I have heard the word
“culture” over and over
again. The definition of culture is the way we do things,
especially when no one is
looking. Culture is driven by
leadership, and leadership is
influence.
The policy and tone
is set by the Board, who has
given our new General Manager, David Schoonover, the
task of leading United Ag
Cooperative into the future.
I believe that people buy
from people, that you should
treat people with courtesy
and respect while providing
expertise to earn their business. United Ag has the best
employees committed to
serving our customers.
I want to thank everyone for your continued
business and support of
United Ag Cooperative. The
Board will have a lot to consider moving forward when
the budgets are presented for
each department. The new
laws that will regulate the
Feed Department are a
prime concern. The government now calls “animal
feed”, “animal food”. This is
due to bio security issues
and how it will affect the
food chain. The Co-op will
have less than two years to
come into compliance.
Lastly, I want to
thank Interim Manager,
Wayne Gordon, for his work
during the transition period.
His help was instrumental in
making a financial turnaround and helping get
David off to a smooth start.
Wayne and David’s leadership have made for a solid
financial year end. Hope to
see you all at the annual
meeting.
Sincerely,
Sonny Molls
United Ag Cooperative
invites you to attend the
Annual Meeting
Saturday, January 30th, 2016
at the Sacred Heart Church Parish Hall
in Almena, beginning at 10:30 a.m.
Board of Directors
Front left: Alvin Hecht, Secretary, Sonny Molls, Chairman,
Jeff Olson, Vice Chairman
Top left: Phil Scheu, John Biver, Arvid Herrman, Jon Becker,
Thomas Kriskovich. Not pictured: Bill Hecimovich
PAGE
2
General Manager
Much Has Changed
The adage “change
is inevitable” is truer today
than ever. Karen and I left
our Rice Lake farm in 1987
for greener pastures and a
job in the Green Bay area.
There are no regrets. Returning home to northwest Wisconsin after 28 years, the coop we bought feed, fertilizer and fuel from has merged
and today bears a different name. I left Rice Lake with
a high school diploma and return with college degrees.
We had no children then. Today, our kids are grown
and moved on (well, almost). Prior to our departure, the
Green Bay Packers had won two Super Bowls. Two
more Lombardi Trophies have since been added.
In 1987, a dairy farmer milking 100 cows in a
parlor was considered a large, progressive operation.
Corn and oats were common crops. Today, the average
Wisconsin herd size is over 200 cows; corn acreage has
increased significantly while land planted to oats likely
is soybeans now. The term “grower” was reserved for
Illinois and Iowa farmers yet today describes many of
our customers. Gas stations are now called convenience
stores. Your cooperative has also changed and will continue to do so.
United Ag Cooperative and its predecessor cooperatives date back to 1950 when a handshake cemented a deal. Today, any business arrangement almost
certainly requires attorneys and their blessing. In less
than two years, federal regulations will require feed
milling operations to accurately track purchases of livestock feed from two suppliers / processors prior to us
receiving delivery. 2017 will also be the year c-stores
and retail businesses must comply with new credit and
debit card guidelines. Likewise, underground fuel
sumps must be installed at most of our convenience
stores and nationwide due to environmental concerns.
Common and popular farm fertilizers likely will be removed from the market due to liability issues. President
Obama’s ‘Affordable Care Act’ (Obama Care) has created added cost both in terms of money and paper
work. It’s a much different world today.
I’ve had the privilege of working with United
Ag employees and a board of directors who are passionate about our customers and their work. I’ve
worked side by side with many top notch workers in
my career. Collectively, the United Ag group is the best
I’ve been exposed to. For example, our feed people are
encouraged and known to have suggested customers
they work with who might be prospective agronomy
business. Agronomy personnel check with the grain
division to see if their customers delivered grain to our
elevator. Refined fuels folks know what supplier is delivering to what business or farm. Propane personnel
usually know who moved where and work hard to
maintain the business.
Board members must be dedicated to their role
having to manage a farm and attend meetings. The
United Ag board is very diverse yet focused on the future of your cooperative. Above all is our concern for
you, our customer. Companies often spend hours and a
lot of money developing mission and vision statements.
The one I operate by comes from La Crosse, WI based
Festival Foods whose uses the boomerang theory “Will
it bring the customer back?”
You have many other choices to buy from. We’re
honored you’ve selected United Ag Cooperative to provide
goods and services. Former Green Bay Packers CEO Bob
Harlan was known to answer his own phone. I’m no different
and enjoy talking to and meeting our customers. I also like
making farm calls with our sales people. If at any time you
have an idea or concern, call or stop in as many of you have
done. We must respect the past while looking to the future!
David Schoonover
General Manager
Ashland Feed Mill Staff
Front left: Glen Colver, Denise Marincel, Natalie Staricha
Top left: Dave Reiten, Ron (Butch) Green, Bob Hamblin,
Jake Wammer, Brad Bunge Not pictured: Russ Hallstrom,
Scott Michels, Megan Raspolic
Feed
Grain
I hope all of you had a good deer season and a blessed
holiday season. The 2015 harvest season went well with the
good weather at the beginning, but things started too get to wet
at the end.
Now that the grain is in the bin the big questions are
when do I sell, how much do I sell, and what price do I sell at?
This question is not an easy one to answer because it looks like
it is going to be a struggle to get to breakeven on the 2015 corn
crop. To help answer this question you now have the 2015
yield and what it cost to grow the crop. From that you can figure your breakeven price. With the yields that were out there
this year the breakeven price is going to be lower than most
people had thought. By the way the market looks right now
there is not that one month that looks good to sell. This year is
one of those years that a person is going to have to keep a close
eye on the markets and sell parts at a time on rallies. We are
going to have some basis movement locally because the end
user is going to have to try to get the farmer to take the corn out
of the bin. Once it is in there it’s harder to get farmers to let it
go. To help keep you up to date on current pricing you can go
to our web page and see the price anytime during the day.
UAC also has the ability for producers to put bids in and the
computer can watch it for you, also known as a target offer.
One thing no one wants to think about is what about
next year’s crop. The first thing you need to know is what the
cost of production for the 2016 crop will be. If you know this
than you can put bids in or lock some prices in above your cost.
Many farmers are thinking about growing more soybeans for
2016 in this area because of the cost and you can break even or
make money on the soybeans at this time. Corn is hard to turn
a profit on with the cost of production where it is right now.
When you are contracting don’t try to hit the home run because
chances are you will strike out. Have an average price that you
are shooting for and start locking some in. As most of you
know, pending any weather issues, it looks like these low
prices are going to be around for a few years. As your local coop, we would like to help you make it through these lean years
so you can continue to farm because without our farmers your
co-op would not be here.
Jerry Bates
Grain Manager
PAGE
3
Seasons greetings from
the United Ag Cooperative Feed
Department. As rules and regulations continue to change, we
here at United Ag will continue
to change to meet the new requirements. This will come with
changes and challenges, but we
will work together to minimize
the effect on our patrons.
We have purchased a
scale to do on the farm calf trials. We could compare calves on
milk replacer types or calf starters. If you have an interest in looking at how we can help you with your calves please let one of our
three nutritionists know.
Nutritionists:
Brad Bunge
Andy Lutz
Mike Prusinski
218-380-0564
715-296-0165
715-416-2691
This year has brought commodity and corn prices down
from the highs where we have been the last few years. If you are
interested in contracting any part of your feed needs at any time,
please give Justin a call at 715-357-3650.
We would like to thank everyone for their past patronage
and will continue to work to earn your business.
Justin Wood
Feed Manager
Greetings from the United Ag Co-op—Ashland location—Feed &
Agronomy.
The Ashland Feed Mill is geared up for the cold winter
days to come. Bird lovers will find a large assortment of bird food,
from black oil sunflower seeds to suet cakes, along with numerous
styles of birdfeeders.
Pet owners can pick from a wide variety of healthy pet
foods and treats for their dog or cat. Don’t forget to check out the
heated dog bowls and pick up a straw bale for the dog house.
For your deer enthusiasts, the Ashland Feed Mill carries
a fresh supply of Ashland Antler Maker.
A product we have available is QLF 40. If your hay quality is poor, you can pour QLF 40 on the round bale and let it soak
overnight. You will have less wasted feed and the animals will
benefit from the extra nutrition. If that method doesn't fit into your
schedule, call the staff at the Ashland Feed Mill. They will set a
lick tank on your site filled with QLF 40.
Have a happy and safe holiday season from all of us at United Ag
Cooperative—Ashland!
Grain Team: Jerry Bates, Jordan Saffert, Clancy Broker
Bob Hamblin
Ashland Location Manager
PAGE
4
Accounting & Finance Manager
Happy Holidays from United Ag Cooperative! Our fiscal year ended on September 30th and with our audit
now complete, we will be hosting our annual meeting on Saturday, January 30th, 2016 at the Sacred Heart Church
Parish Hall in Almena, beginning at 10:30 A.M. Patronage checks for fiscal year 2015 will be available for distribution at this time.
Please continue to utilize our website at www.unitedagcoop.com to access your account. From here you
can access monthly statements, invoices, account balances, year-end statements for tax purposes, grain contracts
and online payment options. If you have not taken the opportunity to use this tool, you can by simply going to our
website and clicking on “Account Login.” In the top left corner, click on “First Time Sign On” and follow the
prompts. Please don’t hesitate to call our office at (715) 357-3650
if you have difficulties accessing your account.
If you would like to receive invoices and statements electronically, please email katiej@unitedagcoop.com from the email
you would like to receive them at. This helps to cut down on costs
for your cooperative as well as gives you the opportunity to receive
your communications in a more timely manner.
Thank you for the continued support of your local cooperative,
Alicia Streich
Accounting & Finance Manager
Office Staff
Front left: Erica Sinclair, Julie Johnson, Joan Krecker
Top left: Katie Johnson, Mary Ricci, Kaitlin Hanson,
Alicia Streich
Bulk Fuels
Take Time to Winterize Your Fuel Tanks
Properly preparing your tanks can help to minimize diesel fuel problems associated with cold weather.
Steps to take:
 Check tanks for water-ice formation in fuels containing water creates severe fuel line & filter plugging problems.
 Tilt tanks to direct water and debris away from the outlet.
 Phase separation in fuel can happen when water is introduced into the fuel. Biological growth lives in the water and feeds on the hydro carbons (diesel fuel). The water and biological growth will eventually plug filters.
 Consider replacing fuel filters with a larger micron filter to improve flow and to insure they are free from water, which can freeze and block the flow of fuel
 For filters equipped with a drain valve, periodic draining of water, which accumulates from condensation, is
recommended.
 Consider fuel additives which can help keep paraffins, naturally occurring in diesel fuels, from collecting at
the bottom of the tank, which can lead to filter plugging.
 Check hoses, fill/vapor caps and gaskets for leaks.
 Clean pump screens.
 Fill your tank. Keeping it as full as possible helps reduce fuel degradation which occurs from exposure to
oxygen. The fuller the tank, the less room for oxygen.
Ken Stevens, Refined Fuels Manager
Propane
PAGE
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year!
As a reminder; charges
for same day and after hours
delivery is $100.00, plus
It’s truly amazing how $50.00 for a leak test if you’re
the weather can change from
out of propane.
one winter to the other. The past Here’s what we need from you:
two winters were so cold and
 Check your tanks regusnowy; we thought they would
larly
never end. Then comes this win Call in your order
ter and it can’t seen to find first
when you’re at 30%
Our propane driver, Shorty, out on a delivery.
gear! But don’t get to compla Get filled on your route
cent with this warm weather.
day. Put your money
know if we need to add anyYou’re still using propane! So
towards propane, not
thing.
mark your calendar or put a
extra charges!
Thank you for your
sticky note on the fridge to
patronage
and we hope you
check your tank regularly. Even
Routed deliveries save
have
a
great
holiday season.
tanks on Autofill should be
both you and United Ag Co-op
checked occasionally. Then call money.
Stay Warm,
in your order when the tank hits
Check out our new
30% & you’ll have plenty of
WEBSITE. It has a great fresh
Jim Schieffer,
propane to make it to your regu- look and lots of info. Let us
Propane Manager
lar route day.
Credit Manager
Hello again everyone! I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a safe and Happy Holiday Season!
Here are a few notes to share with everyone:
Again this year, Year End Statements are available. We can print them by customer request or you can get them
online through our website. If you would like to receive one at the end of the year please give us a call after January 1,
2016.
Yes it’s a while before spring, but it’s time to start planning your 2016 crop inputs. Planning ensures you get the
products that best fit your operation, and lets you take advantage of early purchase discounts. Now more than ever, producers need to sit down and plan for the cost of their operations, make sound management decisions and utilize all the cash
management tools at your disposal. The best way to limit your exposure is to have a well thought out plan that meets your
farm’s needs.
United Ag Cooperative continues to try and protect the interests of all patrons and make you and your cooperative
more efficient and profitable. Securing a line of crop input financing allows you flexibility to take advantage of cash discounts, potential tax breaks, or deferred payment options. If you have not already lined up your spring input financing, we
have programs that are offering at competitive interest rates on your entire crop needs. We will continue to use Farm Plan
and Agri Span for financing. In addition, we have brought in C.F.A. These loan programs also offer deferred payment options. Please remember that your 2015 crop input loans for Farm Plan are due as of your December 2015 statement, and
Agrispan input loans are due February 2016.
LP and Fuel customers keep in mind that all accounts must be kept current to remain on our schedule delivery program. Any account past due is automatically taken off our keep-fill program and you will be expected to call in for future
LP fills.
Please keep in mind that our Board of Directors is encouraging everyone to use one of the following options: Cash,
Prepay, Partners in Production, Farm Plan or major credit card.
Thanks again to all of our loyal customers, and may you enjoy a Happy New Year.
Randy Ptacek
Credit Manager
United Ag Cooperative
5
PAGE
6
Almena Holiday
The Holiday Station in Almena is located right on Hwy 8. Manager Vernita
Craine and Assistant Manager Natalie Toews and their team welcome you. Vernita has
24 years with our co-op, replacing Lauren Schwederske in February after he served 43
years with our co-op. Natalie had a year with our CENEX store in Turtle Lake before
transferring to Almena as Assistant Manager in April.
The Almena station takes great pride in being the place to go for gas, diesel,
wood, propane, groceries and hot food to enjoy in our store or take out to enjoy at home
with the family. We sell hunting and fishing licenses and have live bait. When you have
a graduation, wedding, or birthday all you need to do is stop in and pick out a card from
out great selection and purchase a gift card of your choice (Holiday gift cards, Visa Gift
cards, Applebees and many more) and you are on your way. With US Bank located next
door, an ATM is available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day in the entry way.
In a hurry and hungry? In the morning we have breakfast pizza’s, burritos, biscuit sandwiches and croissants all made fresh as well as Holiday pantry items you can
take with you to heat when you get to work. For lunch and supper, we have pizza’s,
bread sticks, cheesy garlic bread, grilled chicken sandwiches, cheeseburgers, brats, fried
snacks all made fresh. If there is an item not in the warmer, our deli employees with gladly
make it for you.
The Almena Holiday is a part of United Ag Co-op which means we are owned by
our customers and we work for you. We take great pride in this.
Assistant Manager, Natalie Toews
and Manager, Vernita Craine
Barron CENEX
We would like to
welcome you to the United
Ag Coop Truck Stop here in
the beautiful city of Barron.
We are not just an
ordinary convenience store.
We offer a variety of pet
food, barn lime, wood pellets, wildlife corn, trucker
merchandise, a small selection of giftware, showers,
and Over The Road card
services to our customers.
We offer a variety of fuels
that include unleaded with
ethanol, super unleaded
without ethanol, Roadmas-
Manager, Renee Floan
ter premium diesel, diesel
#2, off road diesel, kerosene, and a propane fill station. Attached to our location is the Four Star Family
Restaurant that offers
breakfast all day.
Since the merger
in 2013, we have been able
to offer a rewards and loyalty program to ALL of our
customers called United
Rewards. This program
includes collecting points
on your in-store purchases,
fuel purchases, a pizza and
milk program, monthly spe-
cials, and allows the customer to redeem their points
for merchandise at our location.
The Barron location was the only store with
Barron Farmers Union
Coop prior to becoming
United Ag Cooperative. We
have gained many coworkers, new customers,
better pricing for our customers, and many other
opportunities that benefit
our location and customers.
We have been known to
have great customer service
Busy morning at Barron CENEX
and we strive to do our best
to keep and gain our customers.
As we get deeper
into the winter months and
the ice begins to get thicker
on the lakes, please remember that we sell propane
cylinders for your ice
shacks and we sell DNR
materials that include fishing licenses and trail passes.
Stop and see us today!
Assistant manager, Steve Deacon
Cumberland Holiday
Hello from the
Island City Cumberland!
Holiday is conveniently
located on Hwy 63.
Convenience Stores
My name is Shannon Ries and I have worked
at Holiday for years, before
taking on the role as Manager. My staff and I
strive to maintain great
customer service,
whether our customers
are passing through on
the way to the cabin or
patrons heading to work.
There are a variety of snacks to It’s easy to see why they
choose Holiday.
choose from at Cumberland
Holiday.
We are your onestop shop for quality gas,
beer, groceries, or a hunting license. Our fresh coffee is a big hit, starting at
only .99ȼ everyday. Stop
in and check us out and
don’t forget to glance at the
photos of local trophy
bucks, taken right here at
Cumberland Holiday.
PAGE
Service with a smile. Right is Manager, Shannon Ries, Middle is Assistant Manager, Kathleen Duncan
Shell Lake CENEX
The Shell Lake Country Store is located on Hwy 63 in Shell Lake. The Shell Lake Country Store offers a wide variety
of goods & services. Along with the deli, we serve Hot Stuff Pizza and snacks from Louie’s Finer Meats.
The Shell Lake Country Store has everything from coffee and snacks to lawn and garden care. We have a full line of
pet supplies and pet food. We also have bird seed and wildlife corn. You can also call for a pet grooming appointment!
Turtle Lake CENEX
Laker Country Sports
& Convenience Store is located
on Hwy 8 in Turtle Lake.
Turtle Lake CENEX
Come check out the beer cave
located in the Laker Country
Sports—CENEX.
offers 24 hr gasoline pay at the
pump, 100% premium gasoline
(no ethanol), CENEX premium
diesel fuels, and Roadmaster
and dyed #2.
We have Piccadilly
Pizza and Broaster Chicken.
Ready to serve or take out for
personal or family size meals.
Subway is also conveniently
attached to our store.
Ask our friendly staff
about the United Rewards
7
Club. Join today to earn
free carwashes, pizza, LP
tank exchange, and more!
VIP buy 9 get one free on
gallons of milk, pizza, coffee and more!
Don’t forget to
stop by our Ultrasonic
Touchless Car Wash—
Turtle Lake’s finest car
wash!
Manager, Sue Friday-Thill
PO Box 118, Almena, WI 54805
Agronomy
We would like to take this time and say thank you to all of our
loyal customers for this past 2015 growing season. Now that harvest is coming to a close and we are seeing a much higher than
expected yield coming in, this makes for a successful year.
As we look into the start of 2016, we are not only
challenged by the decline in commodity prices but also the decisions we have made in the past leading up to where we are today.
Moving ahead, our thought process kicks into gear and brings up
several questions for this next growing season like:
1. What crops do I put in that are the most
profitable?
2. Can we negotiate land rent?
3. What expense can we cut back on without
sacrificing yields?
4. How can I cover my cost of inputs with
today’s markets?
5. When is the best time to prepay?
With this being said, it is more important than
ever to sit down with our agronomists and do a cost analysis plan
for your farm. This will help you make your decisions easier and
also help manage your return on total profit. By doing this, we can
show you exactly what your total cost per acre will be and discuss
options to manage your risk. To help in some of the decision making process, cropping inputs have come way down. Have they
reached a bottom? It is possible but some products may continue
to move. The commodity markets will dictate where inputs end
up. If the commodity markets rally, be prepared to make deci-
sions to lock your inputs in because fertilizer prices will generally
follow.
We will be holding grower meetings throughout
this winter along with spray clinics to help all of us stay on top of our
game. If there are any specific questions or concerns that you would
like covered, please feel free to contact us. Your input is crucial not
only to the success of your business but to the success of United Ag
Coop. Thank you again for your business and we look forward to
serving you in 2016.
Respectfully,
Rich Carr
Agronomy Manager
Richard Carr
Brian Bertelsen
richc@unitedagcoop.com brianb@unitedagcoop.com
715-654-1070
715-790-6041
Dena Lorenz
dena@unitedagcoop.com
715-419-3884
Bruce Ostenson
bruceo@unitedagcoop.com
715-790-7522
Kevin Austin
Kannen Odden
kannenodden@gmail.com kevina@unitedagcoop.com
715-641-1239
715-645-0369