Boost Your Crop’s
Defensive Line
“It’s like adding 3 or 4 people to your team.”
Trust Builds Confidence
Perhaps no industry is as deeply rooted in tradition as the agriculture industry. Down through the generations, trust is forged, and relationships that span farm successions are built. For Taranis Regional Sales Manager, Seth Lawrence and his family, Heritage FS holds one of those relationships today.
“Since before I can remember, we did business with Dawson Farm Center. When they were bought by Heritage FS, Dad and Grandpa kept doing business with the people that they knew,” Lawrence says. “Those relationships have been around longer than I have.”
Trust builds confidence, and more times than not, trust is instilled in an individual. So, when Lawrence’s longtime representative with Heritage FS needed to take some time off this past spring, he was uneasy about who may replace him and what that may mean for his acres.
“Clayton, the location manager, is who I deal with, so when he told me that Gage was going to be taking care of me this past spring, I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I didn’t know Gage,” Lawrence shares about the transition.
“We did a six-flight program, and as every flight would come into the system, I was getting a call, a text, or an email from Gage. He would highlight the insights and then give me a list of bullet point takeaways on what we were seeing and a time and date we could meet at the field,” he says. “All of that cultivated the relationship and the trust that I have in Gage today.”
Insights with Pinpoint Accuracy
A Communication Tool
Josh Wurmnest, Heritage FS Strategy and Technology Manager, explains how Taranis has become a communication facilitator for his team of agronomists.
“Most agronomists are science-based, and science and communication don’t always go hand-in-hand. Taranis provides touchpoints for that agronomy salesperson to reach out to the grower,” he says, adding that the tool also helps to keep communication top of mind for operations of all sizes.
“Every customer is different,” he says. “Some want you to have coffee with them every morning, and some don’t want to see you unless there’s a problem. As an agronomist, Taranis allows you to customize that relationship and communication to fit the customer. It provides a constant reminder of what’s going on and lets our team use the information as a touch point with our customers.” [END OF PRINT ARTICLE]
Lawrence shares the “ah-ha” moment he had in finding comfort with Gage as his agronomist on the Shape of Ag series. As both Lawrence and Gage stood in one of Lawrence’s fields—40 miles south of where Lawrence lives—the farmer-agronomist team discussed nutrient deficiencies, weed escapes post herbicide pass, and how dry conditions impacted the efficacy of the herbicide.
“Gage was already there; he beat me to the field, and he already had the app up and was scouting based on what it was telling him. He walked right to the area that was showing some weed pressure and nutrient deficiency. We walked the length of that 115-acre field, to the back corner where there isn’t road access and then he made his recommendations to wait another week and see what developed before spraying,” Lawrence says. “That was the confidence builder for me because I was looking at exactly what he was and, as important, I got some understanding of his expertise in agronomy, which made me feel a lot better about him as my rep.”
Comfort in Validation
Wurmnest says that many times there is a fear or immediate dismissal of new technologies, after all, ag tech is one of the fastest-growing sectors in agriculture. Farmers are inundated with technology options every day, from their social feeds to their mailboxes to the retail cooperatives they work with. There is no shortage of “solutions” to execute a task. The defining value, Wurmnest says, comes two-fold: from the value a new technology provides his team and the validation it provides to a farmer.
“You cannot replace the physical presence of a person and the knowledge and experience a person has. Taranis allows us to help an inexperienced person, maybe an intern or recent graduate, and put that knowledge at their fingertips. They can learn from what they are seeing from the insights, and the farmer is able to have issues and practices validated. Taranis enhances a relationship,” he says. “And from a company perspective, using Taranis is like adding three or four people to your team without adding anyone to the payroll.”
Taranis Playbook All-Stars
Winner's Circle?
Every season has a story and it starts at the acre. The secret to a winning season is strategy, teamwork, and dedication. Get the gametape of your fields and join us in the end zone.
