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MANAGER’S DESK
Jerald Kemmerer-CEO/GM I hope you are having a great summer. This year seems to be flying by each month. Before you know the summer will be over and kids will be back to school. I would like to start off by thanking you for your harvest wheat bushels. I know we don’t say it enough but thanks for the opportunity for the team at Pride Ag Resources to help you take care of your wheat bushels during harvest. Wheat harvest was a little later than normal but the quality and yields I believe were better than most people had expected. We took in 40% more than last year and this year’s wheat harvest
THIRD QUARTER 2019
was the 4th largest all-time receipts even with less acres being planted. Test weights were over 60 lbs. on the average and moisture was not a problem after we got started. Proteins seems to be a full point or more below average. According to the state reports, the state of Kansas was down on protein from the past yearly averages. Fall crops look to be plentiful and with a few more future timely rain falls, we could be looking at some great fall crops. Just as quickly as we filled the elevators with wheat, we are already working the logistics to handle what looks to be some great harvest. The additional space, leg capacity, and additional scales will really come in handy this fall. The new space is ready at Ensign for
this fall with new scales. We also have more new storage at Jetmore and Hanston with a new out bound scale. The recent capital projects will bring more value to you for more space and speed up dump time in a crucial period during harvest. I was able to attend a few of our area county fairs this summer. In some ways it has changed very little over the years, but in other ways, especially in numbers, it has seemed to decrease. Congratulations to all the youth that participated in 4-H and in FFA with their fair projects this year. Pride Ag Resources is proud to be a sponsor in eight of the counties that we serve in. It was exciting to the team of employees to see the
Inside This Issue 2 Safety – Ace Hardware 3 Grain 4 Agronomy - Feed 5 Turf 6 AV Energy 7 Employee Spot Light–Board of Directors
accomplishments by our youth with their projects especially the ones that Pride Ag Resources helps provide services for. New for this year the Kansas Coop Council restarted the Coop Youth Leadership conference that Farmland Industries previously ran from 1947 through 2000 at the time of their closer. Some of you readers may have had the opportunity to attend it when it was in Kansas City. After the program was stagnate for almost 20 years, the KCC reenergized it with a new format July 8th through 10th at Rocksprings 4-H camp south of Junction City. I am happy to announce that Pride Ag Resources sponsored three young ladies from your cooperative area to attend the leadership conference this year. Those representing Pride Ag Resources; Ali Diehl from Hanston, KS, parents Chad and Lindsey Diehl, Janna Klassen, Montezuma, KS, parents Abe and Justina Klassen, and Taylor Axtell, Montezuma, KS, parents Matthew and Becky Axtell. The young ladies did a very good job of representing Pride Ag Resources. Had wheat harvest not been later than normal we could have sent a few more young people. Hopefully we can send more next year, please look for the sign up time when it comes available. I hope you have a good rest of the summer with your families. We are looking forward to helping you handle your fall harvest. Thanks for your business. It is always a pleasure for the team of
employees to help you succeed in production agriculture. Jerald Kemmerer-CEO/GM Pride Ag Resources
Interesting Fact: It takes a combine 9 seconds to harvest enough wheat to make 70 loaves of bread.
Safety Division Roger Maple Safety Director
Augers As I write this article, many of you have completed your wheat harvest and are already looking down the road towards corn and milo harvest. There is one particular tool being used commonly on the farm, but even more so, during harvest time that I would like to discuss: the auger. Per hours of use, augers are one of the most dangerous pieces of equipment being used on the farm. 25% of all farm accidents are auger related. Of those accidents, 60% of all auger injuries involve flighting. The most popular injuries involving augers include cuts and fractures, entanglements, amputations, and contact with overhead power lines. There are many things we can do to remain cognizant of safely engaging in auger use. I would like to share a short safety checklist with you. 1) Make sure the only people who operate your auger are ones who understand exactly how your auger works, and also, who
knows how to run it properly. 2) Make sure to keep anyone who isn’t involved in operating the auger a safe distance away to insure they are out of harm’s way. 3) Make sure all protective shields, guards, and devices are securely in place before starting the auger. 4) Refrain from wearing loose clothing dangling jewelry or untied long hair around the auger. 5) Always be aware of overhead power lines before moving the auger. 6) Always make sure your auger is on dry level ground with secure footing. 7) No matter how tempting it is, never stick your hand or feet into a running auger. And finally, 8) Remember, no matter how many safety precautions you take, mishaps can still arise at any moment so please stay alert. It’s a fact that we all sometimes get caught up in the task, knowing the job needs to be accomplished, however, our welfare and the welfare of others is paramount. Stay safe!
ACE HARDWARE Jack Lane, ACE Manager Pure hardwood is the fuel for Traeger’s signature flavor. Traeger owners and BBQ enthusiasts agree that woodfired flavor is what they love most about their grill, because it simply tastes better than charcoal or gas, Real wood, real flavor-every time. Taste the wood fired difference. Traeger 6-1 versatility allows you to cook hot and fast or low and slow. When you fire up your 2
Traeger you can smoke, bake, roast, braise, and BBQ. Ribs, wood fired pizza and even pies and cookies anything you can cook up in your head you can cook up on your Traeger. Consistent temperature gives you consistent results. The digital control maintains a constant temperature just like your oven. The new blue tooth series of Traegers are amazing with the new technology of the ironwood series. They have a searing station in the lower adjustment on the cooking grate. Stop by any of our locations and check out all the different grills, rubs, spices and BBQ sauces along with all the cool accessories.
GRAIN DIVISION Michael Schmidt Operations Manager Harvest has come and gone for another year, and it was one for the record books. We heard a number of farmers around the country, saying that they have never had wheat yields like we did this year. This year wasn’t as big as the 2016 record crop, but we didn’t have as many planted acres this year as we did in 2016. Looking back at our wheat harvest receipts for the last 25 years we find the 2019 harvest is the 4th largest wheat crop for your cooperative. Harvest was late getting started this year but when it was ready we really went to town. Just 8 days into harvest, your cooperative had already taken in the same amount of bushels as the entire crop last year. I would like to
say “our hats are off” to all our employees that worked long hours at the scales and in the elevators to get your trucks back to the field so you could get back as quickly as possible with another load. Thanks also to all our grain accounting staff who kept your tickets posted up accurately and quickly. Harvest doesn’t come without a few hitches but hopefully everything went good for you and it was everything you expected. If there are ways we can do better let us know what it is and we will try everything possible to meet your needs. Concerning wheat pricing opportunities, the Kansas City September wheat futures price traded up to $5.08 on June 4th, 2019 but begin to move lower, staying in a range of $4.60 - $4.80 as wheat harvest got closer. As harvest activity began in Kansas, wheat prices continued to slide lower following reports that yields were much better than expected. Harvest pressure pushed September KC wheat to a low of $4.39 ¼ on July 9th, down nearly $.70 from the June 4th high. It looked as though the only direction that wheat prices could go would be lower, given the lack of exports and the size of the wheat crop being harvested. Unexpectedly, following USDA’s July 11 Supply and Demand report both corn and wheat prices took a run up as the 2019 corn yields were reduced, providing an opportunity to price cash wheat above $4.00. There are still many questions concerning the size of this year’s corn crop that will not be answered until later in this growing season. A further reduction in yield could definitely lend support to both corn and wheat. Watching the
market for pricing opportunities and having open orders in place if the market moves to the upside could really be a plus. Now that harvest is over, everyone at Pride Ag Resources is working hard to get ready for fall harvest. With all the moisture we have received, it is looking like another very good corn, milo, and soybean crop ahead of us. Looking ahead your cooperative will need to load a minimum of 12 trains before the end of September, just to meet minimum space needs and will continue to load out trains for additional space. This is a very good issue to have because we can all remember years when we couldn’t even fill the elevators with all four crops. So again all of the employees at Pride Ag Resources would like to say thank you for making us your business of choice. Date Wheat 4/5/19 3.86 5/6/19 3.58 5/21/19 3.91 6/18/19 4.25 Last Year –May 2018 AVG. 4.79
Corn 3.48 3.44 3.74 4.30
Milo 2.98 2.94 3.24 3.80
Soybean 7.54 6.85 6.77 7.74
3.75 3.48 9.00
In the last newsletter I updated you on the building projects that your coop had begun. I am glad to report the two new McPherson concrete bins at Jetmore were finished and were ready for wheat harvest. It was a good thing because we filled both them and the main house. At our Hanston facility, only one McPherson bin was finished before harvest was complete. Luckily it was ready just in time as we had only one more day of space left. The other McPherson is scheduled 3
for completion before fall harvest. This space will be needed for the large harvest up coming. The new scale at Hanston as well as the two newly constructed bins will be a very positive expansion for your coop. I’m sure everyone that used the Hanston facility this year would strongly agree. When all the construction equipment is out of the way next harvest it will be even better. Finally, the last building project is the new scale and scale house at Ensign. It wasn’t ready for wheat harvest but it will be ready for fall harvest. This will make truck traffic flow much smoother. We will be better able to utilize all the dump pits and get your trucks back to the field much quicker. We will be glad when all these projects are completed. It appears there are many challenges ahead as this growing season winds down and fall harvest begins. We look forward to making your fall harvest as successful for you as your wheat harvest was. As always, we thank you for your business and for allowing all of us at Pride Ag Resources to help you with your grain handling and marketing needs. Here’s hoping the remainder of summer is great for all of you.
AGRONOMY Tim Spector Agronomy Manager The 2019 Wheat crop has come full circle and from reports it was a successful harvest for our customers. Your agronomy team at Pride Ag Resources is prepared to assist you in developing production plans for the 2020 crop.
Currently we have our agronomist in the fields soil sampling in order to derive recommendations based on science. In addition, the agronomy team has been provided marketing tools to help you in your purchasing decisions as it pertains your fields NPK and application needs. If you would like to further discuss soil sampling and marketing let your local branch manager know. Lawrence Baxa is currently evaluating harvest data to determine the best seed varieties to offer our customers in this region. Fungicide treatments, insecticide treatments, nutrient stimulators, and growth enhancement options will also be offered. Additional information will be provided by your location manager and our agronomy team at Pride Ag Resources. Fertilizer Markets – this is the time of the year when the international and the domestic producers reset values for the 2020 crop year. Last year the reset values occurred in early July, however, with the delayed cropping conditions in the United States it has been delayed. Even though we have a production facility in our backdoor, international events have a direct impact on the daily procurement values. Therefore, we monitor daily and utilize market resources prior to positioning to keep our farmers competitively positioned in an effort to drive farmer profitability. I anticipate that by August we will have a somewhat clearer picture of fertilizer values so our
customers can budget accordingly. Seed- Pride Ag Resources has entered into marketing agreements with NK Seeds and Croplan Genetics for Corn and Soybean seed. In addition, we are in discussions with other suppliers to expand the portfolio offering for our customers. Finance – Your Pride Ag Resources Agronomist will have information available to discuss input financing options for your seed, chemical and fertilizer needs for the 2020 crop year. In conclusion, my wife Stacy and I, thank Jerald Kemmerer and the team at Pride Ag Resources for allowing us to join the organization. My past experiences have range from Sales Manager at local cooperative to Region Director for a National Cooperative. My best memories were the days spent working at the local cooperative meeting with farmers and their families. In addition, we enjoy contributing to the fabric of the community where we reside.
FEED DIVISION Five Feed Tips for Weaning Calves Ted Perry Beef Technical Solutions Calves are on pasture with their dams where life is good. Suddenly, they’re faced with a 4
plethora of stressors and challenges. Weaning calves typically includes the weaning itself, shipping, commingling, processing, a change in nutrition and – to top it off – potential swings in weather. Weaning calves are often hungry, meaning they tend to bawl for their dam. Bawling for extended periods can irritate a calf’s throat and potentially lead to respiratory challenges. These stressors, paired with a still-developing immune system, can ultimately lead to reduced disease resistance. But. if you can get calves eating quickly, they’re more likely to overcome stress and sickness. Here are some tips to get freshly weaned claves to eat quickly: Use Cattle Lick Tubs When Weaning Calves. Cattle lick tubs can be used as a free-choice supplement in calf receiving pens. For operations using supplement tubs in the cow herd, calves will be familiar with the tub and more likely to start eating quickly. Cattle lick tubs have two primary benefits for the calf. First, the licking action produces saliva to help ease throat irritation from bawling. Second, licking stimulates weaning calves’ appetites, prompting them to look for food and water. Offer Palatable Calf Starter Feed. When calves search for feed, make sure there’s a palatable feed in the bunk. If claves like the feed, they will start eating and continue coming back to the bunk. A worst-case scenario is when a calf comes to the bunk for the first time and finds an unpalatable feed. It’s hard to get
the calf back to the bunk after an initial bad experience. Use a weaning ration for beef calves with proper nutrition and palatable ingredients. A calf starter feed with intake control properties, like Accuration-Starter with Intake Modifying Technology. Can help stimulate consumption. Select a Feed That Supports the Immune System of Weaning Calves. It’s critical to support the immune system of weaning calves during high stress. Select a feed that addresses stressors and respiratory challenges headon. The Purina starter line with RX2Immune Support Technology prepares a calf’s natural defenses, so it’s better equipped to fight off stress and respiratory challenges. The technology is specifically formulated to support calves’ overall health, reduce cost and set calves up for a healthy future. Find the Right Feed Form. The physical feed form can influence consumption. Bigger pellets tend to work best for calf starter feeds because they are softer. Bigger pellets also allow calves to get more with every mouthful, which is essential for less aggressive calves standing at the bunk. Avoid mealy feeds, which often separate and become less appealing to weaning calves. Prioritize Starter Feed Quality. Evaluate your feed quality and don’t settle for the least expensive option – it might be cheaper up front, but it could also be less palatable. A quality, palatable starter feed will get calves eating
quickly during the first 10 to 14 days post-weaning and help them stay healthy. Does your cattle nutrition program stack up? Find out with a Proof Pays feeding trial.
Pride Ag Resources“Pride Turf” “Turf Talk” Nathan Ratzlaff nratzlaff@prideag.com My oh my, what a wet May and June we had this year in Kansas. Many areas of the state had some of their wettest months ever recorded. Many people may think all the rain we have had is good for our yards. While I will be the first to say that nothing beats natural rainfall when watering your yard, all of the rain we have had can cause some serious problems. You may have noticed now that the rain has stopped and the summer heat is upon us that your yard is struggling a little. Springtime is the time of year we build good root structure in our turf grass. We want the root system of the plant to grow deep into the soil to prepare for the hot summer months. With all the rainfall, the root system of the plants have stayed very shallow and that can cause stress to the plants when the summer temperatures arrive. We are fast approaching optimum fertilizer and seeding times of the year for all of the cool season grasses. Make sure you stop in at one of our Pride Ag Ace Hardware’s to pick up all of your fall lawn supplies. 5
We are scheduled for 2 applications of fertilizer to finish out the season, the first one being our Fall application to be applied around Labor Day. We have built this one to be a versatile application. If you have kept up with the weeds this summer and your lawn just needs a fall boost, I would highly recommend our “Maintainer” fertilizer. If the summer brought in dandelions, spurge or other broadleaf weeds into your yard, you might consider using the “Weed and Feed +” instead of the Maintainer. For those of you that plan to overseed, Do Not apply the “Weed and Feed +” as the herbicide will damage the new seedlings. The last fertilizer application of the year will be our winter application, to be applied around Daylight Savings/Halloween. This application of our “Winterizer” will allow the turf to get ready for dormancy also providing a quicker green-up in the spring. The Fall and Early winter months are the most important applications you can do for your lawn. All of our stores and branches of Pride Ag Resources will have these products in stock. Remember we build our products “in Kansas for Kansas soils”. We also have many other products including Gypsum, Triple 13, Quick Iron and many more to choose from. We also do many custom blends in bulk quantities to service anyone in the turf industry. As always, feel free to send me questions or comments, as I would be happy to answer
anything you might have, if I do not have the perfect answer, I will at least send you in the right direction. You can reach me via email at Nratzlaff@prideag.com Thanks and have a great Fall Season, Nathan Ratzlaff
AV Energy Greetings, I hope everyone is having a great summer so far! We are in the middle of our irrigation season and coming off a great wheat harvest, so we have been very busy this summer. We do have a couple exciting things going on this summer at AV Energy. On July 15th Vaughn Harms became a full time employee with AV Energy. As a lot of you know Vaughn has been employed with Pride Ag for 28 years, so he brings a lot of knowledge to AV Energy and we are very excited to have Vaughn on board. Vaughn’s main duties will be in operations and he will oversee the delivery drivers and vehicle assets. Both Vaughn and I will work on sales calls as well as our other duties. Propane contracts have been mailed out and the response has been tremendous. The propane market softened some in May and June, so we were able to offer some really competitive prices for this fall and winter. Our 100% Pre Buy contract is $1.20 per gallon, Fixed Contact is $1.25 per gallon and our
Budget contract is $1.35 per gallon. If you have not contracted or are looking for a more reliable and safety conscious propane provider, please give us a call. The Jetmore Cardtrol has had a couple of fuel upgrades and we’re glad to now offer 91 octane premium unleaded on our cardtrol island. The premium unleaded dispenser is now where the clear diesel dispenser was on the west island. The 91 octane premium unleaded is ethanol free so it will work well in your 2 stroke engines, boats, lawn mowers, golf carts, ATV’s and older vehicles. The clear diesel dispenser is now on the new south island. The new clear diesel dispenser is a high volume dispenser with a satellite island to help speed up your fueling times. Other than our many types of oil that AV Energy sales we also offer DEF in 2 ½ gallon jugs, 55 gallon drums, and 330 gallon totes which we can deliver to your location or you can pick up at our warehouse. AV Energy also has 30 gallon drums of solvent for sale as well. If you are in need of DEF or Solvent, please give Vaughn or myself a call we would be glad to answer any question you might have. Enjoy the rest of summer!
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Pride Ag Employee Spot Light
Name: Terri Burns Resides: Jetmore, Kansas Location: Jetmore Branch Position: Office Manager Terri has been employed with Pride Ag for over 7 years. Terri lived in Nashville, TN., for 12 years before moving back to Jetmore 11 years ago. Terri has two grown children, son Braden and wife Dustie and they have 4 children, daughter Kelley and husband David and they have 2 children. They all live in the Kansas City area. Terri’s hobbies are planners and journals. She enjoys making and decorating steampunk and junk journals, lettering, and calligraphy.
Tucker, and between the two they have 7 children. Carissa, grew up in Wichita, Ks. Her hobbies are her farm animals and her children’s projects and activities.
riding her horses, bowling, camping/fishing, and collecting classic and muscle cars with Bill. One thing that most people don't know about Stacey is that she collects Breyer horses and currently has over 500 in her collection!
Name: Staci Kuhlman Resides: Dodge City, Kansas Location: Montezuma Branch Position: Office Manager Staci has been employed with Pride Ag for just over a year. Staci has 3 adult children, Dianna, Samantha and Dalton. Staci grew up in Dighton Kansas, and her hobbies are, traveling, bowling and billiards.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Scott Mac Nair ........................ Chairman Tony Bleumer………..... . Vice-Chairman Clint Hamilton ......... Secretary-Treasurer Butch Irsik ................................. Director Toby Whipple ............................ Director Jacob Tarman ........................... Director Weston Vogel ............................ Director Brian Pinkney.…........Associate Director Phillip Woods …..…..Associate Director
Name: Carissa Kline Resides: Dighton, Kansas Location: Beeler Branch Position: Office Manager Carissa has been employed with Pride Ag for just over a year. Carissa is married to Trever
Name: Stacey Wilder Resides: Lyons, Kansas Location: Lyons Ace Hardware Position: Paint Department Mgr., Back-up Bookkeeper Stacey was in the group of employees hired prior to the store opening and has been with Pride Ag 4 years in July. She is married to Bill and they have 2 dogs Bella and Lucy. Stacey's hobbies are
Jerald Kemmerer………………CEO/GM Debby Kennedy….......Newsletter Editor
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Pride Ag Resources
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PAID
3rd Quarter 2019
710 West Trail, Dodge City, KS 67801
DODGE CITY, KS PERMIT #399
(620) 225-4193
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