This fall has NOT been typical. We’ve had few breaks this harvest, which means we’ve had to enlist more resources to serve our customers. These resources include other trucking companies to haul transport loads of propane and additional tank wagons to haul refined fuels. We have a pretty good network of resources from past experience, and we’re not afraid to reach out to new haulers. Sometimes that makes a big difference in being able to deliver product in a timely fashion.
No two years are the same. Will supplies of agronomy and energy products be available in 2023? What is going to be the challenge this coming year?
We’re most proud of our employees, who worked through this harvest season without much rest to deliver what you need and want. Our employees are expected to be at the ready all the time. That’s the exceptional value we talk about.
One example of this exceptional value is our promise to deliver fuel within two or three days. At one point in this busy harvest season, the delivery window stretched to four days or more. Your cooperative responded by adding four trucks and drivers to help Cenex’s AFD (Automated Fuel Delivery) bring that fuel delivery
time down to the expected window. For some drivers, delivering energy was not in their job description, but they jumped right in to help.
Our leadership team together with our outstanding employee group has been very responsive in thinking outside the box to come up with solutions for delivering exceptional value.
Are we going to address some things, once the season is over, to make sure things run more smoothly next season? Absolutely. If we want to be successful long term, we’ll need to do just that.
Communication is big and involves a lot of moving parts. Communication from you to your account manager is key, as is planning ahead. In the coming months, I’m sure you will be making plans for the upcoming growing season. Please make sure your Account Manager is informed of those plans so they can keep us up to speed of what we are up against. Also, once those plans are set, I’d recommend taking delivery of the products you have purchase as early as you can to avoid any issues that may arise in season.
LIVING IN THE BOLD COLD
In closing, I’ll mention a couple of things as we approach the end of the year. Pay attention to the weather. Several sources are forecasting this winter to be colder than normal. Please keep an eye on your propane supply tanks and give us a call when the gauge gets down to 20%–even those of you on scheduled delivery. Glance at your tank at least once a week and call us when the level gets low. The more eyes the better.
And, when we do get snow, please shovel a path to your propane supply tank. Our delivery people try to make 20 or more stops a day, and they drag up to 150 feet of hose to your tank. Please, keep their job safer and help make us be more efficient in serving your neighbors.
