DAVID ANDERSON AND RYAN SCHMIDT, AGRONOMY OPERATIONS DIRECTORS

Our agronomy team spends three months—January, February and March—getting our equipment ready for spring and summer.

This year, we’re working with new equipment, and we plan to add even more equipment to address our current initiative, doing more with less.

Last fall proved this can be done. We purchased two 90-foot dry spreaders that replaced two dry spinner spreaders and a spreader with a 70-foot boom. We ran less equipment and got the same amount of work done with fewer people.

This spring, we plan to add a liquid sprayer with a 120-foot boom, replacing two older liquid units with 85-foot booms. The new sprayer should be as efficient as the two older machines and will eliminate the need for a second operator and two tender drivers.

We want to emphasize: these equipment upgrades are not being made with the intention of getting rid of people. Our employees are NuWay-K&H Cooperative’s greatest asset. Rather, we’re looking into the future and asking, how can we do more with less?

24/7 Liquid Loadout

This spring will also be the first time we’ve used our new 24-hour liquid fertilizer loadout at Welcome. This facility will allow growers to come in at any hour and load their own fertilizer. The loadout features all the micros we inject when we do farm deliveries, plus the convenience of being available seven days a week.

There will be some training necessary to use the automated system, which is exactly like the one we use at our NW facility. We’ll have an employee help you with your first couple of loads, then sign off that you know how to use it.

Speak with your Agronomy Account Manager if you would like to learn more about our 24/7 liquid fertilizer loading process.