OABA Participates in Asmark Institute’s Ag Retailers Live! Tour

Tour Featured Nearly 30 Agribusiness Facilities Around the Region

Angela Davis-Haines, Ohio AgriBusiness Association director of communications and member education, represented Ohio agribusiness during a weeklong tour of nearly 30 agricultural retailers throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. The Ag Retailers Live! Tour was developed by the Asmark Institute to help state and national association professionals gain a better understanding of day-to-day facility operations and rules and regulations affecting various retail facilities across the region.

Haines joined representatives from The Fertilizer Institute, Agricultural Retailers Association, CropLife America, CropLife Foundation, National Agricultural Aviation Association and Illinois Fertilizer and Chemical Association.

Hands-on opportunities were a priority of the trip. Group members had the opportunity to handle various types of crop nutrients, climb into an aerial application aircraft, walk the catwalk in a dry storage facility, and even drive custom application equipment. Industry experts educated the group about precision agriculture, wholesale distribution, challenges facing their facility, ag equipment manufacturing, safety procedures, new technologies and much more.

The tour featured a wide array of agricultural retail facilities of both cooperatives and independent retailers, and tour stops included:

• Hintzsche Fertilizer in Kirkland, IL
• Elburn Cooperative in Maple Park, IL
• Northern Partners Cooperative in Ottawa, IL
• Burroughs Ag Services in Toluca, IL
• “Ride & Drive” Application Equipment in Bloomington, IL with AGCO/Altorfer Equipment, Case IH/Jenner Sales and John Deere/Martin Brothers Equipment
• Asmark Institute Agricenter in Bloomington, IL
• Brandt Agronomy in Lexington, IL
• Schertz Aerial Service in Hudson, IL
• Heritage FS in Gibson City, IL
• Crop Production Services in Hoopeston, IL
• Ceres Solutions in Perrysville, IN
• United Prairie in Tolono, IL
• Effingham Equity in Tuscola, IL
• Reed’s Fly-On Farming in Mattoon, IL
• Layco/Yargus Manufacturing in Marshall, IL
• Ceres Solutions in Vincennes, IN
• Crop Production Services in Decker, IN
• Posey County Cooperative in Haubstadt, IN
• Daylight Farm Supply in Evansville, IN
• Helena Chemical Company in Owensboro, KY
• Asmark Institute in Owensboro, KY
• Jimmy Sanders, Inc. in Hartford, KY
• Agri-Gro Fertilizer in Hartford, KY
• Southern States Cooperative in Russellville, KY
• Crop Production Services in Allensville, KY
• Crop Production Services in Clarksville, TN
• Montgomery Farmers Cooperative in Clarksville, TN
• TFC Distribution Center in LaVergne, TN
• TFC Ag Equipment USA in LaVergne, TN

Thank you to all of these facility managers for welcoming our group into your place of business!

To see more pictures from the trip, go the OABA Facebook page – if you haven’t already, be sure to “Like” the page.