Free webinar Wednesday on improving customer service, profitability

Ag retailers are invited this Wednesday to participate in a free webinar at 2 p.m. to hear strategies to recognize and resolve profit-robbing conditions on customers’ farms. The focus will be helping to resolve conditions that also contribute to phosphorus losses to Lake Erie Basin waters.

The webinar, hosted by the IPM Institute of North America as part of the Partnership for Ag Resource Management project, will address sensitive issues that retailers may be hesitant to discuss with growers. Participants will learn about cutting edge tools and the latest science to meet profit and resource management goals. Example scenarios include:

• My applicator reports a gully remains uncorrected, and pours sediment into a creek with every rain. How do I approach my customer about the benefits of getting this fixed without overstepping and risking our relationship?
• A customer has a field planted right up to the edge of a stream bank that's caving in, causing a safety issue for equipment operators as well as sediment and nutrient losses into the stream. A buffer and stream bank repair won't be a cheap fix. What programs are available to help my customer get this resolved?
• Cover crops can increase yields and reduce nutrient losses, how do I sell them effectively with lower corn prices?

This webinar has been approved for 1 Professional Development CCA Continuing Education Unit. Register now to reserve your spot. Additional information and resources can be found at www.partnershipfarm.org.