Introduction
Now that everyone is back from holiday vacations and break, things are ramping up as we get into 2020. Seed World PRO is committed to cultivating relationships that advance your business. One of the ways we do that is with our Advisory Board. These individuals represent experts in their specialized parts of the seed industry. They regularly share their advice and expertise with Seed World PRO to help the seed industry dive deeper into important issues.
This week, we sat down with each of the Advisors to see what the biggest trends they see in 2020 are and what questions their clients are asking.
Read their answers below. If you want more information, you can contact the Advisor directly through the PRO website. Click Here.
If you have more general questions, remember to use PRO’s Concierge Service. Here PRO users can submit questions to the Concierge Service and we will work to get you answers. Think of it like Siri for the seed industry. Remember - no question is too big or too small and we start working on your answer as soon as it’s received.
Karen Withers
I see companies focusing on three things: improving efficiency, reducing costs, and improving customer service.
My clients are primarily in the grass seed industry which is a small sector, with big competition. In 2020, companies will continue to explore ways to improve efficiencies and save costs. I help organizations develop methods to enhance their export procedures from sales to delivery, which often focuses on regulatory and phytosanitary concerns. I also look at the expenses associated with exports and find ways to reduce costs by developing in-house training programs, which ultimately increases margins. Finally, when competitors have comparable products and prices, companies can make themselves more noticeable by providing excellent customer service. These days my favorite phrase is, “Tell your customer before they ask…”. I can’t stress the importance of proactive customer service enough to my clients.
Dean Cavey
After two straight years of poor weather conditions, the seed industry and its farmer-customers need a year of more normal conditions. The adverse conditions have affected farmers and their suppliers of various inputs including seed, crop protection products, fertilizer, etc. The effect has had a significant economic impact on all phases of agriculture so we need to have a good year to get everyone financially healthy again, or at least more healthy.
Michelle Klieger
A more protectionist global agriculture environment is top of mind in 2020. In addition to tariff and counter-tariffs, there are new phytosanitary challenges that limit trade and fewer diplomatic options to resolve them. Plus expansion of free trade is no longer a given, an EU-MERCOSUR agreement 20 years in the making, could be derailed because of environmental concerns after the text was tentatively approved last year. The global agriculture supply chain connects producers and feeds consumers. Yet, a decrease in international trade makes the system less flexible than recent history. Businesses are starting to adjust to the new model or smaller markets and potentially higher costs. Seed companies will also need to adjust their sales projects based on this new normal.
Jonathan Shaver
Increasingly, employees of all ages are searching for personal enrichment and purpose in their work. Personal enrichment can be fulfilled by allowing employees to be more mobile in their roles and responsibilities and provide continuous learning opportunities. Clearly and consistently communicating a business as well as a social vision allows employees to identify how their work fits into the bigger picture and gives them confidence their work is meaningful and important.
Continued disruption of the business results in some roles being transformed or eliminated and causes shortages in other areas. There is heavy competition for top talent needed to drive innovation and top-notch customer experience.
These two trends can be complementary if companies work internally to grow their bench strength and capacity for employees to change roles and to keep up their skills to match their personal needs and the business needs.
Garrett Stoerger
I see two major trends in 2020. First, diminished farm-level profitability will continue to impact the way growers contemplate input purchasing decisions, as cost control is paramount during challenging times. Meanwhile, the availability of accessible data is ever-increasing and farmers are consuming it readily. The combination of these two realities will create opportunities for disruptive companies offering low-cost or outcome-based solutions to gain access to the farm, while traditional input suppliers will need to be more focused than ever on service in order to maintain business.
Second, with waning demand for grains, traditional row crop agriculture will (and should) focus on the de-commoditization of outputs and consider producing products with the end-user in mind. Identity preserved crops facilitates additional value creation for both growers and processors, which can be captured incrementally across the value chain if this mentality is adopted. Small to medium-sized farming operations are ideally situated for the implementation of these practices.
Julie Deering
As companies further tighten their budgets, not knowing what markets will bring in 2020, I expect marketing and communication departments will take a bigger hit this year. While they've witnessed cuts previously, the sense has been "this is the time to spend money" on marketing and advertising because competitors are cutting back. I don't foresee that being the case this year. Content marketing and the ability of companies to tell stories — not market products — is where you'll find the honey.
Meanwhile, the ability of companies, governments and NGOs to share their story has never been easier. They don't need to work through the media to raise eyebrows or connect with customers; many have their own YouTube channel, website and other social channels that put their message right on the smart phone of customers. I could argue that the landscape has never been more complex due to the plethora of tools and channels at your disposal. What to use and how to do it? The secret: know where your audience is and what they're using.
Erika Osmundson
We are seeing an increased focus on employee retention among seed and other agribusiness organizations, due to the tight labor market and low unemployment rates. Employers are focusing more on how to keep the employees they have. This can be through compensation, education and development, perks and benefits, etc.
Along with these same lines, succession planning as seasoned professionals retire. Looking at how career pathing for other current employees can address the succession planning and knowledge transfer component, but also act as a retention piece. We routinely hear that showing a young professional and/or professional their path and opportunity for growth plays a significant role in retention. Combining this with a plan and training syllabus for how to get there is even better.