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Service-selling tips WHEN SELLING to a customer, you must illustrate value, and to keep a customer, you must prove value over time, says John Wagner, president of AgRePlan Aphid-resistant soybeans PIONEER HI-BRED International is analyzing its soybean varieties for resistance to soybean aphid. The company has screened numerous soybean lines with Signal interrupted? THE TEMPORARY loss of a base signal on a guidance system no longer means lost work time. John Deere Ag Management Solutions (AMS) recently received a Buy big, run hard, work smart In an era of higher costs and increasing competitive pressures for custom application services, Meadowland Farmers Cooperative has relied on a three-pronged Marketing your services PICK UP ANY marketing book and you'll find hundreds of ideas that you could use to market your services and products, but before deciding to implement Treat seeds for success SINCE THE INTRODUCTION of genetically modified herbicide-tolerant and insect-resistant traits in corn and soybeans, ag retailers have seen a huge shift 4 ideas for coping with ASR WORK HARD to manage growers' expectations about Asian soybean rust (ASR), advises Duane Mol, chemical manager for Crop Production Services, Galesburg, Court good customers WHAT'S THE best way to keep good customers coming back and to attract new ones? Fix annoying problems The first step is to focus on frustrations, says Strip-till's profit boost AG RETAIL businesses wanting to expand sales should investigate new ways to help current customers become more profitable, says Dan Towery, ag consultant, Variable-rate review GLOBAL POSITIONING systems (GPS) and variable-rate technology (VRT) have been available to ag retailers and their farmer-customers for more than a decade Price hike for services FIGURES FROM the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration (EIA) indicate that between the last week of February 2005 and the last week Computers don't get tired The sole purpose of Tri-State LLC, located in Fairmount, ND, is to supply either raw or blended fertilizer for other retailers. For that reason, it has PRODUCTS New fertilizer grades Honeywell has launched two new grades of Sulf-N ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24S) and improved quality specifications and supply for Software developers and suppliers 2005 AGRIS Corporation 800/795-7995; Fax: 770/238-5205 E-mail: info@agris.com; sales@agris.com Web site: www.agris.com What's new: AgroGuide is an agronomy One up on Wal-Mart AN IMPORTANT part of the success of Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, is attributed to its sophisticated inventory management systems. In the world Inoculant application system PIONEER HI-BRED International says silage producers can save time and wear and tear on their choppers by using its patented Appli-Pro Super Low Volume Pollen blocker HOEGEMEYER HYBRIDS, a regional seed company based in Hooper, NE, appears to have found a way to prevent cross contamination of pollen from genetically Wireless grain COMMODITY Resource Corporation (CRC) based in Caledonia, NY, is one of a growing number of operations that are working to bring bulk commodity handling Super sprayer MODERN Flow Equipment reinvented its big sprayer line from the ground up. Built for high-acreage growers and custom applicators to service both large Grain aeration system BROCK GRAIN Systems has developed the Parthenon support system specifically for use with the Brock Tri-Corr aeration and drying floor. The new floor system State-of-the-art facility SYNGENTA SEEDS recently celebrated renovations to its Phillips, NE, corn production facility. The $4.7 million project increases the plant's seed-conditioning Highlights from Louisville farm show THE NATIONAL Farm Machinery Show held February 15-18 in Louisville, KY, had a record-setting attendance year, with more than 312,000 people visiting the A boom in control AUTOMATIC BOOM section control is emerging as one of the most popular features on high-tech sprayers. As controller manufacturers have added this option Friends of the environment THE DECISION to invest in new storage and handling facilities in the last few years has reaped rewards for Eastern Farmers Co-op and Farmers Elevator Spiral stairway BROWNIE'S NEW Safe-T-Max spiral stairway system is made of all-galvanized steel and modular construction for easy installation. Smooth, circular, 1-in. Be your own weatherman Dynasen For remote monitoring, Dynasen's custom-built Sens-Alert systems offer three choices: a radio-controller interface unit (RCIU), digital cell phone Next level of guidance When lightbar guidance systems came on the market a few years back, agricultural retailers and custom applicators quickly saw their potential to improve both application quality and the quantity of work that could be accomplished in a day Mobile office pro When Mark Hinze began operating a computer-based office out of his pickup truck in the mid-1980s, he was among the first agronomists to adapt delicate computer electronics to the harsh field environment The first impression Finding reputable home remodeling and repair companies is never easy, but after we decided to replace all the windows on the front of our 30-year-old Soybean rust confirmed in Georgia The USDA recently announced that Asian soybean rust has been identified in Seminole County, GA, on volunteer soybeans. This is the first confirmed U.S. Least expensive marketing works! When it comes to low cost, high response, there are two strategies that seem to work in nearly any industry: letters and press releases. Letters attract Fungicide-insecticide combo SYNGENTA CROP Protection hosted two June field tours near Gilbert, IA, and Champaign, IL. Company seed treatment specialists, university experts and crop Nurse tank plates THE ILLINOIS Fertilizer & Chemical Association recently posted an important reminder to ag dealers on its Web site. Nurse tanks for carrying anhydrous Design inspiration AN EXCELLENT company Web site is much more than a billboard in cyberspace. Instead, it creates an inviting and easy-to-use environment where prospective Online design TEST YOUR ideas for a building or building site at a Web site that offers a free interactive building design tool. FBi Buildings, a post-frame construction Marketing system BUYING AND selling agricultural chemicals can be an easier process thanks to a new Web-based service from AgChemAccess, an independent international agrochemical Interactive Web site DOW AGROSCIENCES has developed an interactive Web site to help show corn growers how soil-applied herbicides can benefit corn weed-control systems. Visitors Soybean rust Is this the year? AT THIS time a year ago, retailers were scurrying to stock up on fungicides to quell panic among soybean growers about Asian soybean rust (ASR) and finalizing Recycling news HOW-TO videos for rinsing and recycling and an order form for training materials are just a few of the many features on the Ag Container Recycling Council's Ready for an E-business bonanza? Ag retailers might want to reexamine how to better attract and retain customers via Web-based tools. According to experts from Purdue University, more Which farmers are most likely to buy online? Three out of the five main types of farmer-buyers are heavy computer users, says Christine Wilson, agricultural economist, Purdue University. They are It's not all about you According to business speaker and coach Donald Cooper, most businesses make the mistake of defining themselves by what they sell and by how they do business