Seed People

Love Letters from Agriculture's Inner Circle

Dozens of grown men squirmed in their seats. A few bolted for the bathroom.  

We shared an awkward chuckle as I glanced over at John with tears welling in my eyes. Like the other farmers in the room, his eyes were damp as a dungeon.

I’m not crying.

You’re crying.

The Right Choice

This week, I learned a side of farming and business I didn’t fully understand.

Most businesspeople know that the key to success is developing relationships, not in the products they sell. Your company can sell the best stuff, but forming solid customer relationships is crucial if you wish to sell it. Nowhere is this more true than in agriculture.

Farmers have many inputs, from seed to fertilizer to machinery to insurance, and most purchase one-on-one from somebody they know and trust.

Take, for instance, the seed industry, where confusion is standard, with countless choices from multiple companies.

As farmers, we strive to make the best decision possible, and making a wrong choice can be pretty daunting, especially when buying seeds that can significantly impact our profits after harvest.

The last thing we want to do is screw it up.

Somebody we trust to help us make better decisions goes a long way.

That trust is built atop the foundation of solid relationships.

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Pass the Torch

You know how when you meet some people, you instinctively know that they love their work? I absorbed that vibe from Minnesota Crop Improvement Association’s (MCIA) Roger Wippler the first time we walked together through a field of foundation wheat seed.

Roger didn’t walk; he glided through that wheat field, moving like the grain itself.

We all have a connection to the earth, but many of us are too busy hustling and grinding to notice it. Roger, on the other hand, seemed deeply connected to the ground and in tune with the frequencies of the wheat.

I know I’m not alone when I say we will miss Wippler’s annual field inspections. Thankfully, his predecessor, Carl Anfinson, is a cool cat who will carry the torch for a new generation of seed producers. We’re looking forward to working with Carl.

Though Roger will no longer be with MCIA, he plans to continue his annual work at the Minnesota State Fair, so we’ll still be able to find him easily.

Harvesting Tears

Last week was the first MCIA meeting I’d attended. Still, it didn’t take long to understand that the organization is a tight-knit community bonded by shared experiences rather than blood. People who work there stick around for decades.

It was a remarkable experience to see a man like Roger Wippler getting emotional after looking at photos of himself and his colleagues over the years.

It was even more surprising because most farmers are not known for openly expressing their emotions.

Later that day, Roger received the Achievement in Crop Improvement award from The Farmer Magazine. When he invited his wife, who had worked alongside him at MCIA for almost three decades, to join him on stage, the same farmers were moved to tears again.

It was a magical moment that we will remember for a long time.

Minnesota Crop Improvement Association is not your ordinary agriculture organization.

It’s a family.

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I Didn’t See That Coming

When I first entered the seed industry, I had all the typical thoughts that an aspiring business owner has - about superficial things like money, status, and recognition. However, I didn't initially consider what has brought me the most satisfaction - the people I've met.

The conversations we’ve shared.

The relationships we’ve built.

That’s something for introverts like me who grew up programmed to believe I’d rather read a book or cut my toenails with a reciprocating saw than stroll into a room full of people.

Reading about the importance of relationships in sales and business is one thing. Virtually every book on the subject makes this point. It’s nothing new. The shift comes when you experience how this works.

Experiencing connections like MCIAs is far more transformational than anything you’ll read in a Zig Ziglar book.

I am excited for future MCIA gatherings and grateful for the opportunity to work with people like Roger Wippler and develop the unique relationships that make agriculture so special.

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