INSIGHT

SPRING | 2018

farmward.net

We’ve been right here.We’ll be right here.

MORGAN507-249-3196

RENVILLE320-329-8377

info@farmward.net

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CEO InsightBuilding a cultureAs we wrap up the first six months as Farmward Cooperative, the momentum keeps growing. The employees continue to amaze me by coming together to work towards the betterment of our company. Each team and/or department has worked through literally every part of our business to set the stage for the future, while the leadership team has been working hard on our strategic goals and what we need to do to get there. The excitement and the unity that is building throughout the company is fun to see!

Building a foundation of trustA few weeks ago we wrapped up our first board and management retreat as Farmward. Though we are still getting to know each other, it’s evident we have a strong, united board and leadership team. This is a talented, diverse and passionate group of people who care deeply about making sure that Farmward is successful for all the right reasons. We continue to focus on the healthy side of building successful teams, as we develop and finalize the strategy and vision in all facets of our business; it all begins with a strong foundation of trust!

Transitioning for the futureAs a cooperative, our ultimate focus is always on our customers and member-owners. With that in mind, one of the goals we are concentrating on is the concept of, “One piece of data, one time, one click away”. We have engaged with a company called Protiviti to help us achieve this goal. Their expertise has helped us analyze our processes to find more e�icient ways to conduct business and run software.

Here is what we want to accomplish with their help:

• Establish a “modern, easy to maintain application” architecture that is appropriate for both “current and future” business needs.

• Realize the vision to collect and share information across all applications so that the data is just “one click” away.

• Create an environment in which the user experience (both customers & employees) is “seamless”.

• Drive operational costs down and grow the business without necessarily adding sta�. “More with Less”.

With the help of Protiviti, we are already deep into this project and hope to have it completed by August 31, 2018. This is an aggressive timeline, but we feel it’s critical to our success to get our systems up-to-date and transitioned for the future.

Advancing farming for generations is truly a focus and passion for all of us who work for Farmward, AgQuest and Northland Capital. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to serving you and your families in 2018 and beyond!

Dave StukCEO

Though we are still getting to

know each other, it’s evident we have a strong,

united board and leadership team.

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Calvin AaronsChairman

Board Room InsightAnnual Meeting well attendedTime seems to fly by these days and it’s now been three months since Farmward held its first annual meeting. As I look back at that day there are a lot of things that we, as a company, should be excited about. First, the meeting was well attended. It was great to see so many members take the time to be there and want to take ownership in their cooperative. As members of Farmward, this was your opportunity to hear from the board and management about what’s happening at your co-op and what we see in the future for Farmward.

Second, the atmosphere in the room was very positive and cheerful, which gave me the feeling we are doing things right and the merger has had a positive impact on our members. Obviously, this is a feeling we want to continue and I assure you we will work hard as a company to continue to meet your needs.

Third, Farmward had the opportunity that day to honor some of our hardworking employees for their years of service at Farmward and the legacy companies of Harvest Land and Co-op Country. It is wonderful to see the dedication our employees have to our success by giving so much of their lives to your cooperative. For that, I thank them. I also want to thank you for your attendance and your loyalty to your cooperative. Thank you for your business!

Feasibility Study with Farmer’s CooperativeA few weeks back a letter was sent to voting members announcing that Farmward Cooperative has entered into a feasibility study with Farmer’s Cooperative of Hanska. As we go through this process, your board and management is going to take the time to do our due diligence and look at all the details in depth. As stated in the letter, a unification of our two cooperatives will only be proposed to the membership if it is beneficial for all involved. I assure you this is not about building a bigger cooperative; our focus is about building a better cooperative and preserving the cooperative system. There are no other details to share at this time, but as we dive deeper into the feasibility study in the

coming months, you can be assured we will be communicating with you again.

Board and Management retreat held in ChaskaFor the first time as a unified board, we held a two-day board retreat. The retreat focused on our goals as a company and how those goals are going to be met by both the board and management. It was also a great opportunity for us to get to know each other better, as it’s important that we understand each other’s personalities and expectations so that we can work together e�ectively. There’s no doubt our time together was valuable, as we had the opportunity to exchange information, ideas, and dialogue for the betterment of Farmward.

Look to Farmward for your spring needsAs the spring season approaches, I just want to encourage you to take the time to visit with your account managers about your spring needs. Farmward is a full service cooperative and we can o�er you the products and services to make your 2018 crop year a success.

Also, we want you to know that we value and appreciate the wellbeing of our members and our employees and encourage you to . . . THINK SAFETY FIRST THIS SPRING SEASON!

As always, thank you for your support.

There’s no doubt our time together was valuable, as we had the opportunity to exchange information, ideas, and dialogue for the betterment of Farmward.

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Lynne PayneTreasurer

Accounting Department InsightMyFarmRecords o�ers secure, anytime access

In switching our accounting system entirely over to Agvance, we are now able to o�er you online account access to all of your transactions with Farmward through MyFarmRecords. MyFarmRecords provides you with secure, any time online access to your account, making it convenient for you. You can access MyFarmRecords from the menu at the top of our homepage at www.farmward.net. To register for access to your account, contact Carla Hamre at chamre@farmward.net (800-962-7007) or Whitney Wills at wwills@farmward.net (507-249-3196). They can get you set up and answer any questions you may have.

Features & Benefits of MyFarmRecords:

• Display invoice and payment activity and current balances for both Accounts Receivable and prepay

• Drill down capabilities on invoices and payments for detailed views of each transaction• View product purchase history and booking status reports• Access grain activity including contracts, settlements, assemblies and scale tickets• Access to grower field data including crop plans, maps, and application history• Safety and security with data encryption and password protection

Farmward credit policy

As a reminder, listed below are the Farmward credit terms.

Standard Payment Terms and Finance Charges

Payment for all* purchases are due by the 15th of the month following the month of purchases. *see exceptions in Special Terms.

Purchases which are unpaid by the 15th of the month following the month of purchase will be charged a finance charge equal to 1.5% per month (18% annually), assessed on the 16th of each month.

COD – any accounts unpaid past 60 days will be put on a “cash only” basis until their account is made current.

Special Terms

Grain Payment for all grain purchased from Farmward is due 15 days from the date of purchase.

Energy All energy products will receive a 5% discount if payment is received within 15 days of delivery. In order to ensure you receive the discount, please pay within 15 days of the delivery ticket not 15 days from the date of your statement. No discounts are received if payment is made later than 15 days after delivery.

Only two purchases may be outstanding at any given time for propane or fuel oil for home heating purposes.

MyFarmRecords provides you with secure,

any time online access to your

account, making it convenient for

you.

Continued on page 5

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Cardtrol Accounts unpaid beyond the 15th are subject to having their cards locked out.

Feed Toll mill/large volume accounts are scheduled to make payments on the 15th and 30th of each month.

All other feed purchases are due under the Standard Payment Terms

Agronomy The standard payment terms apply to all agronomy sales.Deferred payment terms may apply for agronomy products. This date will be determined and communicated with customers on an annual basis.

Statements

All Farmward customers are now receiving one statement as our transition to one accounting software is complete. Please direct any statement questions, comments or suggestions to Carla Hamre, Credit Manager, chamre@farmward.net.

As a CCFE legacy customer, please take note that you have been assigned a new account number with the Agvance accounting system. Your new account number will be shown on your next statement.

Also, in order to make it convenient for you to pay your statement in a timely manner, we want to remind you that payments on account can be taken at any Farmward location and not just at the Morgan or Renville o�ices.

Together... We Find The Way

Looking for some additional financing for your Farmward Cooperative purchases? AgQuest Financial Services, along with Farmward Coop-erative, have several options for your farm �nancing needs. Farmward’s Purchase loan program o�ers �exibility in pur-chasing Farmward products. Companion Plus operating loans provide discounted inter-est rates for both Farmward products and other quali�ed operating expenses to support multiple crop years. These are no-fee products and o�er great rates to quali�ed producers.

David Link Sara Compart David Luepke Melissa Robertson507.430.4330 507.430.7748 507.430.6831 507.723.7378

Contact your local Farmward BRM or Account Manager for more information.

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Joe HennenGrain Origination LeadO: 320.329.8377C: 320.212.9457jhennen@farmward.netRenville

Kurt SoupirGrain MerchandiserO: 507.249.3196C: 507.829.9567ksoupir@farmward.netMorgan

John McNamaraGrain Marketing AdvisorO: 320.253.1811C: 507.894.0170jmcnamara@farmward.netOlivia

Jalen PietigGrain Marketing AdvisorO: 507.249.3196C: 507.430.4307jpietig@farmward.netMorgan

Mike KohoutGrain Marketing AdvisorO: 320.826.2157C: 507.430.4870mkohout@farmward.netDanube

Scott PotterGrain Marketing AdvisorO: 507.249.3196C: 507.430.1808spotter@farmward.netMorgan

Grain Division Insight“Export, Export, Export!” This has been the story of late. U.S. corn exports have been very good to this point and that seems to be the case well into the summer months.

We’ve put our new Danube shuttle loading facility to good use right out of the gate. Within days of completion, we loaded our first shuttle followed by four more in the 40 days after. To-date, we have loaded 13 corn shuttles and have 23 more on the books for April, May and June. It’s been a very long time since we’ve shipped this many shuttles this early. Because of these opportunities, we have been able to pick up much of the corn we piled last fall.

Soybean movement has been slower than normal. We haven’t shipped any soybeans by rail since South America has taken much of what the U.S. sells. Hopefully, we can pick up some unexpected business because of the dry conditions in Argentina.

With the markets inching up, the Guaranteed Minimum Price contracts are increasing in value. New crop values have also moved higher. With that said, it is important to get floors in place in order to protect you from the downside and leave the upside open to further upward market movements. Mitigating risk and protecting your balance sheet is what it’s all about. Talk to your marketing advisor to help you manage your contracts as they gain in value and help mitigate your risk.

In-house brokers for your convenienceFarmward is a branch o�ice of both CHS Hedging Inc. and Advance Trading. Jalen Pietig, Joe Hennen and Craig Hebrink are all licensed or a�iliated through Advance Trading, and Sheri Bakker and Mike Kohout are a�iliated with CHS Hedging, Inc. If you have an interest in opening your own personal hedging account, contact one of our licensed brokers as listed above. Account applications are done online and are usually open for trading within a couple of days.

Cash bids at your fingertips with the Farmward AppAs mentioned in our last newsletter, cash bids are available at your fingertips without even logging in to your computer. All you have to do is download the Farmward App on your smartphone or tablet from the App Store or Google Play. It’s easy to find and use, just search “Farmward” on the App Store or Google Play and download. Once the App is downloaded, you can look at bids for your preferred delivery locations by tapping on the little “arrow/pointer” in the upper right corner on the App screen and a list of locations will appear to choose from. You can also access Farmward’s website information, facility addresses and phone numbers, receiving hours, news, markets, and weather. When downloading the App you will want to make sure to allow Push Notifications from Farmward on your phone or tablet. We will be using Push Notifications to alert customers with important information.

Not an App user?You can also get cash bids via e-mail or text each day! All you need to do is go to our website: farmward.net, click on the “Alert Register & Login” tab. The registration is simple and you can select whether you want to receive e-mail or text alerts, or BOTH. This is an easy way for you to stay in touch with our daily bids. Farmward can also use this to send you special notifications and share information quickly.

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Agronomy Division InsightConsolidations within CN & CP industryLooking to the 2018 crop year, we are seeing a few changes in the landscape with mergers/acquisitions in both the fertilizer and crop protection industries. In the crop nutrient market, Agrium and PCS had a merger of equals with the new company named Nutrien. This will reduce the North American market to two main potash producers, the other being Mosaic. In the crop protection space, Bayer is in the middle of acquiring Monsanto with a projected start of the combined company sometime this summer. We also experienced the merger of DuPont and Dow Crop Protection companies. Each consolidation is looking for e�iciencies and synergies, as well as economies of scale. These changes also benefit Farmward by giving us the opportunity to work with them to o�er whole acre solutions for your farm in the most economical way possible.

Pricing for update for CN & CPThe crop nutrient market has risen since fall, with increases in all major nutrients. Once again it was beneficial to apply your crop nutrients in the fall. For the 2019 crop season we will see much of the anticipated domestic nitrogen production finally producing at full capacity. With that being said, we are also seeing domestic producers exporting tons to balance supply and demand as a way of controlling eroding price values. We are also experiencing changes in the phosphate markets. Currently, we are utilizing North American phosphate produced in Florida. In the future, we will be utilizing more phosphate from Morocco and the Middle East where quality of rock is purer, they have little regulatory oversight, and production costs are less. Looking forward, once the spring planting season is completed we expect crop nutrient prices to decrease, as we then look to purchase for the 2019 season.

The crop protection markets have experienced some price stabilization, but there have also been increases in multiple products. This can be attributed to the hurricanes we experienced last year, as well as China’s attempt to reduce

emissions by decreasing the amount of time factories can produce.

More changes to comeThere are a lot of changes in the marketplace and no doubt, there are more to come. We will see more regulation around many of the products you use on your farm, from nitrogen management, bu�er strip regulations, to crop protection requirements regarding new events. As these changes occur, you can be assured that your Farmward account manager will be by your side to help provide individualized solutions for your farming operation.

Precision planting methods can increase yield and reduce costAs spring nears, there are a lot of things you should be thinking about. One of the most important being variety placement. Our year-over-year data shows that when placing a hybrid in the correct yield environment and on the ideal soil type, it allows you to better manage risk and reduce the e�ects that Mother Nature has on that crop. Along with matching the correct hybrid to a particular field, Farmward continues to write more variable rate planting prescriptions than ever before. As proven in their HarvestMax reports, growers utilizing these prescriptions have gained higher yields by maximizing population counts in better areas of their fields. They have also increased yields and cut seed costs by reducing the population on lighter soils.

Climate Fieldview enables us to dig deeper into your fieldAs we move forward with HarvestMax, we will be utilizing the Climate Fieldview™ program to analyze these population di�erences and all other factors a�ecting our yields both at a field level and at a HarvestMax group level. Throughout the season, Climate will provide in-season satellite imagery of your fields, which can help identify areas of stress or disease in the plants. In turn, we will be able to scout more e�ectively and

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The crop nutrient market has risen since fall, with increases in all major nutrients.

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Agronomy Division Insight (continued)

document di�erences throughout your fields. The program also allows for a clean and easy way to track applications of crop nutrients, seed treatments and other trials on the farm all in one place, which can later be reported on once the combine hits the field. The yield analysis feature of the program helps tie everything together at the end of the season, finding out what worked, what didn’t and why. Functions such as grower yield analysis of hybrids, soil types, and treatments enable us to look at yields across your farms and fields. From there we can dig deeper into yield region reports that simply generate a report of an area of interest within fields themselves. These reports compare yield variabilities by hybrid, population, soil type, elevation, and planting date. Climate enables you and your Farmward account manager to visualize and make decisions in real time, in one simple and easy to use platform. Time to re-gridAs a reminder, you may have fields that need to be grid sampled again. If it’s been over four years, or if you’re not sure how long it’s been, we encourage you to contact your account manager to see which fields may need to be re-gridded. This is critical to a successful intensive soil sampling program and allows us to return to the original geo referenced points to re-test and evaluate your fertility program. Your account manager will have a list of fields that will need to be sampled. With lower commodity prices, it is more important than ever to maximize the e�iciency of your inputs.

Operations department is ready for springWith the fall season under our belts as Farmward, the agronomy operations department is ready to roll this spring. You won’t see many changes from our perspective. Springfield and Danube will continue to be our main agronomy hubs with product and equipment being dispatched out of each. With our primary focus on serving our customers with the greatest e�iciency, we have split the workload a little di�erently between the two due to logistics. However, as a customer you won’t see any changes to the protocol of how

and when you’re serviced.

New application equipment o�ers state-of-the-art technologySince the fall we have upgraded our equipment with five VRT (Variable Rate Technology) machines. The new machines o�er state-of-the-art technology and multi-product variable rate capabilities. These machines will enable us to spread the workload out and service our precision ag patrons more e�iciently.

Added storage and space for in-season distributionThe addition to the seed warehouse and Crop Protection warehouse in Morgan is complete. The addition enables us to have seed and Crop Protection products under the same roof so that our patrons don’t have to run to di�erent warehouses to get what they need. Along with the addition, we added a few more Crop Protection bulk tanks for ease of distribution in-season. We also added Crop Protection bulk tanks in Wabasso for in-season use. We will continue to distribute Crop Protection out of Springfield and Danube, and then use Morgan and Wabasso only for the in-season crunch time. Liquid fertilizer tanks were added to Morgan for in-season use as well.

Timeliness of orders can help us serve you betterWe understand that you can’t always know how your day is going to go in the small window we have for spring work, but we would like to remind you that planning is really important when it comes to Farmward meeting your needs e�iciently and e�ectively. We would appreciate your timeliness and cooperation when it comes to placing your orders. Planning ahead allows us to schedule orders out in a productive and e�icient manner. Thank you advance for your cooperation.

O�ering on-farm deliveryFarmward has begun sorting customers’ orders for seed and Crop Protection. If on-farm delivery of your products is of interest to you, please contact your account manager to make arrangements.

Jim Boyle Crop Nutrients & Crop Protection MgrC: 507.227.1921 jboyle@farmward.net

Brett BraulickCo-Seed Division MgrC: 507.227.6378bbraulick@farmward.net

Matt PietigHarvestMax MgrCo-Seed Division MgrC: 507.430.2127mpietig@farmward.net

Marcus HeilingHarvest Max SupportC: 507.430.2205mheiling@farmward.net

Gerry KodetSr. Sales & Product Mgr C: 320.894.8798gkodet@farmward.net

Rick KastnerAccount Mgr, ComfreyC: 507.404.0082rkastner@farmward.net

Craig FredinAccount Mgr, ComfreyC: 507.227.5425cfredin@farmward.net

Ryan KieckerAccount Mgr, Danube/OliviaC: 320.894.6798rkiecker@farmward.net

Mike FilzenAccount Manager, DanubeC: 320.522.1041mfilzen@farmward.net

Mark VogelAccount Mgr, MorganC: 507.220.0340mvogel@farmward.net

Sam HenriksenAccount Mgr, MorganC: 507.829.4660shenriksen@farmward.net

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Be aware of challenges with dicamba applicationIt’s no secret that 2017 was a challenge in regards to spraying Xtend™ soybeans. Drift, volatility and sprayer contamination were all issues that caused some of the headaches we encountered. So, what does this all mean? Whether you’re spraying your own crops or having somebody apply them for you, there will be a number of factors you’ll want to consider. Timeliness is going to be a big issue. Looking back to the previous 3 years of weather data, there will only be a few days each month that we’ll be able to legally spray. If you plan on spraying any of the dicamba products, give yourself and your custom applicators plenty of time to get it done. It may mean that your field could potentially take weeks to get sprayed due to weather limitations or may not get done at all. You should have a backup plan, as you may have to revert to another product.

2018 is the last year that the Minnesota Department of Ag has given us a label to allow spraying of Engena™/Xtendimax® to our

Xtend™ soybeans. If rules are not followed, or we have the same amount of issues as 2017, we could potentially lose the use of this technology. Following the new label will be a top priority for Farmward when spraying.

Also as a reminder, dicamba is now a restricted use Crop Protection, so you will have to have proof that you have completed a training course if you plan to apply it yourself.

Dicamba – online training available A topic of discussion this prepay season has been around the dicamba situation and how to best handle this technology. Monsanto and BASF have provided training events across Minnesota to provide growers the ability to get licensed for spraying this product. Minnesota has also approved online training as a way for growers to get licensed. You can find the information for online training below. Information regarding training events through Monsanto and BASF can be found on our website: www.farmward.net, under “Farmward News”.

Tim Woelfel Account Mgr, MortonC: 507.828.7238twoelfel@farmward.net

Mark KubeshAccount Mgr, MortonC: 320.522.3765mkubesh@farmward.net

Brock LinsmeierAccount Mgr Support, MortonCell: 507.829.9622blinsmeier@farmward.net

Craig GartnerAccount Mgr, RenvilleC: 320.905.5645cgartner@farmward.net

Cole GigstadAccount Mgr, Sacred HeartC: 320.522.0142cgigstad@farmward.net

Joel HeilingAccount Mgr, SpringfieldC: 507.227.4606jheiling@farmward.net

Rob DalsgaardAccount Mgr, SpringfieldC: 507.766.1885rdalsgaard@farmward.net

Kyle VeenstraAccount Mgr, SpringfieldC: 507.430.6323kveenstra@farmward.net

Jason HeilingAccount Mgr, WabassoC: 507.430.6997jaheiling@farmward.net

Dan MathiowetzAccount Mgr, WabassoC: 507.530.2698dmathiowetz@farmward.net

Online Dicamba Training AvailableAs you are aware, the federal registrations for the following products require that prior to applying these products, the applicator must complete dicamba or auxin-specific training:

• XtendiMax® herbicide with VaporGrip® Technology (Monsanto)• FeXapan® herbicide plus VaporGrip® Technology (DuPont)• Engenia® Herbicide (BASF)

Certain states require that an applicator complete training conducted by the state. However, the State of Minnesota has now accepted the Online Computer Based Training as meeting the mandatory dicamba training requirements. For those growers who have missed the in-person classes, but still wish to apply a dicamba product, type the web address below into your browser to take the online training o�ered by Monsanto: http://www.roundupreadyxtend.com/stewardship/education/Pages/default.aspx

Once on the page, scroll down to this section:

Select either the “English” or “Spanish” tab and begin your online training.

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Pat MachtEnergy Manager507.430.2233pmacht@farmward.net

Curty MeyersEnergy Sales507.430.1884cmeyers@farmward.net

Travis WendtEnergy Sales507.227.7119twendt@farmward.net

Energy Division InsightNew B20 mandateAs we look ahead to the beginning of crop year 2018, we want to make you aware of a major change coming in terms of biodiesel. This change consists of the blend percentage doubling in our Minnesota biodiesel during the summer months (April – September). Currently, Minnesota Statute 239.77 states that all #2 diesel fuels sold between April 1 and September 30 must contain at least 10 percent biodiesel (B10). E�ective May 1, 2018, the statute will change to state that all gallons of #2 diesel fuel sold during summer months (April – September) will contain 20 percent biodiesel (B20). In winter, the mandate will revert back to 5 percent.

By definition, “Biodiesel fuel” means a renewable, biodegradable, mono alkyl ester combustible liquid fuel that is derived from agricultural and other plant oils or animal fats and that meets American Society for Testing and Materials specification D6751-11b for Biodiesel Fuel (B100) Blend Stock for Distillate Fuels. (https://www.revisor.mn.gov/statutes/?id=239.77).

We all remember what it was like in past years as mandates and regulations changed – it was not fun. With little to no education, we learned a lot about our business; both growers and fuel suppliers. Fuel filters were typically changed every year, or “as-needed”. As you know, “as-needed” soon turned into “every other round” or “every 10 minutes”. Something changed, but what? Multiple things changed over the course of a few short years. Prior to 2006, our diesel fuels were considered LSD, or Low Sulfur Diesel. LSD contained 500 parts per million (ppm) sulfur. This sulfur acted as a lubricant for the fuel injection system, as well as a deterrent for water. From 2006 on, our diesel fuels have been ULSD, or Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel. Sulfur content was dropped to only 15 ppm. This created a “dry” fuel that is hard on injection systems and a carrier of free water. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much education regarding this and we were left to figure it out on our own. Then biodiesel was introduced as the wave of the future and this also came with little to no education. We have learned a lot over these past few years. Our fuels have changed and will continue to change. Our storage and handling practices, on the other hand, haven’t been keeping up with the trend. Farmward Cooperative has put a lot of emphasis on clean fuel over the past four years. Our goal is to deliver you the cleanest, highest quality fuel that we can to keep you running with little to no downtime. We promote buying premium fuels like Ruby FieldMaster® and RoadMaster XL® fuels from Cenex® and have a 10-micron filtration systems for all dyed diesel at all three of our bulk plants. What this means is that your Ruby FieldMaster is filtered to 10-microns before entering our delivery trucks. This ensures that our high quality product is also clean and ready to use.

This doesn’t guarantee flawless operation, however. We know that the fuel we deliver is clean, but what we don’t know is the health of the tank we are delivering to. How old is the tank? When was it last cleaned? Has it EVER been cleaned? What is living at the bottom of the tank? Like we said, our goal is to deliver the cleanest, highest quality fuel possible, but if the storage tank is already compromised, any delivered gallons become compromised. This is a real issue in the country that needs to be addressed. Once you have a good idea of your tank health, filtration at the tank is the next concern. For the most part, equipment with Tier 4 engine technology and greater, are running 2-micron fuel filters. That being said, it only makes sense to filter the fuel coming out of your storage tank to 2-microns. It is much easier and a lot cheaper to change the filter on your storage tank than it is on your equipment. Having a 2-micron filter on your storage tank is the best case

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scenario for the months of April through September. Once it starts getting cold, moving to a 10-micron fuel filter may be needed to keep the fuel flowing. This may also be an excellent time to think about expanding your on-farm fuel storage; possibly adding a tank to keep available space open for B5 if fall harvest starts to stretch out.

Farmward Cooperative is actively researching the best way to handle the change to B20 this summer. At this time, we know that inventory management will be a big part of our plan, trying to make the transition from B20 to B5 seamless for harvest. This should also be a big part of your plan. Having the ability to deliver B5 back into your tanks as soon as possible will help with cold weather during harvest. As we learn more, you will learn more.

Full-time energy sales in DanubeNot only are our fuels changing, but the Farmward Energy Division is changing. As you know, with the recent merger of Harvest Land and Co-op Country Farmers Elevator, our territory has expanded. To help with this expansion, Curt Meyers has moved his o�ice to Danube full-time and Travis Wendt is transitioning from a propane technician to full-time sales. Travis will o�ice out of Springfield with Ryan Guldan taking over as the propane technician.

Adding capacity to ensure timely deliveriesAlong with personnel changes, we have also changed some of our rolling stock. By harvest 2018, we will have a brand new 5,800-gallon fuel truck added to our fleet. This truck will run out of the Springfield location and the added capacity will help ensure timely deliveries to our new and existing customers as we continue to work through the territory expansion.

Another change that we made recently is to our bulk oil delivery truck. We have upgraded to a van trailer, allowing us to carry a bigger variety of products to better serve your needs. Along with the Cenex® line of oils, we carry conventional coolant, universal ELC coolant, and also Diesel Exhaust Fluid. In the future we will be looking at putting together a delivery route for this truck, allowing both you and Farmward to be more e�icient.

Please do not hesitate to call Pat Macht, Travis Wendt or Curt Meyers with any questions regarding this publication. Our world is ever-changing and as we get information we will pass it along to you. On behalf of the Energy Division at Farmward, have a safe and timely spring planting season.

By harvest 2018, we will have a brand new 5,800-gallon fuel truck added to our fleet. This truck will run out of the Springfield location and the added capacity will help ensure timely deliveries to our new and existing customers as we continue to work through the territory expansion.

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Jeff MikoschFeed Department Manager C: 320.894.8797jmikosch@farmward.net

Rod OswaldFeed SalesC: 507.469.8915roswald@farmward.net

Feed Division InsightVitamin shortage causes price hikeVitamin prices took a huge jump this fall with increases 10 times of where they were. The greatest increase was seen in vitamin A, biotin and vitamin E. This increase was due to an unfortunate fire at a BASF plant in Germany, which produced 40 percent of the global demand of Citral, a product used in the synthesis of vitamin A and Biotin, and to a lesser extent, vitamin E. Vitamin E prices have softened some with vitamin A and biotin holding firm. The current shortage is expected to last until at least mid summer.

With the uncertainty of both the production and the cost of vitamins, it has put an even greater emphasis on the optimal vitamin nutrition for beef cattle. Even with the high cost of vitamin supplements, beef nutrition experts highly recommend you keep vitamin A and E in your cattle’s diet. Vitamin A is vitally involved in the maintenance of cow health and performance. A deficiency in vitamin A can cause a countless symptomatic issues, including: night blindness, mobility di�iculties, and reproductive complications.

We understand that a significant portion of the cost of raising cattle comes from nutrition and that the current crisis has placed vitamin supplementation in the “premium” category. However, we believe the benefits of maintaining proper vitamin levels is key to both the maintenance and the progression of a successful herd.

Current MarketDistillers grains have held steady to higher with corn prices gaining some strength. As far as soybean meal, the market is staying strong due to poor crop conditions in South America.

Pellet quality improvedOur bin project at Morgan was completed this winter and we are very happy with the improvements we made in feed quality for our beef customers. The project has enabled us to reduce handling, which has improved the integrity of the pellets we manufacture. We are now able to load out directly from the bins for bulk deliveries as well, which again, has improved the integrity of the pellet.

Appreciate your help with snow removalAs we head into April, we hope to be on the downside of winter, but you can never be certain. With that said, Farmward wants to say thank you to our feed customers who made an e�ort in keeping snow removed from their feed delivery sites this winter. There’s nothing more challenging than getting a delivery truck stuck in a customer’s yard or barn site. Our drivers sincerely appreciate all you do to help make their job easier.

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Farmward Gives BackAs a cooperative, Farmward recognizes and takes pride in the importance of giving back to our local communities. We strive to support local organizations who focus on the advancement and/or the promotion of agriculture, rural youth organizations such as FFA and 4-H, community projects, and emergency/rescue response agencies. As a newly formed cooperative, Farmward has given nearly $25,000 back to area communities and organizations. In addition to these funds, Farmward has also secured approximately $12,000 in matching funds through the Land O’Lakes Foundation.

Sacred Heart Food for Kids ProgramRenville County Back-the-Pack Program

Morgan Area Sports Assoc.Redwood Area Food Shelf

Springfield Fire DepartmentWe Care Project Food ShelfRenville County Food Shelf

BOLD FFARCW FFA

Sleepy Eye FFACedar Mountain FFA

Redwood Valley FFAWabasso FFA

Springfield FFADAAC/Heart of the City Playground Campaign

Renville County Agricultural SocietyWabasso Area Baseball Association

RCW Public School FoundationUniversity on the Prairie

Relay for Life/American Cancer SocietyBOLD Baseball Association

Here are some of the major contributions Farmward has made since September 1, 2017:

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866-259-3666 www.agquest.net AgQuest Insurance Agency is an equal opportunity provider.

Make sure you are covered for the upcoming spring and summer storm seasons. Do you have the right hail and wind coverage for your farm operation? Are you covered

if disaster strikes? Contact one of our Crop Insurance Specialist today for more infor-

mation or to review available products that are right for your farm operation.

Together...

We Find The Way

mation or to review available products that are right for your farm operation.

Corn $3.96 organic $9.07

Soybeans $10.16 organic $20.49

Wheat $6.31 organic $13.65

2018 SPRING PRICES

mation or to review available products that are right for your farm operation.mation or to review available products that are right for your farm operation.mation or to review available products that are right for your farm operation.mation or to review available products that are right for your farm operation.

Sheri Bakker Kathy Mainer Mike Kurtz

The trusted advisors at AgQuest and Farm-ward understand that each of us has our own unique story. Through the AgQuest program, we are able to custom-ize a property & casualty insurance plan that is tailor �t for your opera-tion. Our knowledge-able and experienced Ag professional agents have access to unique products that provide coverage, convenience and competitive rates. Our focus on education and understanding the needs of each producer allows us to provide top notch service. Our relationships are built on sharing knowledge and building trust.

Together...

We Find The Way

For a review of your policy and the coverage available to

you contact Amber Weber or Tim Lewis

800-463-3616www.agquest.net

15

2018 FINANCINGFAST, EASY EQUIPMENT LEASING

Let our partner Northland Capital provide lease financing for your next equipment or machinery purchase. With low down and affordable structured payment options to easily access the equipment your farm needs to succeed.

BENEFITS OF LEASING

SECTION 179 UPDATE

APPLY NOW

GET APPROVED

GET EQUIPMENT

Contact your Farmward BRM for easy application!

Fast, same day credit decisions!

Start today! As low as $0 down with payments after harvest season.

Section 179 limit INCREASED to $1,000,000This IRS tax code allows agribusiness to deduct the purchase price of equipment. Meaning, if you buy a piece of qualifying equipment, you can deduct the FULL PURCHASE PRICE (up to $1,000,000) from your gross income. It’s an incentive created by the U.S. government to encourage businesses to buy equipment and invest in themselves. Equipment must be placed in service by 12/31/18.

$0 or low advance payment options

Preserve cash and bank lines

Application only - fast, convenient finance alternative

New and used equipment or machinery

Improve cash flow, customized payment terms

the support of its patron members, for years to come.

Students meeting all the requirements will be eligible to receive up to 25% of their parents’ revolving fund equity in Farmward Cooperative, up to $1,500 maximum per year, per student.

Upon verification of requirements, an equity check will be made payable to and mailed to the parents of the student.

These are tax paid funds and do not need to be shown as taxable income.

• The student’s parent(s) must be a member in good standing with Farmward Cooperative

• The student must be enrolled in an accredited post-secondary university, technical or business college

• The student must be a full-time student, as defined by the institution they are attending

• Proof of enrollment or transcript is required upon completion of the first semester

Farmward Cooperative’s

Equity for Education Program was introduced

as a way for qualifying patron members to access their equity

in the cooperative to help fund their children’s education.

The Board of Directors are pleased to announce that Farmward Cooperative has the financial strength and ability to o�er this opportunity to its qualified patrons.

It is Farmward Cooperative’s hope and vision to continue this program, with

Requirements

For more information

please contact Sue Christensen or Paul Wieneke at 507-249-3196

711 Front Street • PO Box 278Morgan, MN 56266

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPERMIT NO. 16MADELIA, MN

56062

DIRECTORYClements32959 235th StreetWabasso, MN 56293Phone: (507) 723-7367 Comfrey101 Pine StreetComfrey, MN 56019Phone: (507) 877-2441 Danube708 Hwy 212 East, PO Box 98Danube, MN 56230Phone: (320) 826-2214 Morgan711 Front Street, PO Box 278Morgan, MN 56266Phone: (507) 249-3196

Morton320 W 1st StreetMorton, MN 56270Phone: (507) 697-6113 Olivia706 E LincolnOlivia, MN 56277Phone: (320) 523-1811 Renville340 Dupont Avenue NE, PO Box 604Renville, MN 56284Phone: (320) 329-8377 Sacred Heart120 1st Avenue, PO Box 70Sacred Heart, MN 56285Phone: (320) 765-2726

Springfield36609 US Hwy 14Springfield, MN 56087Phone: (507) 723-7350 Wabasso1212 St Hwy 68Wabasso, MN 56293Phone: (507) 342-5184

Four easy ways to connect with Farmward . . .1. Check out our website:

www.farmward.net 2. Download the Farmward App

available on the App Store and Google Play

3. Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/farmwardcoop

4. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/FarmwardCoop