March at AGRI-SEARCH: How Does Your Team Stack Up on the Road to the “Final Four”

Most companies want to win, but many struggle to win consistently year after year. As March Madness and the NCAA basketball tournament unfold each year, it is interesting to evaluate who makes the Final Four and what sets them apart from those who don’t quite get there.

Almost every year there are interesting Cinderella teams who nobody expects to make a run and compete. However, those teams often flare out rather quickly. It is usually the tried-and-tested teams who have been on the radar all season who end up competing in the final weekend.

Whether in agricultural business or basketball, what is it that makes a “Final Four” team or company reach the epitome of success? As a long-time sports and business observer, it seems there are a few common ingredients that lead to such levels of excellence in both business and sports. Here are ten key ingredients to consider:

A solid leader with an excellent support team around them.
Talented, hardworking and dedicated team members who are loyal to the cause.
Clearly defined roles. There are “stars” and there are “role players”. On a winning team, everyone understands, accepts and embraces their role and strives to perform at their highest level.
A defined and unifying goal to reach a certain level of success.
An ability to overcome challenges and “bumps in the road” while not losing sight of their common team goal(s).
Tenacity to work hard every day while having fun and encouraging one another during the frustrations and challenges of a long “season”.
Trust in each other. Whether spring planting, harvest rush, or the Final Four, team members on winning teams know they can count on each other no matter what.
Fans or customers who anticipate excellent performance and who also understand and appreciate the dedication and effort the team puts in to achieve success.
Humility to accept the accolades when your team does well, is successful, and meets or exceeds the expectations of the fan base / customers.
Inner strength to not point fingers when things don’t go quite as planned or expected.

Take a look at your business team. Ask yourself:

Are we well equipped to win?
Do we have the ten internal ingredients listed to allow our company to reach the top level of performance?
If not, what steps do we need to take to better compete in a fiercely competitive world of business where someone else would like to have our clients?

If your team is struggling in any of these areas or is doing well and just needs to add some bench strength to a well-oiled machine, contact us at AGRI-SEARCH. We’ll be happy to help you evaluate how to take your team to the next level of success.

5829 - Grain Inspection General Manager, Texas Gulf

A long established and successful grain inspection services company is seeking a General Manager for their Texas Gulf operations.

5817 - Grain Merchandiser, Kansas

This Kansas cooperative is seeking an experienced Merchandiser who can step in and hit the ground running to help lead their team forward. You will be working closely with commercials and keeping the operations team well-informed of grain movement. The successful candidate will not be micromanaged and must have the entrepreneurial spirit to make marketing decisions quickly.

3935 - Agronomy Location Manager, Central Illinois

Join a full-service, fast-paced agronomy team in north central Illinois with a family feel and a team focused approach where they care about their employees and customers. Responsibilities will include daily management and oversight of equipment, facilities, sales, and staff while being the point person in an important customer facing role. You will lead by example, solve problems and utilize critical thinking skills.

5827 - Grain Company General Manager, Central Illinois

A thriving central Illinois grain company with an excellent track record is seeking a General Manager to replace their retiring long-term GM. With 100+ years of rich tradition providing great customer service, they need a grain professional with solid merchandising experience and excellent people skills to lead the skilled team at this very efficient, modern and large-capacity elevator.

6252 - Director of Feed Sales, Kansas

For this company, feed is their priority and the sole focus of their business. They have great assets, great people, a wide range of customers in a large trade territory and are well positioned to continue to grow and be more successful. There is ample opportunity for growth and great resources to build the company up to take it to the next level.

5821 - Grain Marketing Advisor, Ohio

An extremely successful and profitable ag company in Ohio is seeking a self-motivated Grain Marketing Advisor to join their risk management team. You must love working directly with producers and being on the phone. The company uses several creative products and strategies to serve their customers' needs.

7680 - Seed Territory Manager, Central Illinois

Full-line seed company is seeking a Territory Manager from US 51 east to the Indiana state line and from Illinois 17 south to Illinois 16. This is not a direct sales role; it is focused on team building and knowing key accounts with the goal of making your team into the best sales force in the industry. You will assist your team with sales calls, agronomy consulting, field days, customer events, sales training, and customer service.

5830 - Cooperative General Manager, Eastern Iowa

A reputable and financially sound agricultural cooperative in Eastern Iowa is seeking a General Manager to replace their retiring GM. This solid agricultural leader will have direct knowledge of managing a diverse agricultural facility and will excel in communicating with customers and team members alike. As a multi-division company, they offer grain, feed, agronomy, fuel, and retail services for their customers.

My entire career has been involved in agriculture in one way or another. For a long time, it has troubled me whenever I hear of a farm accident, or worse, a death. It makes me wonder if the industry is putting enough information out to the producer level to avoid most of these tragic accidents. I have had the privilege to work for several excellent agricultural companies who educated and trained their employees in the safe way to work around the hazardous equipment involved in and around the elevators and processing facilities.
This past year was no exception, and for me, it hit very close to home. A high school classmate of mine entered a grain bin and was engulfed in grain up to his chest. We were in the high school class of 1973, so certainly you would think he was old enough to know better. But one bad decision almost cost him his life.

A few months later my grandson, who farms with his father-in-law, was in a grain bin. Another associate unintentionally turned on the sweep auger which caught my grandson’s clothing and pulled him in. It was a miracle that they realized he was in the bin, and they shut the auger off before it killed him. But it was not before he incurred serious injuries (see accompanying photos). A simple lock-out / tag-out procedure could have stopped this horrific accident from happening.

Hopefully this letter finds its way into the hands of many agricultural companies and mangers throughout the country. My request is for each of you who are able to influence your farmer customers to please make some safety information available to them. Maybe something as simple as a poster on your bulletin board or a GEAPS or other organization’s brochure in an email blast or mailer will help avoid one of these senseless accidents.

In 2022, every 96 minutes a worker died in the U.S. from work-related injuries. It is estimated that in 2021 workplace injuries cost $167 BILLION, or $1,080 per worker! Sadly, the vast majority of workplace injuries and deaths are preventable. One of the most effective ways to reduce workplace injuries and fatalities is to create a strong safety culture which empowers workers to improve safety in the workplace. Safety culture is defined as an organization’s shared values and beliefs that influence employee behavior including people’s attitudes, thoughts, and behaviors about safety. When there is a strong commitment to safety, it is reflected in the organization’s daily operations.

The above was printed by the Grain and Feed Association of Illinois in their “Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week” series March 25-29, 2024. The photo below is from Iowa State University’s “Don’t Become a Statistic: Grain Bin Safety Tips” information published February 21, 2022, for Grain Bin Safety Week.

Join GFAI, Iowa State, and all of agriculture in making safety more than a slogan. Make safety a way of life - and help save a life!

Do you have a wealth of industry knowledge, several years’ experience in the ag industry, and a network of peers you enjoy engaging with? Do you have the grit to not give up and stay true to the course, no matter how difficult it may be? Are you competitive and possess a strong sales mentality where every "no" is just one step closer to a "yes"?

If so, and you have a passion for connecting with and helping people to go along with your strong agricultural industry background in agronomy, grain, accounting, safety, or other areas, please contact Dave Allen. We would enjoy having a discussion with you about how a recruiting career may be a great fit for you.

Founded in 1995, AGRI-SEARCH is a professional recruiting firm providing clients with customized recruiting solutions in various niches within the agricultural industry. Our success results from our industry focus, our specialized approach to recruiting, and our staff's lifelong roots in, dedication to, and vast understanding and knowledge of the agricultural industry.

At AGRI-SEARCH, our mission states that we “are committed to serving the agricultural industry with integrity, passion and excellence by assisting our candidates to reach their career goals and helping our client companies build successful teams.”