November 2016 ViafieldVoice - Amazon S3s3.amazonaws.com/media.agricharts.com/sites/658/Newsletters/The... · November 2016 Viafield The R At Viafield we are striving to build a culture

Voice Demonstrating Our Core Values- Page 1

Notes from the “Safty Guy.” - Page 3

Resilience- Page 4

November 2016

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At Viafield we are striving to build a culture based on strong core values. November was a critical time for our customers and Viafield was there with team work and service to help them succeed. Demonstrating our core values is essential to our customers and is translating into positive results for Viafield. Grain volumes were up significantly over this time last

year as well as service and storage revenue. We completely filled Oelwein for the first time and acquired several new customers in the process. Viafield is also growing our Agronomy, Feed, and Energy volumes as our sales teams focus on prospecting new customers. All of this would not happen if it were not for dedicated team members executing daily through outstanding team work. There are many examples of how we worked together across locations and divisions to get the job done

this harvest. I’m very proud of our team and our members are taking notice! We also continue to focus on results making necessary changes to serve customers of the future and improve our performance by properly allocating capital.

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Demonstrating Our Core Values • Team Work

We are committed to be the full-service provider of choice enhancing the

success of our customers, team and communities.

Chris LudwigCEO

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Viafield announced the sale of our elevator in Lamont and our $7 million investment in Randalia continues on budget and ahead of schedule to serve customers in spring 2017. I want to say a big thank you to everyone for working together this harvest to make Viafield an organization we and our members can be proud of! Let’s continue the positive momentum!

- Chris

Full Bins & Busy MillsA quick update on the financial position of your cooperative

As you can see below, grain sales volume is down in comparison to last year. The real story here is that our receiving this year is considerably ahead of last year. Basically, we filled almost every location, including Oelwein! We are not selling grain right now in anticipation of basis improvement in the month of December. We will only be moving sales that are already on the books.

Fertilizer volume is down some but we are also about three weeks behind last year. Another month will tell us how our fall went. We are cautiously optimistic.

Feed volume continues to grow at a rapid pace. Our mills are busier than they have ever been.

Energy volume is down some with propane doing better than anticipated.

Team members, thanks for all your help this fall. Let’s keep moving forward!

VOLUMES October Actual Last Year Actual Change from Last YearGrain Sales (bushels) 4,032,239 5,137,167 (1,104,928)Fertilizer Sales (tons) 11,149 14,564 (3,415)Energy Sales (gallons) 1,895,467 2,183,491 (288,024)

Gross Margins ($$) October Actual Last Year Actual Change from Last YearAgronomy Business $949,302 $1,807,400 ($848,098)Energy Business $461,293 $513,167 ($51,874)Feed Business $1,037,372 $898,829 $138,543Grain Business $1,432,302 $2,107,119 ($674,817)

Steve BodensteinerCFO

ETHICAL • We embrace honesty & integrity in everything we do.

KNOWLEDGE • We seek out new information and ideas in order to develop and build talent.

SERVICE-ORIENTED • We are committed to responding to others needs in a timely and accurate manner.

TEAMWORK • We are respectful and supportive while communicating openly and engaging others.

LEADERSHIP • We are positive and professional while acting strategically and embracing change.

RESULTS • We are accountable and efficiently execute to build sustainable growth and profitability.O

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Hello Team Members.

I hope this finds everyone feeling good after the Thanksgiving break with family and friends and looking forward to the Christmas Holiday season. As we continue to end 2016 on a high note and look forward to 2017 right around the corner, I just want to remind everyone, but most specifically the CDL drivers for Viafield of a rule that has been in place for quite some time. It is in regards to talking or texting on your hand-held phone.

The law enforcement personnel have been lenient in the past, but after the first of the year, I have heard warnings will no longer be written, but tickets will be issued. As you read through the attachment from the FMCSA you will notice the fine to the driver and company can be quite significant, as well as the driver being disqualified from driving a commercial motor vehicle. Please read it carefully as your employment may also be at risk should you receive a ticket for this violation.

Notes from the “Safety Guy”

Safety Corner We want everyone being safe while driving, and that means not texting or talking on a hand-held phone. I know many of you have hands-free ear pieces or blue tooth devices Viafield appreciates you using. If you need more information about the hands-free devices, please visit with myself or your team leader.

Thanks so much for all you do to keep yourself and your fellow team members safe while doing your various duties at Viafield. And I want to wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

Kevin DavisSafety Team Leader

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Hello Viafield team members! Way to rock through this harvest season! It amazes me to see team work and hear about our folks working together to get it done. You should be very proud of your hard work. I want to cover a word that has echoed in my mind this past year, resilience, or another way to put it – grit. It’s what makes us push through rough times to be better in the future. I pulled this article from APA website and I believe it does a great job of explaining – us.

Resilience is the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats or significant sources of stress — such as family and relationship problems, serious health problems or workplace and financial stressors. It means “bouncing back” from difficult experiences. Research has shown that resilience is ordinary, not extraordinary. People commonly demonstrate resilience.

Being resilient does not mean that a person doesn’t experience difficulty or distress. Emotional pain and sadness are common in people who have suffered major adversity or trauma in their lives. In fact, the road to resilience is likely to involve considerable emotional distress. Resilience is not a trait that people either have or do not have. It involves behaviors, thoughts and actions that can be learned and developed in anyone.

Make connections. Good relationships with close family members, friends or others are important. Accepting help and support from those who care about you and will listen to you strengthens resilience. Some people find that being active in civic groups, faith-based organizations, or other local groups provides social support and can help with reclaiming hope. Assisting others in their time of need also can benefit the helper.

Avoid seeing crises as insurmountable problems. You can’t change the fact that highly stressful events happen, but you can change how you interpret and respond to these events. Try looking beyond the present to how future circumstances may be a little better. Note any subtle ways in which you might already feel somewhat better as you deal with difficult situations.

Accept that change is a part of living. Certain goals may no longer be attainable as a result of adverse situations. Accepting circumstances that cannot be changed can help you focus on circumstances that you can alter.

Move toward your goals. Develop some realistic goals. Do something regularly — even if it seems like a small accomplishment — that enables you to move toward your goals. Instead of focusing on tasks that seem unachievable, ask yourself, “What’s one thing I know I can accomplish today that helps me move in the direction I want to go?”

Take decisive actions. Act on adverse situations as much as you can. Take decisive actions, rather than detaching completely from problems and stresses and wishing they would just go away.

Look for opportunities for self-discovery. People often learn something about themselves and may find that they have grown in some respect as a result of their struggle with loss. Many people who have experienced tragedies and hardship have reported better relationships, greater sense of strength even while feeling vulnerable, increased sense of self-worth, a more developed spirituality and heightened appreciation for life.

Nurture a positive view of yourself. Developing confidence in your ability to solve problems and trusting your instincts helps build resilience.

Keep things in perspective. Even when facing very painful events, try to consider the stressful situation in a broader context and keep a long-term perspective. Avoid blowing the event out of proportion.

Maintain a hopeful outlook. An optimistic outlook enables you to expect that good things will happen in your life. Try visualizing what you want, rather than worrying about what you fear.Take care of yourself. Pay attention to your own needs and feelings. Engage in activities that you enjoy and find relaxing. Exercise regularly. Taking care of yourself helps to keep your mind and body primed to deal with situations that require resilience.

Additional ways of strengthening resilience may be helpful. For example, some people write about their deepest thoughts and feelings related to trauma or other stressful events in their life. Meditation and spiritual practices help some people build connections and restore hope. The key is to identify ways that are likely to work well for you as part of your own personal strategy for fostering resilience.

Anne BenningHuman Resources Team Leader

Resilience

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Scholarships Now AvailableThe world of agriculture is important to the survival of everyone. It’s more than just growing food; it’s about a goal to preserve the value of the land where it is grown. At Viafield we believe in investing in the future of people who wish to pursue career fields dedicated to that same goal.

A person has a better chance of getting the job they want in this field if they have a good education. We hope that this scholarship will

help ease the cost of covering college expenses and allow students to focus on what really matters, doing well in their program. If you are a graduating high school senior pursuing an agricultural-related major at any two - or four - year college we encourage you to apply for the Viafield Youth Ag Scholarship worth $1,000. Six of these scholarships will be given away every year.

The following are the guidelines for students who wish to apply for this scholarship. You can download the application at the bottom of the page.

Student Eligibility

• High school senior, graduating in the spring.

• Must intend to major in agriculture.

• Legal U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

• The student or the parent of the student must be a patron member of Viafield (a cooperative).

• Students of Viafield Team Members who are Class A and Class B coop members in good standing.

Visit www.viafield.com/scholarship for more details.

WinField Offers $1,000 Scholarships to 20 Students

WinField is keeping the tradition of the Careers in Agriculture Scholarship Program, by announcing the kick-off for this year’s offering. Scholarships worth $1,000 will be awarded to 10 high school seniors and 10 college students in their first or second year who demonstrate scholastic achievement, leadership in agriculture and a perceived ability to contribute to agriculture in the future. For more information and to apply, visit www.winfield.com.

SaveTheDateIt’s time to break out your best bowling shirt and have some fun!

WinterBlast 2017

When: January 28, 2017 • 5:00 PM- ?

Where: Comet Bowl 1100 S. Grand Ave, Charles City

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Energy Team Steps Up To Meet The Challenge

The Energy Team has had a successful fall harvest season. The Propane Delivery Specialists kept dryer tanks topped off throughout harvest assuring our customers tanks did not run out. Now that fall harvest has come to a close the Energy Team is going through some changes, and is stepping up to the challenge. We effectively completed our first fall harvest that all of our refined fuels were delivered via our AFD program!

Just as the dryer propane season was hitting its peak, we had a delivery truck go down and taken out of service. The Energy Team worked together to shuffle a truck from across our service territory that was in lesser demand to fill the void. We were able to provide excellent customer service without any interruption of service to our dryer customers.

Gus Engels, Propane Specialist based out of Rudd, retired on Friday, December 2nd. On behalf of the entire Energy Team I want to say “Thank You” for 25 years of service to Viafield. Gus’ knowledge and experience will be greatly missed. Kurt Schweizer and Mark Coyle, Propane Specialists based out of Marble Rock and Rudd, have split up Gus’ route and will be servicing his customers in addition to their current responsibilities. I want to thank them for accepting the additional responsibilities, and I am confident they will succeed in servicing their new customers.

Our AFD program worked fantastic throughout the busy fall harvest season. Our spare refined fuels truck that we have for emergency fuel deliveries was not needed! We kept our customers with monitored fuel tanks supplied with fuel, and the fuel was in their tank before they needed it. One area we will be focusing on this winter is the amount of will-call orders we receive that are expected to be delivered the same or next day. We want to continue to deliver those gallons, and we will be working to educate our customers on how our delivery process works. We need to explain the benefits of our monitors and the need for adequate notice to handle will-call deliveries.

I want to thank all of our Team Members that were involved in helping the Energy Team get through another successful fall harvest season. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Mike KuboushekEnergy Team Leader

Happy Retirement!Congratulations Gus on your well deserved retirement! After 25 years with Viafield, we thank you for your loyalty and commitment.

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OpportunitiesCurrent Full-Time Openings

• Agronomy Account Relationship Manager - Marble Rock• Agronomy Applicator - Eastern Region• Agronomy Applicator - Grafton• Agronomy Operations - Marble Rock• Agronomy Sales Leader

Career

• Feed Mill Operator - Maynard• Location Team Leader - Rudd• Grain Team Leader

We got off to a little later start than normal with harvest due to wet conditions so it has been a game of catch up. We had a strong November that pulled us within 700 tons of dry compared to a year ago. That sounds good, and it is, but our budget number is higher than that. Sales to date on dry is just short of 20,000 tons. Margins are definitely better than last year but are $12/ton below our budgeted margin. This was due to competition aggressively going after tons. The wet fall has also hampered our NH3 application. All the rain left the fields very hard and in many areas the ammonia just wouldn’t seal good enough. We are down a few hundred tons from last year but it appears we may have a few tons to bill yet knowing our capacity and how much we have left on contracts, So, we might come out close. Margins on NH3 have been decent for fall and only off $3 from budget.

Yes, we are behind on tons and margin for the year. Several patrons have held up application for various reasons. Some of these tons will come back in the spring but with the farm economy such as it is I am sure there will be some cut backs. Targeting new business opportunities in the next couple of months can help us get back on target. This will be one of our thrusts in the next few weeks. Application equipment is another area that much energy will be spent on. Becoming more efficient with better equipment is the goal. We will have the equipment that it takes to service the patrons we make commitments to. That is my promise to you. Thanks to everyone on our team for making Viafield what it is!

Bob CampAgronomy Team Leader

Gaining Momentum in AgronomyWith the fall season complete, it’s time to focus on sales.

The seed holding bills are up at the new Randalia fertilizer facility. Thanks to Regina Panuska for the great images.

Fertilizer tower going up.

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A number of Team Members will be celebrating their birthdays in December. Here’s your reminder to send them best wishes on their special day.

Lori Butikofer Dec 3 ArlingtonLevi Wolf Dec 4 RockfordChris Menke Dec 13 Charles CityDustin Welbig Dec 14 Marble RockScott Hansen Dec 14 CarpenterJohn Swehla Dec 16 ClermontDave Adams Dec 16 ArlingtonRichard Wright Dec 16 ArlingtonPat Moellers Dec 18 MaynardLori Ahlf Dec 22 Charles CityNathan Schupbach Dec 22 ElginAlex Laumann Dec 23 RandaliaDan Sheckles Dec 24 Arlington

Stay in touch with your cooperative through our social media outlets.Copyright © 2015 Viafield, a cooperative. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without the express written permission of Viafield is prohibited.

December Birthdays

December 13, 2016 -LTL Meeting - Charles City - 9:30 AM-1:00 PM

December 14, 2016 - Cultivating Excellence 1.0 Meeting - Mason City - 8:30 AM-4:00 PM

December 15, 2016 - Cultivating Excellence 2.0 Meeting - Mason City - 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

December 15, 2016 - Safety Meeting - Charles City - 9:30 AM-11:30 AM

December 20, 2016 - Energy Sales Meeting - Charles City - 9:30 AM-12:00 PM

December 26, 2016 - Christmas Day - All locations closed “MERRY CHRISTMAS”

January 2, 2017 - New Years Day - All locations closed

UpcomingEvents

AnniversariesTeam Member Hire Date Years Location

Scott Hansen Dec. 1, 1986 30 CarpenterRon Larson Dec. 29, 1997 19 Northwood

Nathan Schupbach Dec. 7, 2005 11 Elgin

Dave Adams Dec. 28, 2006 10 Arlington

Jeanette Mulcahy Dec. 5, 2011 5 Charles City

Chris Bausch Dec. 17, 2012 4 Elgin

Dan Franzen Dec. 28, 2012 4 Elgin

Shelley Brockney Dec. 31, 2012 4 Charles City

John Zweibahmer Dec. 1, 2014 2 Clermont

Tim Nemechek Dec. 21, 2015 1 Elgin

OUR GROWING VIAFIELD FAMILYTim and Samantha Nemechek recently had their first child, Wyatt Timothy was born Friday, November 11 at 10:30pm weighing 7 pounds 8oz and 20-1/2 inches in length. Tim works in the Feed Mill at our Elgin facility. Congratulations to the Nemechek family and we wish them the best as they begin their new adventure.