Feed is one of those day-to-day elements that many livestock owners may take for granted. You place the order, it arrives – you feed it. What you may not realize are all the elements to that feed that undergo scrutiny and examination.
Mary Williams, Food Safety and Quality Assurance Manager at ALCIVIA, explains what happens behind the scenes in monitoring sources for feed ingredients, and making sure the customer gets a consistent, safe, top quality product.
With the rise in input costs forcing many growers to push their pencils even farther, knowing that your cooperative is ready to address your needs is critical. Pam Jahnke talks to Hans Pflieger, Vice President of Credit Operations at ALCIVIA about the flow of paperwork he’s been handling, and also the new opportunity available through the Patron Note Program.
One of the biggest challenges going forward for farmers is going to be getting financing for 2022 fertilizer. Prices are up, seed prices are up everything is up, and Pam it’s a good thing we got some folks that can help us out.
Absolutely Bob, we’re focused this time around on how ALCIVIA is trying to provide financing options for the customer farmers that they work with.
I talked about it with Hans Pflieger, he is in charge of the verity program and financing options that ALCIVIA is offering farms across the state of Wisconsin. I just basically started off with explaining what Verity is, for farmers that have used it they’ve become accustomed to it as a tool, but for farmers that have never investigated Hans tell us a little bit more about Verity.
Verity business solutions is a wholly owned subsidiary of ALCIVIA and it provides in-house financing options for our members which is just another benefit of doing business with ALCIVIA. Having access to cash to increase cash flow in times when farmers are getting tight.
How does Verity play in with the other finance programs available at all ALCIVIA?
Verity has three separate programs, grower financing programs, one that I want to talk about today is the jumpstart program which is our in-house financing for fall fertilizer. It allows farmers to purchase their fertilizer in the fall apply it in the fall and not pay for it until march 31st at zero percent interest.
The benefits of that really Pam are to get the fall fertilizer out on the ground in this in the fall so it’s more available in the spring it also allows farmers to be able to do that work when they have more time to be able to do it. In the spring, we’re doing a lot of spraying and delivering of seed and chemicals and don’t have the maybe the bandwidth at that point in time to be able to do it as we would in the fall.
So how fast does this process take if I’m trying to get those best prices at this time of the year how quickly are decisions made when it comes to verity and some of these financing programs?
You know depending on the size of the loan you need anywhere from 48 hours to about a week to be able to get the financing and be able to book the loan and have it available to be able to make those prepaid decisions on fertilizer.
Now some folks are going to say, wait a minute, wait a minute, we’ve never heard of Verity, never heard of these financing programs, will my ALCIVIA representative know about that Hans? Or where do I go to find out more about verity and the financing programs available in house through ALCIVIA?
If you reach out to your local ALCIVIA agronomist they could definitely help you and point you in the right direction, we also have a link on the ALCIVIA.com website.
Now, Hans, why should I shop Verity, and your financing programs versus my traditional lenders?
I think that you know it’s a goal of ALCIVIA and Verity to be able to provide convenient producer financing programs at competitive rates to allow members to purchase products when the best deal is on the table, and I think that the convenience factor and being able to deal and walk in the door and be able to get everything done in one swoop is a benefit to the members moving forward.
It’s a challenge many businesses are facing – finding employees. The same is true in agri-business. Bob Bosold visits with Brian Musser, Talent Acquisition Partner for ALCIVIA. He’s tapped into all kinds of programs to try and address the seasonal and non-seasonal demands for people power within ALCIVIA.
Interested in a job with ALCIVIA? Opportunities exist indoors and outdoors. Find out more.
Join the Midwest Farm Report program called ALCIVIA Co-op Talk with Pam Jahnke and Bob Bosold.
With energy prices at a level not seen since 2014, it’s important to keep the conversation going with your energy providers at ALCIVIA. Tom Volkert, ALCIVIA Energy Products Specialist, explains the tools they’re constantly monitoring to try and get the best price for their clients.
The complexity of production agriculture today dictates paying attention. John Schoenfeld, Safety Director for ALCIVIA, explains the different areas of emphasis they focus on the make sure employees go home safely everyday.
From animal feed and crop inputs, to energy and grain marketing – ALCIVIA places a premium on operating safely.
Join the Midwest Farm Report program called ALCIVIA Co-op Talk with Pam Jahnke and Bob Bosold. Marketing can be an emotional experience. You’re excited when you capture the highs, and disappointed when you miss them. What if you could make sure you hit your high without constantly staring at a screen?
Beth Helding, Grain Sales Leader with ALCIVIA, says farmers should explore the tools available that would allow them to lock in the price they want to receive, and then wait for the market to reach it. She counsels farmers on how to find that price and then relax.
Join the Midwest Farm Report program called ALCIVIA Co-op Talk with Pam Jahnke and Bob Bosold. The entire energy complex from crude oil to propane has been bouncing all over the place. That’s keeping everyone on their toes on securing supplies and protecting prices. Stewart Anhalt, Energy Sales for ALCIVIA, says every day is different and producers/consumers need to stay involved in the conversation.
During the season of giving, ALCIVIA helped local families in need by supporting Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin and Second Harvest Heartland, Wisconsin’s largest hunger-relief charity. Thanks to the generosity of employees, members, and partners, ALCIVIA provided Second Harvest with a donation of more than $37,000.
Over the course of the campaign, ALCIVIA employees participated in various events that included an online auction, a mystery envelope game and potlucks. Money raised from each of the events was donated to the campaign.
“ALCIVIA is committed to ending hunger in the communities we serve. Part of our ‘ALCIVIA Gives Back’ campaign includes supporting efforts through Second Harvest foodbanks and other local food pantries,” said Jim Dell, CEO and President at ALCIVIA. “We are proud of the dedication of our employees and partners and their continued support to end hunger.”
ALCIVIA is proud to be a silver sponsor of Second Harvest as part of the cooperative’s philanthropic efforts to end hunger. This is ALCIVIA’s ninth year of partnering with the food bank, which meets nearly one million annual requests for help with food security in the 16 counties it serves.
“Aiding in the effort to eliminate hunger in our communities is deeply important to us at ALCIVIA,” said Chrissy Long, Creative Director at ALCIVIA and Second Harvest Committee Chairperson. “Second Harvest is doing crucial work, and Share Your Holidays is a wonderful event that we’re proud to support. We’re grateful for the caring and generous hearts of everyone at ALCIVIA who rallied to raise funds for the foodbank.”
ALCIVIA is a leading, member-owned agricultural and energy cooperative driven by our passion for excellence and a future without boundaries. Located in Wisconsin and serving farm, business and retail customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Iowa, our engaged employees provide innovative, responsible solutions to help drive the immediate and long-term success of our customers, including competitive operating loans and input financing, as well as best-in-class products and services for the agronomy, animal nutrition, energy, and grain needs of our customers.
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Join the Midwest Farm Report program called ALCIVIA Co-op Talk with Pam Jahnke and Bob Bosold. 2021 was incredibly busy for all the stakeholders involved in ALCIVIA. Entities from across the state were brought together to formally create ALCIVIA. All. Together. Cooperative.
Jim Dell recaps some of the highlights from the partnership and also updates members on recent acquisitions that will continue to strengthen the cooperative in 2022.
As part of ‘ALCIVIA Gives Back’ philanthropic efforts to end hunger in its communities, the company donated Piggly Wiggly gift cards to support the annual Gifts For Kids toy distribution in Edgerton.
Gifts for Kids is committed to providing gifts and opportunities to children in the community and the organizations that support them. For more than 30 years, the board of directors and many volunteers have provided gifts as well as a family care bag to an average of 100 families and 200 children (from birth through the fifth grade).
This year the event was held on December 7 in a drive-through lane, while observing safety protocols such as mask wearing.
“A huge thank you goes out to all our donors and sponsors like ALCIVIA,” said Lori Ainsworth, Gifts For Kids Secretary. “These donors and sponsors provide Gifts For Kids with the funds needed not only to serve the children of Edgerton during the winter holidays, but also to support a wide range of programs through the entire year in Edgerton.”
All children receive a “Santa” level gift ($50 value) as well as several other smaller gifts that usually come from donors. Each child also receives a package of new socks, a package of new underwear, a new blanket, and stuffed animal.
Each family receives a family care bag with a roll of wrapping paper, toilet paper, paper towels, Kleenex and paper plates, along with a family game or craft item.
The family also receives a “fun” bag that contains stocking stuffers such as candy, crayons, coloring book, and stickers, along with batteries, tape, bandages, toothpaste, hand sanitizer, and new toothbrushes.
To learn more about the children-centered programs that Gifts For Kids operates, go to https://www.edgertongiftsforkids.org/.
