ESSENTIAL NEWS FOR AGRI-RETAILERS
The Communicator
April Issue – See All
Chairman’s Award: Bob McNaughton
The winner of CAAR’s 2017 Chairman’s Award has been a force in the Ontario fertilizer industry throughout his career, which has spanned more than 40 years. Although his business achievements are numerous and impressive, it is his commitment to giving back to the industry and his active, vocal and passionate support for CAAR that earned Bob McNaughton the Chairman’s Award.
The 2018 CAAR Conference: Insight. Focus. Growth.
Hosted in the heart of the Prairies at TCU Place in downtown Saskatoon, Sask., the 2018 “Agri-retail Event of the Year” featured two and a half days of invaluable networking opportunities, professional development and education.
Never Stop Learning
This May, I’ll celebrate a decade of working with CAAR, and with that also a decade of working in the agriculture industry. There are so many things that inspire me in this industry, but none more than the shared commitment to innovation and learning. I see this accomplished in so many ways, both formal and informal, everything from ongoing education through post-secondary institutions to the multitude of engaging and informative discussions on social media. Events like the CAAR Conference, as well as the numerous tradeshows and conferences hosted throughout the year, provide a wealth of information and opportunity to learn from friends and colleagues.
CAAR Can Help
It’s been a fast paced couple of months since I joined the CAAR team in January. Already, the 2018 CAAR Conference has been successfully completed, while other areas of focus, such as the negotiations with Transport Canada regarding anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks, continue at the time of writing.
Retailer of the Year: Redfern Farm Services
Hearing they had won the 2017 Retailer of the Year award took manager Lane Wanless and his team at Redfern Farm Services, Virden location by surprise, but once it sunk in, they were thrilled. The prestigious award recognizes one CAAR member that went above and beyond to serve its customers, something the team at Virden pride themselves on.
4R Nutrient Stewardship Agri-Retailer: Co-operative Retailing System
Trish Meyers, knowledge and innovation manager at Federated Co-operatives Limited (FCL), believes that 4R Nutrient Stewardship allows agri-retailers to steer the conversation about sustainability in agriculture in a way that is good for their farmer customers.
“Farmers have been using 4R practices for a long time, we just haven’t had a name for it,” says Meyers. “The 4R program gives us a way to quantify what farmers are doing and lets us be in the driver’s seat to tell our good news story.”
Member Login
The Essentials for Agri-Retailers
Check your email inbox from Monday, Feb. 26 to find your CAAR conference survey, and complete it before Friday, March 9 for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card! CAAR values your feedback, and your suggestions provide the direction for future CAAR conferences.
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Five Canadian agri-retailers were recognized for their achievements at the 11th annual CAAR’s Choice Awards Banquet. The winners took to the stage on Feb. 14, to receive their award in the company of their peers during the gala event, part of the 2018 CAAR Conference running from Feb. 13-15 in Saskatoon, Sask.
CAAR is pleased to congratulate our member Munro Farm Supplies on celebrating 60 years in business in 2018!
CAAR extends a warm welcome to its 2018-19 Board of Directors, including new members Taylor Olsen from Olds Fertilizers & Agri Services Ltd., and Catherine Douglas from Federated Co-operatives Ltd.
This #CAARCON update is brought to you by InterAg.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, Pro-Ag Investments Auction donors, exhibitors and planning committee members who helped make the 2018 CAAR Conference an immensely successful event! We could not have done this without you.
Because of your contributions, CAAR was able to craft and execute a conference lineup that provided valuable insight for everyone in attendance. Our informative speakers addressed a wide variety of industry and business challenges; including changes in regulations, developments in technology and reinforcing relationships with customers to be considered a trusted advisor.
This #CAARCON update is brought to you by InterAg.
We’ve reached the end of another CAAR Conference! The final day was full of thought-provoking discussions that left the audience with ideas to ponder long after they’ve returned home.
Possibility Thinking
Sponsored by Farm Credit Canada
During the Possibility Thinking session, Candace Hill and Isaac LeClair from Farm Credit Canada challenged the audience to think about how they market their business, including shifting their focus “from selling to helping,” echoing themes from yesterday’s “Understanding Farmers’ Needs and Expectations” Panel Discussion.
“Marketing and Canadian ag are both changing rapidly. In order to keep up, you may have to do things differently,” says Hill. “Companies that take risks, try new thing and try to connect with their customers in different ways will benefit by showing that they’re willing to take a chance.”
When Hill had sparked the audience’s creativity, the presentation then moved into how to present innovative marketing ideas on social media.
“Social media, when used strategically, can have a snowball effect. Think of it as word of mouth on steroids,” says LeClair. “You don’t want to use social media to tell people about your business. Use social media to get other people to tell people about your business.”
This #CAARCON update is brought to you by InterAg.
The first full day of the 2018 CAAR Conference was a smashing success. The first full day of the 2018 CAAR Conference was a smashing success! Thank you to all sponsors, speakers and attendees who made this day possible.
Panel Discussion: Understanding Farmers' Needs and Expectations
This discussion was the perfect event to start our conference speaker program – four farmers from across Canada addressed their considerations when choosing which retailers they partner with.
“As much as possible we try to use agronomy services from retailers,” says panelist Kevin Serfas. “The kinds of sales representatives I like to deal with are the ones who will honestly tell me ‘we have something that might work for you, but there are better options out there.’ Those are the people I want to build a long-term relationship with.”
The hour-long discussion sparked conversations among the audience, and left conference with lots of information to take back to their teams.
“The gold standard in ag retail today is to become a trusted advisor for farmers – that’s what we’re training our staff to try to achieve,” says Eric Sievers, sales manager with International Raw Materials. “Every panelist came back to relationships. It gave me a lot to think about in terms of the service we’re providing, and how we can build those trusted advisor relationships.”