WIIFM...Everyone Tunes into this Station

WIIFM. The acronym for “what’s in it for me”.  Yep, there, I said it. I said what everyone says, either out loud or sub-consciously before making choices or decisions on a daily basis. It is human instinct. It is how we survive as a species.

There, with all of that being said- let’s talk about what’s in it for you, when you work with Landmark Cooperative and the ProfitEDGE team.

If you’re reading this- chances are you are in the business of agriculture. Chances are, you deal with adversity, variables out of your control, and family on a daily basis. Your livelihood is determined by markets, weather, hard work, and smart decisions. The last time I checked, you can only control two of those variables- and they are not markets and weather! It goes without saying you work hard and you love it- otherwise you wouldn’t do it. Again, it goes without saying that you make smart decisions when it comes to your operation, right? Right! How many times have you second guessed a decision, or googled some bit of information to help with a decision? How many times have you wondered who you could trust to get valuable information to make an educated decision?

ProfitEDGE is really just a label or a brand if you will, to explain and define this simple statement…. “ We help farmers grow.”  ProfitEDGE is that expert to help you make informed decisions. Think of ProfitEDGE as your personal team of experts taking a look at your operation and uncovering areas within it that could potentially be costing you money, or could potentially be giving you MORE PROFIT.  Let me give you an example.  You look at your grain bin and there is a blatant hole in it where you are losing grain- day after day. You fix it and voila- no more grain loss. That was easy. You could see it, so you could fix it and stop loss.

Now, visualize this. Your milk components went down, but milk production stayed the same, or a small decrease is happening. Where do you begin to uncover the cause? It’s costing you money, but the fix isn’t so obvious. You have blamed your nutritionist, the hired man, the weather, the milk hauler and everyone and everything in between. Your Landmark nutritionist suggests a milk parlor audit. You are skeptical, but at this point you are probably willing to try anything! And, by the way, it doesn’t cost anything. You are a member, and this is a benefit of doing business with your cooperative. (Even better-right?!)

 

The ProfitEDGE team comes in and audits everything from how the cows are brought in to milk, to how long they wait, to what they eat, to the cleanliness- and everything in between. Foot Health, Teat health, forage quality, vaccum on milkers and every little (and BIG) thing involved gets looked at. Guess what? The pieces of the puzzle are brought together and it is solved. A subtle change in forage caused a decrease in the components- giving not so great results for butter fat and protein. Seems silly doesn’t it? Along with the solving of the component challenge, the profitEDGE team also gave other recommendations like increasing foot bath usage, fixing vacuum on some of the milking equipment and three time a day milking vs two. You decide you are going to implement those suggestions and now not only are your components up- but your production is up too! The cows are healthier and happier, Your profitability just doubled, and you have an extra $400,000 a year to put in the bank! (BTW- this number is completely random and this story is simply an example. Based on our experience however, this number is not out of the question and has fit some of our member scenarios.)

“We help farmers grow.” That is a promise. We do it every day. It is the reason you are committed and loyal to your cooperative- because our “WIIFM” is truly to help you grow- and to help you do what you do, even better.

 

 

Cassandra Strommen, VP Marketing Development of Landmark is no stranger to the dairy farm. Strommen worked in Animal Nutrition for five years prior to her current role with Landmark. She has a passion for cows and all things agribusiness. If you'd like to get in touch with her, she can be reached at cassandra.strommen@landmark.coop.