11 Takeaways from the
Commodity Classic
March 15, 2012 — The annual Commodity Classic trade show was held Feb. 29-March 2 in Nashville, Tenn. at Opryland. It’s billed as “America’s largest farmer-led, farmer-focused convention & trade show.”
Attendance was over 5,400 making it the largest Commodity Classic in history, which set the tone for a bullish outlook on agriculture.
Two representatives from Focus Technology Group were on hand for the show—Chuck Buie, vice president of sales, and Mark Emery, vice president of client relations. Chuck and Mark spent four days visiting with growers, exhibitors, distributors, and other guests, while also attending educational seminars on industry trends, best practices, and new technology.
Below are 11 important takeaways from the 2012 Commodity Classic, courtesy of Mr. Buie and Mr. Emery.
1. Commodity prices are generally high, but manufactures and distributors feel comfortable about current prices and valuations on crops.
2. There is a general nervous feeling about a farmland real estate bubble. Some growers cautioned that land is getting too expensive, while rapid expansion continues. A market adjustment or crash may occur, warned some farmers.
3. The continued rise of petroleum and diesel prices hurts Ag margins, and puts extra strain on farmers.
Two representatives from Focus Technology Group were on hand for the show—Chuck Buie, vice president of sales, and Mark Emery, vice president of client relations. Chuck and Mark spent four days visiting with growers, exhibitors, distributors, and other guests, while also attending educational seminars on industry trends, best practices, and new technology.
Below are 11 important takeaways from the 2012 Commodity Classic, courtesy of Mr. Buie and Mr. Emery.
1. Commodity prices are generally high, but manufactures and distributors feel comfortable about current prices and valuations on crops.
2. There is a general nervous feeling about a farmland real estate bubble. Some growers cautioned that land is getting too expensive, while rapid expansion continues. A market adjustment or crash may occur, warned some farmers.
3. The continued rise of petroleum and diesel prices hurts Ag margins, and puts extra strain on farmers.
4. The micronutrient/specialty fertilizer and fungicide segments of Ag are growing rapidly.
5. Adjuvants and surfactants are making a comeback because of high commodity prices.
6. Distributor/retail consolidation continues to take place as small independents continue to get gobbled up by regional and national companies.
7. All growers desire precision agriculture, but it requires the right technology and quality data solutions for merging and synching machinery, data sets, and computer systems.
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Precision ag technology makes farming operations more efficient and productive.
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8. Suppliers and manufacturers of Ag products want to know more information about their supply chain end users and buyers—the farmers.
9. Manufacturers and suppliers of Ag products desire better tools and technology to identify target customers and capture market opportunities.
10. Distributors of Ag products are interested in more online commerce and communication through a self-serve web portal where growers can go to shop and purchase products.
11. More Ag distributors and growers are using innovative tablet technology for accessing information and doing business.
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Drilling for Gold in the Data
When it comes to serving our agricultural clients, we at FTG focus on our services, technology, and competencies in areas such as electronic data interchange (EDI), data aggregation/cleansing/standardization, and data deliverability in any format required.
We are experts in compiling large volumes of sales data from multiple industry sources, sharing data safely and privately, and delivering dynamic tools for data mining and analysis. Our best-of-breed BI tool, FocusAnalytics, helps clients drill deep into their sales and market data to discover insights, trends, and actionable intelligence for making strategic and informed business decisions.
For more information on how FTG can help your Agribusiness, please contact:
For more information on how FTG can help your Agribusiness, please contact:
CHUCK BUIE
Focus Technology Group
Vice President of Sales
4515 Harding Road Suite 315
Nashville, TN 37205
912-604-0941 primary
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A Call for Distributor Interdependency
"The "middlemen" (dealers and distributors) can no longer be as independent as they once were. They must become more "interdependent" with their suppliers, working closely with their partners to meet the demands of the growingly sophisticated farm business and provide critical information about customers into the supply chain."
Dr. W. David Downey, Purdue University, Executive Director of Center for Food and Agricultural Business
Published in AgriMarketing. July-August 2011. Article title: "Farm Consolidation Challenges Traditional Distribution"
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Chuck Buie heads up our sales efforts in the crop protection and seed business at FTG. Chuck is a seasoned and well-polished Ag Executive with more than 16 years experience in Ag Communications, Media, Consulting, and Operations Management. Chuck was previously employed as International Sales Manager for Meister Media Worldwide, and more recently as National Accounts Director, and later, Business Unit Operating Manager for Farm Progress Companies, the U.S. division of Fairfax Media, Australia. Chuck has also consulted on a 10,000 acre cotton, rice, corn and soybean farm in Mississippi and Arkansas for the past 9 years, and has experience in supply chain management.
CHUCK BUIE
Vice President of Sales, Agriculture
Phone: 912-604-0941
E-mail: cbuie@focustg.com
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About Focus Technology Group
Founded in 2001, Focus Technology Group Inc., based in Nashville, Tenn., provides data quality solutions to real business needs through its integrated data services, business intelligence applications, and supply chain marketing programs. FTG provides clients with technology solutions and services in areas such as data aggregation and cleansing, electronic data interchange (EDI), data analytics and reporting, CRM, marketing automation, and channel sales optimization. FTG serves four primary industries—animal health, pet specialty, agriculture, and health care.
Founded in 2001, Focus Technology Group Inc., based in Nashville, Tenn., provides data quality solutions to real business needs through its integrated data services, business intelligence applications, and supply chain marketing programs. FTG provides clients with technology solutions and services in areas such as data aggregation and cleansing, electronic data interchange (EDI), data analytics and reporting, CRM, marketing automation, and channel sales optimization. FTG serves four primary industries—animal health, pet specialty, agriculture, and health care.
