BIGGER? OR BETTER?
1/10/2012 8:58PM By Adam Ploog
On most days I’m pretty convinced I have one of the best jobs in the Midwest. Seems like everyone wants to work at the places everyone inside and even outside agriculture has heard of. Thing is, working for the biggest seed corn company in the Midwest isn’t important to me. Working for the best is. And if you get to know me, you’ll know I really don’t care to mess around with stuff that doesn’t matter. You don’t have time for bullshit and bureaucracy, and neither do I.
The only reason I bring this is up is that the reason I work here is the answer to one of the toughest questions I get from farmers I work with. On the surface, nobody cares why I’m here. But almost every day I meet with skeptical corn growers who question how an independently owned company like Wyffels can compete with multinational corporations with multi-billion dollar budgets. Like most of my thoughts, it’s pretty darn simple.
1. There are 110 or so employees I work with who know more and care more than any of the seed brands I compete with. If you’re big, you can afford to lose a customer. We can’t. And most of the time that simple thought shows.
2. We have a diverse offering of the most advanced traits and genetics that larger competitors may not be in position to offer.
3. We invest in research and test sites within Iowa and Illinois as if we were the 800 lb gorilla. We ensure we have the opportunity to know how our hybrids will perform in more conditions in more local areas – or, where you live.
4. While most of the other seed brands our size have been gobbled up, we have remained independent – because we offer products that are just as good, and in many cases better, than our larger competitors. And then we have the people and a brand that will stand behind those products, and know how to service and grow with customers.
So, if you care about that stuff – and not how many people can recall your name as the first seed brand they remember – you’d think you have the one of the best jobs too. Like our best customers we have to be free thinkers, and most of the people I work with are never satisfied either. Like we’ve said before, we know we’ll never be the biggest. Which is why we fight like crazy to be the best.
The best way to see what I mean, is with your own two eyes and your own set of standards. Give us a shot on your farm and I think you’ll see what it means to not be the biggest, just the best.
