SEPTEMBER 2018 GERMINATION.CA 43 SEED TREATMENT 4 QUALITIES AGRONOMISTS SHARE WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES Brittnye Kroeker SeedGrowth Specialist, Bayer Canada brittnye.kroeker@bayer.com • bayer.ca WHEN A GROWER comes to me with a problem, I feel a little like Sherlock Holmes. I’m essentially faced with a puzzle to solve. It’s what I love about being a Bayer SeedGrowth rep and an agronomist — that process of putting pieces of information together to come up with a whole picture. What follows is a guide to the thinking process of a SeedGrowth rep and agronomist, showing how we go about solving these puzzles and why we’re in a unique position to do so. After all, people went to Sherlock Holmes because they knew he was the best at what he did. Growers come to agronomists for the same reason! Step 1 — Gather Information. Naturally, figuring out problems begins with gathering the most information you can. This always begins with me listening to the grower, whether it be on the phone, through email or text, or in person. Listening is key. I wasn’t there when the problem began. Hearing from the grower is the only way to get that firsthand account of when he or she first noticed the problem, what it looks like, and what the conditions are that may have given rise to it. Step 2 — See the Problem for Yourself. Now I need to see it with my own eyes. Obviously, this involves going out into the field, but it’s a lot more than that. I com- pare what I’m seeing with what the grower themselves has told me, which can yield important insights when it comes to determining what the problem might be. Growers themselves are often the best tool I have in my diagnostic toolbox, so comparing their account of the problem with what I see is a crucial step in the process. Step 3 — Diagnose the Problem. This involves a slew of tools including visual inspections and diag- nostic testing, but it’s just the beginning in solving the mystery. Let’s say I determine exactly what kind of pathogen is affecting a crop. How did it get there? What can be done about it? The next and final step is the crucial piece to the puzzle Step 4 — Offer my Professional Opinion. This often requires the grower to change farming practices, which any grower will tell you often isn’t easy. I’m trained to advise the grower on how to best adapt and make the required changes as smoothly as possible. SeedGrowth reps are like detectives — your best source for figuring out mysteries in your field! STORAGE & HANDLING IS YOUR BRAND FUNCTIONAL? Glenn Friesen Senior Vice-President, Meridian Manufacturing @GfriesenGlenn • gfriesen@meridianmfg.com • meridianmfg.com RESEARCH TELLS US that a brand truly connects with people when they feel the brand reflects who they are. People choose brands they feel reflect them as a person, some examples being brands that reflect certain identities such as “conservative”, “athletic” and “hip”. Think about your favourite brand. What do you feel it says about you? Why do you choose it over other brands? Sure, maybe it’s partly due to quality, but there are plenty of high-quality products on the market under different brand names. You’re loyal to that brand in large part because you feel it reflects you in some way. If your brand isn’t doing that for others, it could be for several reasons: • You’re forgetting who your customers are. Your target market may have changed over time. With every new generation comes changing demands and customer preferences. If you’re a company that’s been around a long time, you may not realize that your primary customers are now primarily younger people. Younger people are highly tech-savvy and gravitate toward brands that match this part of their identity. How tech- savvy are you? • It’s all in the message. What’s the primary attribute of your brand that you communicate to people? Once you determine what that is, ask yourself this question: are you actually doing what it is you claim to do? If there’s a dis- connect between what your brand says it does and what it actually does, that’s something that could be hurting you. • Are you engaging? People like to purchase brands from companies they feel challenge them in some regard, or that are interesting to them for various reasons. Yours may have become a bit stale over time. Strategies that worked 10 or 20 or 30 years ago may not work so well today. It may be time to make yourself more relevant. • Looks matter. Has the look of your logo or prod- uct changed over time? Or have you kept it the same? Your logo and the images and colours associated with it are what people associate with you when they hear your name. You may need to think about making some changes.