b"RICH HALLHEAD OF GENETIC SALES, GREENLEAF GENETICS Stand Out In rich.hall@syngenta.comsyngenta-us.com/greenleaf-genetics/about A CrowdIndependents Must BuildI STOOD ON THEsidelines giving cheers to the Relationships to Win runners participating in a local half marathon that routes close to my house. Im no runner, but I do respect the effort and prep that folks put in. Everyone notices different things of the runners, I'VE NEVER SEENanything like this unprecedented run of excellent cornbig ones, little ones, short ones, tall ones, different crops over the last six or seven years in my 45 years of either working for orpaces and styles, groups pushing each other, and working with independent seed companiesbut Ive seen a lot of changes. so on. This day I really noticed the brightly colored If our industry experiences another large seed and grain harvest in 2019,gear that some groups were wearing and felt some we're looking at potentially serious implications for American agriculture. Toinspiration. As a businessman in a competitive survive and thrive, independent seed companies (ISCs) must find every waymanufacturing and construction market, I want us possible to manage their expenses and manage their business relationships.to stand out.In my current role as head of genetic sales for GreenLeaf Genetics, weHow Do You Stand Out In A Crowd?strive to work closer than ever with ISCs to understand their business from the It worked just like your drawing showedground up, not pushing products or genetics from the top down. You really listened to our needsBy helping with business planning and genetic research knowledge, our ISC That handles way more product than we customers are better equipped to take our R&D knowledge into their businessexpectedand deliver their own branded product benefits to match customer needs. It is Look, Ive got all my fingers and toes, great ability and agility to adapt to changing grower needs, combined with excel- job of guardinglent customer relationships, that gives ISCs an edge against multinational seed The right belting in that conveyor lets it start companies and internet sellers in their local markets. on the coldest morningsISCs need for agility and adaptation has been critical to success, as farmers Your conveyor is so smooth we dont even have adopted corn traits and trait packages very quickly. First, it was traits toknow its runningcontrol European corn borer, then herbicide-tolerant traits, followed by root-We can fill mini-bulks and hard sides twice asworm traits. There was quick adoption of full-blown, above- and below-groundfast as we used toinsect tolerance with herbicide tolerance trait packages. Such confirmationYour seed corn dryer went together so fast pushed conventional hybrids (without traits) aside, garnering only 10% of thewith the pre-built roof and floor structuresmarket, and shrinking. Our local bearing house carries all the same However, just as quickly, and surprisingly, farmers have gone in anotherparts as you use, no downtime, yay!direction over the past two to three years. Above- and below-ground trait I m glad you included the belt loader, every packages have dropped well below 40% market share, losing favor to above- kernel gets thereground only trait packages. We've also seen conventional hybrid market shareOur installer is good with the big stuff; your climb to 15 to 17% of the corn market.equipment makes him look good at the detail Fortunately for many independent seed companies, their ability to reactstuffquickly to market changes, combined with customer loyalty gained overI dont record these things, but I do hear them. generations, has helped them gain market share on sizeable multinational seedThey sure stick in my brainpan and make me feel companies.good. Putting the effort, prep, and design features We see farmers ages trending younger, with quicker adoption of technol- into our products and systems ogy and data that can drive greater efficiency. With that comes increasingis what makes them stand demand for seed sellers who can offer assistance beyond the sale, which canout in a crowd!build further trust.ISCs are very good at building their relationships, and they have the best opportunity to keep local farmer relationships secure, compared to multina-tionals or other new ways of acquiring seed. ROBIN OMARAI firmly believe that, as we continue to improve germplasm and trait pack- PRESIDENT,age performance along with more in-depth product knowledge, our ISCOMARA AG SERVICEScustomers will also benefit by staying agileand reinforcing their relationshipsromara60@msn.comwith customers. If we can all do this, then the ISC sector will continue to grow,omara-ag.com/despite some pretty tough times ahead. SEPTEMBER 2019SEEDWORLD.COM /41"