Labor Day signals the end of summer and the start of my two favorite things: seed corn harvest and college football.
Many of you know that my undergraduate degree is from the University of Minnesota, which apparently means I am a Gopher fan for life. Being a fan of that team — or any team — is both an incredible blessing and a constant curse! I think anyone in the seed industry can relate, since every season includes at least one incredible win and at least one head-scratching loss.
Each year we football fans follow our favorite team’s off-season recruiting and preparation. The holes in last year’s lineup get filled; new players arrive via the transfer portal; exciting high school players join the team. The optimism rises. It’s all possible for this year’s team!
Then comes the first game. Maybe the team looks sluggish or they lose to a ‘lesser’ team. The fan in us gets down and starts to write off the season. “Guess this isn’t going to be our year,” we say.
I feel like many in the seed business are already experiencing the post-game blues of an early-season loss. The ‘bad plays’ are low commodity prices, disappointing SAF news, possible corn and soybean acreage reductions and higher royalties. It’s like the opponent just returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown. “Here we go again,” we say.
Well…what does a coaching staff do when faced with challenges? They switch up the plays, change the defensive alignment and respond to how the other team is playing.
We get that same opportunity! In a seed context, this could be changing your sales incentives to encourage more profitable sales, exiting geographies that are too expensive to serve or swapping out expensive products for those that offer a higher margin.
The Gopher’s 2019 season was this idea personified. The season started with high hopes. The first three games, however, did not instill confidence. The Gophers squeaked by South Dakota State with a touchdown in the final minutes, intercepted a pass in the end zone to escape Fresno State with a double overtime win and needed a one-handed touchdown catch to avoid disaster against Georgia Southern. Those games did not inspire confidence.
The staff reworked the play calling, changed defensive tactics and rolled through the Big Ten conference slate to cap the season with an 11-2 record and a victory at the Outback Bowl over number 12 Auburn. They ended the season the 10th ranked team in the country.
So, no matter how this season has started for your company, there is A LOT of game left. There are endless opportunities to make your halftime or post-game adjustments now to end the season on a high note.
