Harnessing Change to Generate Growth

Harnessing Change to Generate Growth

Strategic planning for the future direction of your coopera- this is accomplished while maintaining
tive is one of the highest priorities of the board and manage-
ment of Country Partners Cooperative. We keep one goal the local ownership and control unique to
always in mind as we plan—serving our customers in a
focused and efficient manner. cooperative businesses. The unification

In the agricultural industry, growth is ongoing, both at the is also employee friendly—it is not built
farmer and the retail level. As your operations become ever
larger and more efficient, we have to evolve and adapt to on eliminating employees. We will also
deliver the service you require and deserve. We cannot stand
still, but must continue to grow or risk becoming irrelevant. maintain our representation on the board

With that in mind, your board and management have of directors of a combined cooperative. RON RUTTEN
been studying many options for growth over the past several In addition, past members will ben-
months. As a result of that study, the board members of Coun- General
try Partners Cooperative and All Points Cooperative have efit from faster equity retirement, current Manager
unanimously approved and signed a letter of intent to unify members will benefit from a strong, ser-
the two cooperatives, pending due diligence and a vote of the
membership of each cooperative. vice-focused business able to leverage its size to remain viable,

Addressing the “whys” and future members will benefit from a company large enough
Two logical questions probably come immediately to
to adapt and meet changing member needs.
mind—why All Points and how does this unification benefit
me? Let me attempt to answer both. First, it is always best Yes, there is some physical distance between our coopera-
to unify from a position of strength. Our attorney tells me
Nebraska averages two cooperative mergers a year. We want tives, but we view this territory as an underserved region that
to act while we have control of our future.
provides opportunity for growth. With today’s technology, this
Country Partners and All Points are similarly sized, and
both are financially strong companies. We also share a com- relatively minimal distance is irrelevant in operational terms.
mon emphasis on customer service, and both organizations are
deeply committed to equity preservation and revolvement. The Signing the non-binding letter of intent enables our coopera-
benefits for our members are many, and will include net savings,
new programs, access to resources and expertise at a new level, tives to work closely together in the weeks ahead to thoroughly
and the size and scale necessary to remain competitive. All of
evaluate all the opportunities we expect to realize from the

unification.

As we proceed through the process, we want to make sure

you have all the information about the proposed unification

you need. You can learn more about Country Partners by visit-

ing their website, www.allpoints.coop.

Please don’t hesitate to call or email me with questions about

our proposed merger or anything else concerning your coopera-

tive at 308-497-2266 or [email protected].

Our goal is to create a better cooperative that remains true

to our principles, strong for those who own us, and viable for

future generations.

I hope you have a safe, successful harvest. n

Changes Bring Credit Growing Energy in Report Cards Are On
Card Convenience
the Field Page 5 the Way Page 6
Page 3

Banner Year Could Yield Bumper Crop

As we quickly close-in on another harvest, I have to wonder a little higher than expected, the acres
where the year went. It doesn’t seem like too long ago we were
in the middle of planting and fertilizer season. The unfortunate for both beans and corn dropped. It was
thing as the summer passed by was that we did not see the
big rally everyone seemed to be expecting. We had a pleasant revealed our stocks were lower than
surprise in late July/early August, but then to have it dashed
away with the mid-August report—$0.60 lost on beans in one expected. The market exploded, and for
day—was almost devastating. The producer-selling movement
we had been seeing stopped abruptly. two weeks we saw more selling than we

We’ve had fantastic weather so far this year—milder had in several months. Some analysts
weather with more rains than we’ve seen in the last couple of
years. That isn’t to say we didn’t get our heat units in as well, were projecting the market could rally
especially late June to early July. And as of right now, the only
hail we’ve seen was early enough in the year that the affected up another dollar. While that never hap-
acres were either replanted quickly or not far enough along to
prevent recovery. In other words, I expect to see some very pened, we did see several orders filled JEFF CRAVEN
nice yields this year for both corn and beans. that had previously seemed unobtainable

Wheat, on the other hand… and this more than doubled our contract- Grain Originator
All that lovely rain did not help the wheat, however. Copi-
ed harvest bushels.
ous moisture at flowering can cause head blight to strike, and
this fungal disease can carry vomitoxin. Unfortunately, the In August, we saw a reversal once again, with the USDA
industry saw an uptick in vomitoxin this year. While we saw
some in several loads, we had no cause to turn any loads away supply and demand and crop production reports. Both corn and
because of it. Test weight was also a problem, with weights
being much lower than normal. Hopefully, we’ll see wheat beans have dropped like stones. Some speculate this is because
return to normal next year, as we’ve seen good wheat the last
few years despite fewer acres being planted in our area. these reports—the planting intentions, in particular—were gen-

As I mentioned earlier, the markets have not been spectacu- erated primarily from several of their previous reports. Accord-
lar this summer. With the devaluation of the Chinese Yuan,
the millions of birds lost to bird flu, and a harvest in 2014 that ing to the USDA, there will be a record (again) number of
resulted in huge stocks all around, it was hard to be optimistic
that prices would be favorable. At times, breaking even was acres of both corn and beans harvested, with a huge corn yield
attractive. Fortunately, futures bounced between $4 and $4.40
for a few months. There was not a great deal of producer of 168.8 bushels per acre and beans at 46.9 bushels per acre.
movement during this time, as many were no doubt looking for
the ever-elusive $4 cash price on corn. However, once we got Both these numbers seem fairly high. With rain to the east
to April, the planting intentions and bearish supply and demand
reports sent futures sliding to the $3.50 mark. Most offices got that resulted in planting delays, and many acres that never got
very quiet.
planted at all, it will be interesting to see what harvest actually
Then came July 10 and the USDA crop production and
supply and demand reports. While projected yields were just brings. Numbers from the Pro Farmer tour were lower than the

2 ©2015 Country Partners Cooperative. All Rights Reserved. USDA’s, so perhaps we’ll see another rally. Time will tell.

Looking at all of this, forward pricing alone may not be

enough to capture all the profit you can from your crops. You

may benefit from a more creative approach. Country Partners

offers a variety of specialty contracts to help cut some risk

and, hopefully, increase profits on your bushels. If you believe

the market has nowhere to go but up, it would be a good idea

to look at our Bull Flex or Minimum Price contracts and try

to capture additional upside on your already contracted bush-

els. And, as always, we have our Direct Ship Program, which

gives you end-user prices while allowing you to do business

with you local coop. If you have any questions about contracts,

direct ship, or anything else, please don’t hesitate to call me in

the office or on my cell, 402-499-5568. Here’s hoping we have

another great year and a safe harvest. n

Published in partnership with VistaComm® (www.VistaComm.com).

Changes Bring Credit Card Convenience

We’re in the process of converting all our contribute to the continued strong performance of SCOTT HALLER
Cardtrol units to pay-at-the-pump units. We’ve the store.
just completed the conversion in Greeley, and Petroleum
we’ll soon start the project in Primrose. We plan Gifts for gallons Department
to have this completed prior to harvest. The new The holiday season is not far away, and that
pumps will accept debit and credit cards, as well Manager
as the Country Partners house card. means it’s time for the Cenex® Gifts Cards for
Gallons. For every 125 gallons of qualifying
The board has approved a significant project at Cenex lubricants purchased from Nov. 1, 2015,
the Cedar Rapids Stop. The parking lot has been through Jan. 31, 2016, you receive a $50 VISA®
a patchwork of different pavement for some time. gift card. A redemption form must be completed
The lot will be completely replaced with new con- and mailed to CHS with a postmark dated no later
crete, including curb, gutter, and sidewalk. This than March 1, 2016. Talk to me or anyone in the
will greatly improve drainage at the store, and energy department for program details. n

Branded Products Offer Big Benefits

I’m excited about the line of Country conversion of nitrogen into forms that can be lost through vola-
tilization, leaching, and denitrification.
Partners branded products we’ll be offer-
It’s especially important to consider these products if you
ing this fall. They are quality products, intend to cut back on your phosphorus this fall, as both Partner
Pro 40 and Partner Prevail will help you get more benefit out
and I believe you’ll want to take a look at of the P you apply. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend cutting
fertility, especially when we need volume to offset lower com-
them. modity prices. The potential is there, as this year’s winning
corn yield was 500 bushels per acre. Cutting nutrients won’t
The first is Partner Pro 40, which con- allow your hybrids to express their full yield potential.

tains 40 Rock™ with AVAIL®. 40 Rock On the supply front, fertilizer prices remain relatively flat.
We’re anticipating an increase in both urea and UAN production,
is a 12N-40P-6.5S-1Z product formulated with Port Neal supposed to increase production by 1 million tons
beginning this year. That could obviously have a favorable
so each prill contains that exact blend impact on the market. With global competition, however, we
can expect to see more of both product shortage and oversup-
RAY PINNEY of nutrients. AVAIL makes phosphorus ply, as yield trend lines shift. n

Crop Nutrient more available and also helps the plant

Manager take it up.

Our second product is Partner Prevail,

a combination of MAP and AVAIL. The final Partner offer-

ing is Partner In U—urea and NutriSphere-N. Nutrisphere-N

keeps more nitrogen available for plant uptake by slowing the

North Loup Investment Pays Off

The North Loup dry terminal was a major asset on hand. As we handle what appears to be a very JOSH HOLLIBAUGH
this year during the spring preplant and summer good crop, we do our best to keep grain moving
side-dress seasons. The improvements it delivered and our locations open. We’ll work closely with Operations and
to logistics, supply, and, ultimately, service will you to keep you informed. Safety Manager
also be greatly appreciated during fall application.
Contact your agronomy sales representative soon As harvest gets into full swing, we’ll all be 3
to line up your fall application work. working longer hours to get the crop out of the
field and into storage. Remember, taking the extra
Heading into fall, our larger grain facilities step to do something safely always pays off in the
are still carrying some of last year’s grain. We’re end. Our goal is to get the work done and get home
working to have our storage as empty as pos- to our families—safely. n
sible, while still taking care of the grain we have

Conserve Pasture and Cow Condition With Creep

With the fall of 2015 upon us, the Avoid weaning wars
A good weaning program is crucial in getting calves off to
summer pastures continue to stay in
an excellent start and avoiding problems down the road. Our
fairly good condition thanks to timely Precon™ starter feeds will help make the weaning process a
lot less stressful and get those calves eating. Precon feeds are
spring and summer rains. If you have highly palatable and help encourage dry matter feed intake for
the first 14 days.
not started creep-feeding calves, it may
Placing a Purina® Stress Tub with Availa-4® in weaning
be a practice you should strongly con- and hospital pens is also a great practice. The tubs provide
minerals, yeast, and high-energy molasses to boost the immune
sider, as strong calf prices, manageable response and support general good health in the calf. You only
get one chance to start incoming calves off right, so make the
creep feed pricing, and the benefits of most of it.

KEVIN WAGNER reduced pressure on cows and pasture Watch for our protein tub booking this winter and special
makes creep-feeding profitable. mineral pricing. We want to be your feed specialists and sup-
ply all your livestock feed needs.
Feed Department Creep-fed calves also know how to
Great addition
Manager eat better when weaned, are healthier, Our Albion addition has been performing exceptionally

and will have a high quality grade when well, and we have been very pleased with the personnel and
quality service that location has been providing customers in
finished in the feedlot. that area. We have a nice mixing mill in Albion that is perfect
for making any show- or calf-feed mix you are looking for.
When cows do get into the corn stalks, be looking at the Give us a chance to put together a high-quality ration for your
calves and I believe you will be very pleased. We can also
protein supplementation that works best for your operation make swine and sheep feed mixes.

and is the most economical. We can provide all your protein Finally, a sincere thanks for your feed business. We are here
to serve you, so if there is anything we can do for your feed
supplementation needs with tubs, protein blocks, cake, cubes, operation, please ask us. Have a safe fall. n

or lick-tank protein. Make sure to start supplementing early

enough to keep really good body condition on your cows going

into winter. One of these winters is going to be a tough one,

and you’ll not want your cows in anything less than top

condition.

I expect there’ll be a lot of corn silage and forage sorghum

chopped and put up this year for roughage and feed. We have

day and liquid inoculants on hand that will deliver a very sub-

stantial return on your investment. Research has proven the

returns—often 5 to 1, but as high as 15 to 1—realized through

dry matter recovery and improved forage or silage quality.

Covering and sealing the pile with 5 ml plastic will also deliver

an 8 to 1 return on every dollar invested.

4

Growing Energy in the Field

One of the latest developments in the ments. If you’d like to learn more about the Enogen opportu-
nity, talk to me or your agronomist.
world of hybrids is Syngenta’s Enogen®
Resistance fighting options
corn. Enogen corn is the first hybrid to We have two new weapons for the war on resistant weeds.

incorporate critical enzymes used in the Credenz® soybeans from Bayer combine both the LibertyLink® and
glyphosate-resistant technologies. And EnlistTM soybeans, available
ethanol production process right in the through Mycogen, combine resistance to 2,4-D and glyphosate.

grain. This not only saves the cost of We’re also seeing very good plot results from new corn
hybrids in the 108-112 day relative maturity range with good
adding liquid enzymes, it contributes to resistance to gray leaf spot and Goss’s wilt. Soybean varieties
with resistance to Sudden Death Syndrome and white mold
improved process efficiency and ethanol have also been performing well.

plant throughput and yield. We continue to see growing interest in cover crops. From
improving soil health and building organic matter to reducing
PHIL KOWALSKI As more ethanol plants switch to soil loss, the benefits of cover crops have been well document-
ed. If you’re interested in planting cover crops, we can create
Seed Coordinator Enogen corn, there will be opportuni- custom blends using anything from tillage radish to turnips and
ties for growers who plant Enogen to crimson clover, to triticale and rye. Talk to a member of our
agronomy team.
increase their profit potential. The ethanol plants pay a pre-
Thanks to everyone who turned out for the Answer Plot® Day
mium—currently averaging about $.40 per bushel—for every in Albion. As always, it was a great learning opportunity. n

bushel of grain delivered to the plant. Enogen corn growers are

required to follow specific, yet simple, stewardship require-

Missing Something? John Frey Bill Dodds
Chairman, Albion Cedar Rapids
All of your July statements were
delayed, thanks to a mix-up at the postal George Valasek Jim Eschliman
service. Everything should have reached Vice Chairman, Spalding Ericson
you by now, but if you think you’re still
missing something, contact us and we’ll Jeff Waltman Steve Hornickel
get it to you. Secretary/Treasurer Ord

Our new accounting system has been North Loup Ron Rutten
up and operating since Feb. 1. We’re General Manager
still making adjustments and making Travis Heinz
some of the changes you have requested. LINDA DOUGHTY Spalding 5
The latest change is the list of individual Controller
prepay items that will now appear at the
bottom of your statement. We’re still taking
suggestions, so let us know what you’d like
to see, and we’ll see if we can provide it. n

Report Cards Are On the Way 2015-2016 GRAIN POLICY

School is back in session, the days are get- Sept. 1, 2015 (Subject to change without
notice, a policy will always be posted
ting shorter, and weekends are filled with foot- at our locations.)

ball again. Clearly, summer is over—flying by GENERAL POLICY
• Customer shall advise the scale operator of ownership
even faster than it did when I was a kid. So,
and splits prior to dumping.
what kind of summer did we have, and what
• Check tickets for correct names and splits before leaving
can we learn from it? the facility.

We experienced another normal, average • Grain must be specified as either a cash sale, open
stored, or applied to an open purchase contract.
Nebraska growing season—or at least what
• All loads will be graded load by load. No averaging of
I’ve come to expect as normal and average. loads.

JAMES KUNZMAN We saw cool and wet, hot and dry, wind, • Any spiked loads will be addressed. All spiked loads will
Precision Technology hail, bugs, and some diseases. We fielded be discounted on the entire load, according to levels of
the normal questions: “When should I irri- gradable factors found in off-grade portion of the load.
Manager
• All discounts will be made at the time of settlement.
gate?” “Why aren’t my beans growing?” and, All grain will be “house graded” and such grade will
apply. If a customer wishes to dispute the house grade, a
“Aren’t you ever in the office?” This year, and every year, reinforces sample will be sent to an official inspection location for a
state grade. This has to be done at time of delivery and
the importance of diversity in hybrid and variety selection, having a the customer willing to pay inspection fees.

sound fertility and crop protection plan, and then having the flexibility • Customers must decide within 15 days to either sell,
store, or price later contract their grain.
to adapt to the variables of the growing season.
• Customers can open store 100% of what is delivered.
There’s still time to grade our work this year before we receive that
• First grain delivered will be applied to any open con-
final report card at harvest. Things to look for include level of weed tracts for set delivery period.

control, plant spacing, the presence of disease, and the corresponding • Notify your landlords when you have completed delivery
of their grain. Country Partners will not notify landlords.
stalk integrity. From here, you can make some decisions about next
• Warehouse Receipts are available. The government is
year—and, possibly, also make some corrections for the current crop. not requiring the prepayment of storage, drying, and
transportation charges this year. Elevator reserves the
For example, maybe you need to rethink the herbicide program. right to issue warehouse receipts either local or in a ter-
minal position at its option.
Perhaps you should have sprayed a fungicide, or had Country Part-
• There will be an “in & out” charge of $.20/bu for all
ners test and calibrate your seed meters. Would irrigation decisions open store grain loaded out of the elevator by the custom-
er. Customer is also responsible for all storage accrued.
have been easier with a moisture problem to remove the need to guess
• Country Partners reserves the right to refuse to pile
when to run the pivots? For this season, the stalk integrity test is grain on the ground. It also reserves the right to take
an additional shrink of 2% to cover expenses, and the
very important in terms of timing your harvest. And, of course, while customer may be forced to sell the grain at the prevailing
spot price at the time of delivery. Country partners also
you’re out there, it’s always fun to do some yield estimates. I, or any reserves the right to withhold part or all of payment until
grain is picked up. (Nebraska Warehousing laws pro-
of our sales agronomists, would be happy to join you in the field. hibit storage grain to be piled on the ground.)

What the El? • All grain settlements and checks will be promptly mailed
The talk is all about El Nino this fall, but no one is really sure what following notification of delivery and sale. Please allow
24 hrs to process the check.
to expect. Generally, it means a cool, wet fall and milder drier winter
for us—but the opposite could very well occur. So, keep an eye on the • Customers are allowed to Defer Payment of grain to a
forecasts and on your fields, being mindful of the diseases and stalk later date, please notify in a timely fashion if you chose
issues you may have found while scouting. If you’re recording yield this option.
data, give us a call and we’ll clean it up, making it useful in fine-tun-
ing fertility and seeding recommendations. • Grain that is priced out of open storage is to be priced
at the daily cash bid. To arrive bids are for forward con-
As harvest progresses, keep Country Partners in mind for soil and tracts to be delivered during a particular time period.
grid sampling. As soon as you get a field harvested, let us know.
We’ll get it sampled and work up fertility recommendations. Many
fields should also be re-sampled. If you’re not sure where yours stand,
give us a call and we’ll let you know. Any work we can do in the fall
makes for a better spring.

Thanks for your business, and take time to be safe this fall. n

6

CORN POLICY

MOISTURE TEST WEIGHT

To Sell: 15% 54 lbs or above—no discount

To Store: 14% 53.9 lbs and under--$.02 per lb

1st SHRINK BROKEN KERNEL FOREIGN MATTER

Over 15%--1.5% per point of moisture 3% or less—no discount

3.1% or more--$.02 per 1%

2nd SHRINK

15% to 14%--1.5% per point of moisture DAMAGE - Subject to Refusal

(will be shrunk to 14% on 12/31/15) $.02 per bushel every 1% from 5.1% to 15%

$.03 per bushel every 1% for 15.1% or more



MUSTY, SOUR, OR INFESTED DRYING CHARGES (15% to sell, 14% to store)

$.10 per-bushel discount per item 15.1% to 18%--4.25 cents per point

18.1 % to 22%--4.75 cents per point

22.1% and above--5.25 cents per point



DEFERRED PRICING CONTRACT

Customers may place their corn in a deferred pricing contract. There will be a charge of $0.05 per month.

Corn in a DP contract will be shrunk to 15% moisture. DP corn must be sold by Sept. 30, 2016, or it will

be priced out that day.

STORAGE Customers have 15 days to decide if
they want to sell, DP, or store their corn.
Storage rates per bushel $.0015/Day Storage or DP starts on the average
delivery date.
$.047/Month

$.564/Year

SOYBEAN POLICY

MOISTURE Bean loads above 15% moisture may be subject to rejection.
To Sell: 13%
To Store: 13%

MOISTURE SHRINK TEST WEIGHT Customers have 15
days to decide if they
1.75% per ½% point of moisture above 13% $.01 per lb under 54 lbs want to sell, Price Later

(Shrink is in bushels)

FOREIGN MATTER OTHER COLORS or store their soybeans.
They can store or Price
1% or less—no discount $.01 per bushel each 1% over 1% Later 100% of their
deliveries. Storage or
1.1% or more will be deducted from weight

MUSTY/SOUR/INFESTED SPLITS Price Later starts on the

$.10 per bushel discount per item delivery date.
No discount under 20%,

$.025 for every 5% over 20%

STORAGE PRICE LATER CONTRACT

Storage rates per bushel $.0017/Day

$.053/Month Customers may place their corn and beans in a Price Later contract.

$.636/Year There will be a charge of $0.05 per month. Corn in a Price Later

contract will be shrunk to 15% moisture. Price Later corn and beans

must be sold by 10/15/16 or it will be priced out that day.

7

PO Box B
Spalding, NE 68665

Banner Year Could
Yield Bumper Crop

P­ AGE 2

Don’t Delay Fall Application

With the crops a little behind schedule, it can be added to your fall
could be a later harvest. Even if we’re har- burndown application.
vesting right on time, don’t wait until you’re
all done to get us started on your fall fertil- New developments
izer application. Let us know as soon as your
beans come out and we can get to work. There are new prod-
Extending our fall application season really
helps take some of the pressure off everyone ucts coming to the market
in the spring.
this winter that could find
We do have some new branded products
for you to consider for fall application, and a place in your produc-
Ray provided details on our Partner product
line in his article on page 3. They are quality tion program for 2016. FRANK JASA
products that could work well for you this fall. The first is Acuron™,
a new corn herbicide Albion Crop
If you’re moving from corn this year to from Syngenta. Acuron Protection
beans next, we have two products that help
break down residue in preparation for bean contains four active ingredients with three
planting. The first is Titan®, a product that
can be applied with dry fertilizer this fall. The modes of action plus a corn safener. It can be
other is Accomplish®, a liquid product that
used as a pre- or post-emergent. Then there is

Armezon® Pro, a new post-emerge tankmix of

Armezon and Outlook®.

Two others products are awaiting regis-

tration, so they may or may not be available

for spring. Engenia® herbicide from BASF

is formulated to control broadleaf weeds in

dicamba-resistant soybeans and corn. Dow’s

Enlist Weed Control System® is designed to

control broadleaves 2,4-D-resistant beans and

corn and could also be well-suited for burn-

down use. The holdup with both of these is the

approval of the discamba and 2,4-D resistance

traits by China.

Stop in and visit with us about them and

watch for the latest.

I hope winter holds off a bit so our later

crops can finish up, and am looking forward,

with you, to a good harvest. n