the kansas agribusiness update

Summer 2013 THE KANSAS AGRIBUSINESS UPDATE

The Kansas

AGRIBUSINESSAGRIBUSINESS

UPDATEUPDATE

The official publication of the The official publication of the

Kansas Agribusiness Retailers AssociationKansas Agribusiness Retailers Association

Summer 2013

K S A G R E T A I L E R S . O R G

S A F E A N D A B U N D A N T F O O D T H R O U G H S O U N D S C I E N C E

KARAKARA--backed Bills Signed Into Lawbacked Bills Signed Into Law

Kansas Restraint of Trade LawKansas Restraint of Trade Law

Ag Nuisance OrdinanceAg Nuisance Ordinance

Historic Environs BillHistoric Environs Bill

2 THE KANSAS AGRIBUSINESS UPDATE Summer 2013

President & CEO Tom R. Tunnell Senior VP, Government Affairs Ron Seeber Senior VP and Chief Financial Officer Stephanie Jensen Vice President and General Counsel Randy Stookey Vice President of Event Planning Shari Bennett VP of Member Services & External Operations Sarah Sexton-Bowser VP of Marketing & Communications Shahira Stafford Senior Director of Internal Operations Lisa Anschutz Executive Assistant to the President Julie Stueve

The Kansas Agribusiness Update is pub-

lished quarterly for the members, friends and affiliates of the Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association.

Mail contributions to KARA, Attention:

Shahira Stafford, 816 SW Tyler, Topeka, KS 66612. The KARA team welcomes your comments, contributions and sug-gestions.

Annual subscriptions for members can

be purchased for $25.00. © 2011 KARA Read this newsletter online at

www.ksagretailers.org/printnewsletters. ........................................................................

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KARA. For Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/

ksagretailers.

CONTENTS

KARA wraps-up another successful legislative session...3 KARA selects scholarship recipients...4 Scholarship Auction donations needed...5 Senator Moran visits SFP ...5 Kansas CCA leads ICCA video project...5 Congressman Yoder tours agribusinesses...5 KARA supports ag education...6 Field Day address soybeans, fundamentals...6 Applicator Institute—Tomorrow's Ag Today...6 Fertilizer security topic at Annual Meeting...7 “Champions of Agribusiness” at 2013 Expo...7 Clarifying aspects of EPA's SPCC rule and impacts on farmers and ranchers...7 Workers comp notice provision changes...8 West Fertilizer report details unfortunate sequence of events...8 Serve on KARA’s committees...9 Welcome KARA members...9 Trade Talk...9 Website advertising opportunity...9 Member Spotlight: Kirk Kennedy, Valley Coop Inc...10 Are you taking full advantage of your KARA membership?...11

Summer 2013 THE KANSAS AGRIBUSINESS UPDATE 3

KARA wraps-up another successful

legislative session The Kansas Legislature wrapped up its veto session at 2:15am, Sunday June 2nd. This concluded a record-breaking session lasting 99 days and the first time the legislature has worked into the month of June. Please find a summary below of

many of the bills approved this session. KARA monitored hundreds of and was successful in sending many of them to the Governor’s desk. KARA was also successful in sending several bad bills to the policy landfill. Kansas Restraint of Trade Bill The Governor signed into law SB 124, legislation that amends the Kansas Restraint of Trade Act (KRTA) to specifically require the Court to weigh alleged vio-lations of the act against a reasonableness standard, following the approach taken by the majority of states and under federal law. The law states that an arrangement, contract, agreement, trust, understand-ing, or combination shall not be deemed unlawful, void, prohibited, or wrongful under any provision of the act if it is a reasonable restraint of trade or com-merce in view of all of the facts and circumstances and does not contravene public welfare. The bill also directs the courts to construe the act in harmony with ruling judicial interpretations of federal antitrust law by the United States Supreme Court, however, the Kansas law is controlling over federal law in any con-flicting issue. The law removes full consideration damages as an eligible remedy, bringing Kansas in line with the vast majority of other states’ antitrust remedy provision. The law retroactively ratifies all existing contracts. The law became effective April 18, 2013. KARA played a crucial role in the passage of this bill keeping the state of Kansas from be-coming a target of frivolous class action litiga-tion. State Led Immigration Legislation Several controversial immigration bills remain in House committees. Some bills mandate the use of e-verify (the federal immigrant verification system) for businesses that contract with any government entity within the state, and provides for liquidated damage penalties of 25% of the amount of the contract. Many

bills also include law enforcement provisions similar to a law passed in Arizona empowering local law en-forcement to detain individuals suspected of being in the country illegally, and include language making it a felony to harbor 10 or more undocumented workers. Language in previous bills would subject your busi-ness to a $1,000 fine the first time you are caught with an illegal employee, $25,000 the second time and a permanent loss of your business license on the third offense. KARA worked with a coalition of 27 other business and farm organizations to make sure that any immigration reform legislation pro-tects businesses and does not unfairly shift the burden of enforcement from the government to employers. We killed the issue for the session. KGFA is on record supporting legislation which al-lows the state to enter into an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security which allows for a guest worker program. Ag Nuisance The Governor signed into law SB 168 , the bill amending the agriculture nuisance laws. SB 168 would allow owners of farmland who conduct agri-cultural activities on their land to expand the scope of agricultural activities without losing protection from nuisance complaints. The expansion could include: increasing the acreage, increasing the number of ani-mal units, or changing the type of agricultural activi-ties. Any expansion must be in compliance with all applicable county, state, and federal environmental codes, resolutions, law, rules, and regulations. The bill would also allow for the transfer of protection to any successor and could not be waived by temporarily ceasing or decreasing the scope of agricultural activ-ity. SB 168 would clarify that agricultural activity would include activities related to the handling, stor-age, and transportation of agricultural commodities. KARA worked for passage of this law to preempt civil agriculture nuisance litigation. The law be-comes effective July 1, 2013. Historic Environs Bill The Governor signed into law HB 2249, a bill dealing with property rights and historic environs. Under cur-rent law, proposed projects within 500 feet of the boundaries of a historic property located in a city, or within 1,000 feet of the boundaries of a historic prop-erty located in the unincorporated portion of a county, are subject to historic design and appearance

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restrictions in constructing a new improvement or modifying an existing structure on their own proper-ties. Testimony in support of the bill described the adverse effects imposed on those private property owners within the affected proximity of historic properties. This bill deletes provisions of current law related to those environs restrictions from historic property reviews. The bill limits historic reviews con-ducted under the act to proposed projects that would directly involve, damage, or destroy a property in-cluded in the National Register of Historic Places or the State Register of Historic Places. KARA worked to secure passage of this bill. The law becomes effective July 1, 2013. NH3 Bill Fails to Obtain Approval SB 147 was sponsored by the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) but failed to be approved by both chambers. This bill would have required each NH3 tank to be permitted through KDA, and would have made it unlawful for any person to fill a tank with NH3 unless it was marked with a new “permit to fill” decal. The bill also required each NH3 tank to be in-spected annually, and required tank owners to main-tain records of each inspection for a period of five years. The bill further authorized KDA officials to inspect any tank upon receiving a complaint. SB 147 would also have established a new commercial NH3 tonnage fee and an Anhydrous Ammonia Fee Fund. However, all NH3 sold as an ag fertilizer would have been exempt from the new fee. KARA testified in support of this bill due to the fact that it maintained regulatory oversight at the state level rather than the local or county level; and because KDA initially had indicated that it was pursuing an agenda to com-pletely stop all regulatory oversight of NH3 storage and handling. Because SB 147 left many questions unanswered, the bill passed out of the House Ag Committee but was not brought above the line for a full House vote. Without passage of SB 147, the regu-latory framework for NH3 in Kansas will remain largely unchanged. Real vs. Personal Property Issue Unresolved The House did not take action on HB 2285. KARA supported this bill due to the fact that certain ma-chinery and equipment in our industry and others has been incorrectly classified as real property, and was not classified consistently with similar property in other counties. The purpose of the bill is to amend

the Kansas property tax code to clarify the definition of commercial and industrial machinery and equip-ment (CIME) in Kansas. However, the Kansas De-partment of Revenue produced a fiscal impact study showing the bill is estimated to reduce the assessed valuation of property in the state by a total of $583,640,000 effectively killing the bill this session. Pesticide Labeling Bill Fails The Senate Committee on Agriculture killed HB 2050, a bill which was previously approved by the full House on a vote of 103-20. On a vote of 3-7, how-ever, the Committee failed to pass the bill out of committee. HB 2050 would have amended the agri-cultural chemical law to require pesticides with alter-native brand names and labels to be registered sepa-rately under each separate brand name or label. In addition, the bill would have required applicants seek-ing a pesticide business license to furnish proof of financial responsibility only through a certificate of liability insurance. The bill would also have increased the minimum coverage required by the certification of liability insurance. A section of the bill which would have repealed the Kansas Agricultural Liming Materials Act was previously deleted from the bill by the House Agriculture Committee.

KARA selects scholarship recipients KARA has chosen the following five Kansas students to receive college scholarships for the 2013-2014 school year. They all plan to attend Kansas State Uni-versity this fall. Karly Frederick, Alden – to study Agribusiness Morgan Halderson, Delphos – to study Agribusiness Samantha L’Ecuyer, Morrowville – to study Agronomy Katrina Sudbeck, Seneca – to study Agronomy Michael Welch, Haddam – to study Agronomy Over 30 applications were received and considered by an independent Scholarship Selection Committee made up of association members. Each year, KARA awards one $500 Jim Lee Memo-rial scholarship, one $1,000 Dr. David Whitney Agronomy scholarship and three $1,000 KARA scholarships.


Scholarship Auction donations needed Each year, the Scholarship Auction at the Expo raises thousands of dollars on behalf of Kansas high school students wanting to pursue an education in agricultural-related fields. The Live Auction will take place Wednesday, November 20 at 4:30 p.m., and the Silent Auction will open at the start of the show on Wednesday and close at noon on Thursday, Novem-ber 21. If you'd like to donate an item to the Scholar-ship Auction, see the enclosed form or visit www.ksabe.org.

Senator Moran visits SFP KARA President & CEO Tom Tunnell facilitated a visit with U.S. Senator Jerry Moran to SFP’s, Kansas City office. Senator Moran toured the office along with his state agriculture outreach and district repre-sentative, Tyler Leonhard. "The Senator is committed to understanding agricul-ture and advancements in agri-science,” Tunnell said.

Kansas CCA leads ICCA video project In June, Kansas CCA and KARA Board Member, David Wilcox, coordinated the first in a series of In-ternational Certified Crop Advisers (ICCA) testimo-nial videos. Wilcox and fellow Farmway CCA, Casey Richard, coordinated video production with a local producer that knows firsthand the expertise a CCA brings to his diversified grain operation. KARA member, SFP, is donating Stephanie Russell’s time and expertise to produce the testimonial project.

While in Clay Center, Russell also interviewed a new CCA, Micheal Stueder, regarding the value the CCA program has brought to his career. Wilcox and KARA VP of Member Services, Sarah Sexton-Bowser, serve on the ICCA Marketing and Promotions Committee. “This project will articulate the value that CCA cus-tomers place on continuing education and profes-sionalism,” Wilcox said. A special thanks to both Wil-cox and Russell and their employers Farmway and SFP for the contribution to the CCA program and Kansas agribusiness.

Congressman Yoder tours agribusinesses KARA staff, third district Congressman Kevin Yoder and State Senator Mitch Holmes toured Farmers Coop in Haviland on Friday, June 7. Congressman Yoder recently was appointed as the vice chair of the Appropriation Subcommittee on Agriculture and wanted a tour of agribusinesses in Kansas and briefings on industry concerns. This committee will oversee all farm bill funding once signed into law. Holmes is a member of the Kansas Senate Agriculture Committee. KARA invited the Congressman so he could have a hands-on demon-stration of the positive impact agribusiness has on our nation's food supply and the safety standards im-plemented by the industry.

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(l-r) Tom Tunnell, Dave Schwartz, Senator Jerry Moran, Jake

Sanders, David Hardy, Sarah Sexton-Bowser and Larry Shivers.

(l-r) Michael Stueder, Casey Richard, Luke Fitzmeier, Stephanie

Russell and Dave Wilcox.


Agronomy Manager Lance Nelson conducted a tour of the chemical and grain components of Farmers Coop and conveyed to the Congressman and Senator the positive economic impact agribusiness has on the state of Kansas and safety standards practiced by the industry. He also explained the importance of a farm bill, the need to keep federal regulation in check, and the importance of allowing for maximizing crop land by reducing CRP acreage. Yoder and Holmes were receptive to the tour and briefing and understand the positive impact of agri-business to Kansas and our country as a whole.

KARA supports ag education Last month, KARA VP of Member Services Sarah Sexton-Bowser presented the Agronomy Career De-velopment Award to the South Barber FFA chapter at the 85th Annual Kansas FFA Convention at Kan-sas State University in Manhattan. The winning team will represent Kansas at the 2013 National FFA Con-vention in Louisville, KY. In May, Sexton-Bowser also attended an awards ban-quet for 4-H state project winners. KARA and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association jointly sponsor the Plant Science Award and are Patron Sponsors of Kansas 4-H. The 2013 Plant Science Project winner was Karen Schneck from Lawrence.

Field Day address soybeans, fundamentals The 2013 KSU Field Days are a must-attend event for professional agronomists. This two-day program offers a look at the latest Kansas State agronomic research. Join KARA and Kansas State Agronomy on either July 9-10 or July 11-12 for an interactive program. The event offers six 1A credits and 14 CCA CEUs. This program focuses on insects, diseases, herbicide efficacy, soil fertility and soybeans. See the enclosed form to register.

Applicator Institute—Tomorrow's Ag Today The second annual Kansas Ap-plicator Institute will be held on August 7-8 at the Kansas State Fairgrounds in Hutchinson. This full 1A recertification program provides interactive sprayer ap-plication training. With exhibits, hands-on workshops and the chance to hear cutting edge speakers, this is the top sprayer applicator program in Kansas. See the en-closed form to register. Exhibit Opportunities Kansas Agribusiness Retailers Association (KARA) and Kansas Ag Research and Technology Association (KARTA) announce the second annual Kansas Ap-plicator Institute. This two day event offers an inter-active show and training program for professional applicators and farmers. See the enclosed form.

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(l-r) Jon Francis, Kansas Senator Mitch Holmes, Leslie Kaufman,

Ron Seeber, Congressman Kevin Yoder and Lance Nelson

(l-r) Sarah Sexton-Bowser, Ciera Houlton, Kiera Yates, Elizabeth

Miller and Amanda Worthington, advisor.


Sign up today to take advantage of:: Over 250 professional applicators and producers Targeted- if you are in the precision application

business this is your audience Interactive program with rotational exhibit time

Fertilizer security topic at Annual Meeting The 2013 KARA Annual Meeting will be on August 19-20 in Manhattan at the Hilton Garden Inn. Kansas Third District Congressman Kevin Yoder will ad-dress the membership during breakfast, followed by two educational sessions that will include Ford West, president of The Fertilizer Institute, who will talk about fertilizer safety and security in light of the re-cent West, Texas explosion; and Andy Lavigne, president and CEO of the American Seed Trade As-sociation, who will share the latest in GMO seed re-search and policy.

Come take a break with your fellow KARA members and enjoy some good food, golf and educational ses-sions. We are also planning a “Bowling Night” at Lit-tle Apple Lanes for Monday evening, so come ready to show off your skills! KARA has reserved a hotel block at the Hilton Gar-den Inn for $99 a night. Please call directly at (785) 532-9116 and ask for this block to make your reserva-tion early. As always, a golf tournament is scheduled at Manhattan Country Club for Tuesday. See the en-closed form to register.

“Champions of Agribusiness” at 2013 Expo “Champions of Agribusiness” will be the theme of the 2013 Kansas Agri Busi-ness Expo, and who better to have give our keynote address than Greg Marshall, coach of the Wichita State Shockers basketball team, who took

his small Kansas college to the NCAA Final Four!

Keep checking the website, www.ksabe.org, for more speaker announcements coming soon. Attendee reg-istration will be open in September.

Vendor Registration Vendor registration is now open for the 2013 Kansas Agri Business Expo on November 20-21 in Wichita. Visit www.ksabeorg to reserve your booth space for the largest, indoor agribusiness tradeshow in the Mid-west! Hotel Reservations On November 20-21, the Kansas Agri Business Expo will be in Wichita and hotels fill up fast. So, be sure you're making your hotel reservations early. KABE has reserved room blocks at several hotels, all of which are in very close proximity to the convention center. Visit www.ksabe.org for a list of participating properties. Attendee registration will be open in Sep-tember.

Clarifying aspects of EPA's SPCC rule and

impacts on farmers and ranchers By U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 7 Administrator Karl Brooks The goal of Spill Prevention Control and Counter-measure (SPCC) is to prevent oil spills into waters of the United States and adjoining shorelines. These plans can help farmers prevent oil spills, which can damage water resources needed for farming opera-tions. We recognize that many farmers and ranchers con-tinue to have questions about whether they will be affected and what they can do to be in compliance. If your farm began operations after August 16, 2002 you must prepare and implement an SPCC plan which meets all of the SPCC requirements no later than May 10, 2013. If your farm was in operation be-fore August 16, 2002, and you do not already have a plan, you need to prepare a plan that meets all of the SPCC requirements and implement the plan as soon as possible. Does this SPCC Rule impact my farm? If you do not store more than 1,320 gallons of oil or oil products on your farm in aboveground containers,

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or 42,000 gallons of oil or oil products in completely buried containers, you are not subject to the SPCC rules. Our rule considers the storage at a facility on a tract of land. For most farms in the Midwest, there are multiple tracts of land. Facilities “farms” which po-tentially are subject to SPCC requirements can be subdivided by property, parcel, and lease. If the indi-vidual areas (property, parcel, lease) don’t exceed the threshold requirements, the individual areas are not subject to SPCC regulation. We have heard that farmers are concerned that we will force compliance by not allowing local CO-OPs to deliver fuel unless the farm has an SPCC plan in place. EPA has no idea where farmers purchase their fuel and cannot enforce in that way. However, a typi-cal enforcement would probably follow a spill if we discovered the facility did not have an SPCC plan in place or the plan was not being followed. Can I self-certify my own plan? If your farm has a total oil storage capacity greater than 1,320 and less than 10,000 gallons in above-ground containers, and the farm has a good spill his-tory (as described in the SPCC rule), you may prepare and self-certify your own plan. (However, if you de-cide to use certain alternate measures allowed by the SPCC Rule, you will need a professional engineer.) If your farm has storage capacity of more than 10,000 gallons, or has had an oil spill you may need to pre-pare an SPCC plan certified by an engineer. If you are eligible to self-certify your plan, and no aboveground container at your farm is greater than 5,000 gallons, then you may use the plan template that is available to download from EPA's website at: http://www.epa.gov/oem/content/spcc/tier1temp.htm. Currently, EPA is prevented from enforcing the SPCC rule due to modifications in the program within the continuing resolution authorizing funding for government operations until September 30, 2013. EPA Region 7 has not conducted inspections of farms for purposes of this rule. To avoid confusion and get solid answers to any questions you might

have, I strongly encourage you to contact EPA with any questions related to the SPCC rule. The EPA Re-gion 7 contact is Mark Aaron who can be reached at 913.551.7205 or [email protected], EPA Region 7, 11201 Renner Blvd., Lenexa, Kansas 66219. You can also visit www.epa.gov for further information.

Workers comp notice provision changes During the 2013 legislative session, changes were made to the Kansas workers compensation law under SB 187. These changes reduce the amount of time an employee has to report a work-related injury to 20 days following the date of the accident. This is a de-crease from the previous 30 days allowed. Also, if the employee no longer works for the employer, the em-ployee now has 10 days from the last date of employ-ment to report a work-related injury to the former employer. These changes became effective on April 25, 2013. Employers are required to post these new require-ments, and the Kansas Department of Labor notice form can be found at www.ksagretailers.org, as well as a summary of changes.

West Fertilizer report details unfortunate

sequence of events Source: The Asmark Institute How the West Fertilizer fire began still isn’t known and may never be. The investiga-tion has unveiled the detailed sequence of a catastrophe: Heat, pressure and shock-wave made dual explosions, just milliseconds apart. Something started a blaze in the seed room of the company’s fertilizer and seed building, a 13,000-square-foot structure by the spur rail on the northeast side of town. It could have been an old golf cart stored there, or a problem with the warehouse’s elec-trical wiring or arson. The evidence, investigators from the State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explo-sives (ATF) said is insufficient to prove any of them. Still, they reconstructed most of what happened and laid it out in public for the first time: The seed room was on the building’s north end, blown to oblivion


along with most of the rest of the company’s assets. The crater, 93 feet across and 10 feet deep, marks its location. “Parked inside the seed room was an old golf cart,” West Mayor Tommy Muska said, having seen workers driving it many times. It was battery-operated, recharged by plugging it into an outlet. Nearby, in the same building, were wooden bins that held about 50 tons of ammonium-nitrate fertilizer. Outside, a rail car held an additional 100 tons of am-monium nitrate fertilizer unaffected by the explosion. For 22 minutes, the fire burned — through the time when volunteer firefighters got the call, responded, asked for backup and started preparing for what might come. The fire kept getting hotter, raising the temperature of some of the ammonium nitrate — that is, shifting the chemical toward instability and increasing the likelihood that it would explode if detonated by a shockwave. That first detonation set off another — thousandths of a second later, so fast that witnesses couldn’t tell them apart. The U.S. Geo-logical Survey’s earthquake-detecting seismograph west of town at Lake Whitney registered two distinct impacts. All told, only about 28 to 34 tons of ammo-nium nitrate exploded, but an additional 20 to 30 tons in the building didn't explode and neither did the am-monium nitrate in the rail car. The amount that did detonate had the explosive power of 15,000 to 20,000 pounds of TNT. It flung bits of buildings and vehi-cles up to 2.5 miles, though most of the debris fell within 3,000 feet, slightly more than a half-mile. The search for answers on the ground took a month of combing through 14 to 15 acres, even sifting through hundreds of thousands of pounds of corn and milo by hand. It turned up an enormous amount of evidence, but not enough to prove any specific cause to a scientific certainty which leaves open three possibilities. One was the battery-powered golf cart. Over the past 15 years, tens of thousands of golf carts have been recalled because of fire risks, the Consumer Product Safety Commission says. Another possibility was an electrical system fire. Investigators exonerated the heavy-duty, 480-volt system in the warehouse that ran the big equipment. But the sepa-rate conventional 120-volt system couldn’t be ruled out, so it remains a possibility. The third was arson.

Serve on KARA’s committees KARA is looking for volunteers to serve on one of our many committees for 2013-2014. Our committee volunteers shape some of the most important deci-sions KARA makes. If you are interested in getting more involved in your Association and want to have a voice in KARA's affairs, we have a place for you. See the enclosed form to sign-up.

Trade Talk If you have a short business announcement you’d like included in the newsletter, email [email protected]. Tim Stoehr, Wilbur Ellis in Kansas City, was

appointed to fill the unexpired term of Alan Goldsby who has accepted a position with CHS in Minneapolis, MN. This term expires in 2015.

Ken Root, longtime ag journalist and Public Re-

lations Director of the Agribusiness Association of Iowa (AAI) has announced his retirement from television broadcasting and AAI. He will continue reporting for the Iowa Agribusiness Ra-dio Network and writing a weekly column for the High Plains Journal.

The Fertilizer Institute named Christopher Jahn

as president, effective September 9.

KARA welcomes new members Thanks to the reputation of our membership and industry, KARA continues to grow and provide useful services for agri-businesses. Please welcome these companies to KARA: Precision Laboratories LLC, Waukegan, IL Record Harvest Enterprises, Inc., Nevada, MO

Web advertising opportunity If you are an advertiser in the 2013 Membership Di-rectory, KARA is offering your company a 20% dis-count on website advertising purchased through De-cember 31, 2013. Each month, hundreds of people visit the website for access to industry knowledge and resources. By hav-ing your company logo featured on the homepage, you can increase your company’s online presence and further your brand among professionals in the indus-try. See the enclosed form to learn more.

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Member Spotlight: Kirk Kennedy, Valley Coop Inc. Beginning this year, the Agribusiness Update is featuring a new member in each issue. Let’s get to know each other better and share in each other’s industry successes. Thank you to Kirk for answering the call; but be-ware, you may be next! Name: Kirk Kennedy Age: 54 Title: Retail Field Man Company: Valley Coop Inc., Winfield, KS Been in business since: Valley Coop was formed from a merger of two local coops in 1990 and again in 1995 with the addition of a third coop. Company specializes in: Valley Coop has its own pellet mill for cubed feed products. Business has been good the last few years with an upgrade planned to increase the tonnage output along with maintaining the quality it is known for. What services does your company provide: Farm supply stores, multiple grain delivery locations, bulk or sacked feed with rolled mixes and a pellet mill with delivery, fertilizer and crop protection products with delivery and or custom application with a fleet of dry or liquid rigs, seed and seed treatments with a portable seed treatment machine. Something unique about your company: As farms have grown and have the ability to plant and harvest much quicker, the management and board of directors have upgraded more application equipment to cover the acres more timely and have made many capital improvements with the grain receiving facilities to speed up dumping of grain. How did you get started in the agribusiness industry: I was in production agriculture with crops and cattle. Our local coop was looking for help at the time, and it seemed like a good fit. How long have you been in agribusiness: 16 years, started in Feb of 1997 Where do you consider your “hometown” or where you grew up: On a farm near Atlanta, Kansas What KARA services are the most valuable to you and your company: All services provide value, but the ones I take advantage of the most are the Kansas Agri Business Expo, KSU Field Days and the Kansas Applicator Institute. They cover the requirements that retailers need to train and certify employees as well as offer safety and regulatory education. In addition, KARA’s lobbying efforts in Topeka and Washington pro-vide a high level of “value” to Valley Coop that no other organization comes close to matching.


Chairman

Doug Wright

Mid-Kansas Coop, Moundridge

Vice Chairman

Mike Shirley

SFP, Oakley

Second Vice Chairman

Kevin Brady

Lang Diesel Inc., Benton

Immediate Past Chairman

Randy Whisenhunt

Ag Service Inc., Hillsboro

Directors

Scott Anderson

KFSA, Hutchinson

Bill Conrey

Koch Nitrogen Co., Wichita

Roger Cunningham

Beachner Grain, Parsons

Kevin Dieckmann

United Suppliers, Olathe

Alan Goldsby

CHS Crop Nutrients, Hillsboro

Jon Ingebretson

CHS, Overland Park

Kirk Kennedy

Valley Coop Inc., Atlanta

Dustin Kuntz

Harveyville Seed, Harveyville

Roger Long

Rosen's Inc., Great Bend

Lance Nelson

Farmers Coop Co., Haviland

Brian Norton

Syngenta Crop Protection, Girard

Clark Pearson

Miller Elevator Inc., Reading

Johnny Schaben

Golden Valley Coop, Rozel

Larry Shivers

Specialty Fertilizer Products, Salina

Andy Smarsh

Helena Chemical, Garden City

Steve Taylor

Fairbank Equipment Inc., Wichita

Kevin Tomka

Dow AgroSciences, Overland Park

Tommy Warner

CPS, Garden City

Dave Wilcox

Farmway Coop, Beloit

Craig Zwick

B.Z. Bee, Lyons

Are you taking full advantage

of your KARA membership?

For details on the following benefits, please visit www.ksagretailers.org or call (785) 234-0463. Thanks to KARA’s Underwriting Sponsor, comprehensive hospital and medical, group life, dental, salary continuation, acci-dental death and property/casualty programs are offered through KFSA at a rate which is considerably less than could be enjoyed by an individual firm. Regulatory compliance can be a timely and expensive part of your business operations. As a member of KARA, you are eligible to take advantage of the Asmark Institute's pro-gram and products that will help you navi-gate the regulatory maze. Does your company need new apparel? Looking for appreciation gift ideas for your customers? Get 10% off Cabela's merchan-dise and 5% off Cabela's gift cards just for being a KARA member. Turn waiting callers into customers. Spectrio On Hold Messaging is giving KARA mem-bers a 25% discount on monthly rates. Pro-mote specials, decrease caller agitation, re-duce hang-ups and enhance your company's image for only $75/month. A 30-day trial is also available. KARA and Purple Wave are working to-gether to provide members with the best re-source to liquidate your unused assets through an online auction service. Purple Wave will make a donation to KARA every time a member utilizes their services.


816 SW Tyler Topeka, Kansas 66612

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage

PAID TOPEKA, KS

Permit No. 545

Visit our website for up-to-the-minute association news and information by scanning this QR Code with your smart-phone, or going to www.ksagretailers.org.

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