“It’s a perfect fit for us,” Agri-Trend’s CEO and president Rob Saik said in an interview Nov. 10, adding that under the deal he will work with Trimble and expand the Agri-Trend model globally.

“We’re also very excited about the integration of Trimble technology. The reality is farmers want to move forward with precision agriculture and we have been doing that and we’re going to be able to do that in a much bigger way now.

“We’re planning no changes for our employees, no changes in our business model, no changes to the coaches, no changes to the physical location. It’s just taking it (model) and amping it up — turning up the dial.”

Saik declined to reveal the sales price for his privately owned company.

Agri-Trend has 200 specialists in Canada and the United States, including more than 110 independent “coaches” specializing in agronomy, precision farming, crop marketing and farm business management.

Coaches are supported by a team of science specialists comprised of more than 30 PhDs and MScs providing in-house research, training and support for both the coaching network and the Agri-Data Solution platform — a proprietary farm data management service.

“As a result, Agri-Trend’s solutions enable growers to make informed business decisions that better allocate scarce resources to produce safe and environmentally sustainable food,” the release said.

According to Saik, Agri-Trend has the best business model for supplying expertise to farmers, but it takes capital, which Trimble can provide, he said.

“To see Agri-Trend grow to well over 200 individuals influencing agriculture and to have it carry on the legacy within the Trimble group is really exciting for me personally,” Saik said. “I’m passionate about agriculture. I’m passionate about speaking out about science in agriculture and I’m passionate about making a difference at the farm level and I always have been.”

Agri-Trend’s farm coaches are independent, unbiased experts backed up by Agri-Trend’s senior coaches, most of whom are former university and government experts hired under contract, Saik said.

“I describe it as an entrepreneurial co-operative where you reap what you sow and share what you know,” he said. “That has been our model. The coaches will utilize Agri-Trend process and Agri-Trend’s platform and people to support them as they work for farmers. That’s how they make their money. That’s how we make our money.”

Trimble works in a range of areas including engineering, construction as well as agriculture. Trimble Agriculture helps farmers maximize efficiency and reduce chemical and fertilizer inputs and protect natural resources and the environment, the release said.

“Trimble’s precision agriculture solutions cover all seasons, crops, terrains, and farm sizes, and its brand-agnostic strategy allows farmers to use Trimble products on most vehicles in their fleet — regardless of manufacturer.”

Trimble provides water solutions for irrigation, drainage, and land levelling. Trimble’s products include vehicle and implement guidance and steering, a portfolio of correction options, unmanned aircraft vehicles for aerial imaging and mapping, application controls for seed, liquid, and granular products and farm management software.

Saik began his agricultural career with now-defunct chemical company Elanco. His comedic alter ego, Steve Stubblejumpski from Double Bumps, Alta., has often been a banquet speaker over the years and is known to many western Canadian farmers.

“I love doing it,” Saik said. “I still do it once in a while when it fits into my schedule and I do it because I love to hear farmers laugh. I love to take the stuff that we do in agriculture and twist it and make some fun of it and enjoy life. There’s nothing better than hearing a crowd of farmers laughing about jokes about GPS or GMOs.”

The post Agri-Trend being sold to Trimble appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Publicly traded, U.S.-based Trimble, which specializes in GPS and other location services, including the collection and management of on-farm data and services for precision farming, announced Tuesday it will buy Red Deer-based, privately-held Agri-Trend for an undisclosed sum.

“It’s a perfect fit for us,” Agri-Trend CEO Rob Saik said in an interview Tuesday, adding that under the deal he will work with Trimble and expand the Agri-Trend model globally.

“We’re also very excited about the integration of Trimble technology. The reality is farmers want to move forward with precision agriculture and we have been doing that and we’re going to be able to do that in a much bigger way now.

“We’re planning no changes for our employees, no changes in our business model, no changes to the coaches, no changes to the physical location. It’s just taking it (model) and amping it up — turning up the dial.”

Agri-Trend has 200 specialists in Canada and the U.S., including more than 110 independent “coaches” specializing in agronomy, precision farming, crop marketing and farm business management.

Coaches are supported by a team of science specialists comprised of more than 30 Ph.D’s and M.Sc’s providing in-house research, training and support for both the coaching network and the Agri-Data Solution platform, a proprietary farm data management service.

“As a result, Agri-Trend’s solutions enable growers to make informed business decisions that better allocate scarce resources to produce safe and environmentally sustainable food,” the company’s release said.

Agri-Trend has the best business model for supplying expertise to farmers, but it takes capital, which Trimble can provide, Saik said.

“To see Agri-Trend grow to well over 200 individuals influencing agriculture and to have it carry on the legacy within the Trimble group is really exciting for me personally,” Saik said. “I’m passionate about agriculture. I’m passionate about speaking out about science in agriculture and I’m passionate about making a difference at the farm level and I always have been.”

Agri-Trend’s farm coaches are billed as independent and unbiased experts, backed up by Agri-Trend’s senior coaches, most of whom are former university and government experts hired under contract, Saik said.

“I describe it as an entrepreneurial co-operative where you reap what you sow and share what you know,” he said. “That has been our model. The coaches will utilize Agri-Trend process and Agri-Trend’s platform and people to support them as they work for farmers. That’s how they make their money. That’s how we make our money.”

Trimble works in a range of areas including engineering, construction as well as agriculture. Trimble Agriculture helps farmers maximize efficiency and reduce chemical and fertilizer inputs and protect natural resources and the environment, the release said.

“Trimble’s precision agriculture solutions cover all seasons, crops, terrains, and farm sizes, and its brand-agnostic strategy allows farmers to use Trimble products on most vehicles in their fleet — regardless of manufacturer.”

Trimble provides water solutions for irrigation, drainage, and land levelling. Trimble’s products include vehicle and implement guidance and steering, a portfolio of correction options, unmanned aircraft vehicles for aerial imaging and mapping, application controls for seed, liquid, and granular products and farm management software.

Saik began his agricultural career with now defunct chemical company Elanco. His comedic alter ego, Steve Stubblejumpski from Double Bumps, Alta., has often been a banquet speaker over the years and is known to many Prairie farmers.

“I love doing it,” Saik said. “I still do it once in awhile when it fits into my schedule and I do it because I love to hear farmers laugh. I love to take the stuff that we do in agriculture and twist it and make some fun of it and enjoy life.

“There’s nothing better than hearing a crowd of farmers laughing about jokes about GPS or GMOs.”

— Allan Dawson is a reporter for the Manitoba Co-operator at Miami, Man. Follow him at @AllanReporter on Twitter.

The post Trimble to buy consulting firm Agri-Trend appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

True to form, some speakers took a contrarian view, starting with the conference’s red hip-roofed barn logo.

“The little red barn doesn’t exist anymore,” said Robert Saik, CEO of Agri-Trend. “That’s the problem. People’s romanticized view of agriculture doesn’t exist anymore.”

He’s right when it comes to commodity agriculture, which is increasingly focused on exports. And it certainly applies to some of the farms the bus tours visited. But operations that are focused on direct to consumer remain heavily reliant on a romanticized agricultural tradition, because they are appealing to consumers seeking to renew their connection to food production.

The panellists, who represented farmers, retailers, food service and academia, generally agreed that there is much more work to do in helping the non-farming public better understand food production.

But knowing how to reach out is difficult.

“The bulk of people in Canada doesn’t care, they just want good-quality food, but some care a lot,” noted Ray Price, co-founder of Sunterra Farms and Sunterra Market.

For some, it is a matter of giving consumers what they say they want, which is how A&W burger chain responded to consumer concerns about growth hormones and antibiotics. For others it is about outreach efforts aimed at correcting misinformation.

Trish Salhstrom, A&W’s vice-president of purchasing and distribution for Canada, did her own part to set the record straight with cattle producers miffed that the company now imports beef for its burgers with no artificial hormones and antibiotics.

Contrary to what many believe, Sahlstrom said the company did attempt to use domestic supplies, but found major feeders were not interested. “We were told, ‘we think you are wrong and we don’t do it that way,’” she said. “We were told pretty flatly no.”

The company is able to source all of its chicken and eggs from Canadian suppliers she said, noting she expects the same will eventually be true of beef.

By far, the most controversial statement of the day came from Price, a farmer whose company now owns nine food retail locations in Alberta. While it’s common to see bumper stickers saying that ‘if you’ve eaten today, thank a farmer,’ “sometimes I think we should be more appreciative of our consumers,” he said. “If you’ve farmed today, thank a consumer.”

The post Editorial: Bridging the urban-rural divide appeared first on Manitoba Co-operator.

Canola growers with a competitive personality now have an extra incentive — a complete John Deere equipment package if they’re the first to grow 100 bushels per acre on 50 acres of canola.

The ‘Canola 100 Agri-Prize’ was announced July 21 at Ag in Motion in Saskatoon. The first farmer to produce a verified average of 100 bushels per acre on 50 acres of contiguously seeded canola will win a prize package of 100 hours each of a John Deere tractor, air seeder, high-clearance sprayer, windrower and combine.

The contest is open to any non-irrigated farmer growing spring-seeded canola in the canola belt of Canada and the United States.

The Canola 100 will run for three crops starting in 2016. If the 100-bushel mark has not been reached by 2018, the highest recorded yield will take the prize.

Official rules and details will be posted at agriprize.com in September. Visit the website or call 1-877-276-7526 for more information.

Canola 100 is the first of a series of Agri-Prize competitions organized by Agri-Trend and sponsored by John Deere and Glacier FarmMedia.

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