Tuesday May 3 Ag News

MANAGING SPRING GRAZING
Bruce Anderson, NE Extension Forage Specialist

               Spring pastures are growing fast and early.  Effective spring management can help pastures be more productive all year.

               Grazing cool-season grasses in spring should be easy.  You have lots of grass and the animals do well.  The problem is, sometimes we have so much grass that by early summer much of the pasture has gone to seed.  This can lower feed value and reduces calf gains.  To avoid this problem, follow these steps.

               First, start grazing early, especially if you have many smaller paddocks.  Don’t wait until pastures are six to eight inches tall; otherwise your grass will get away from you.  Instead, begin grazing soon after full greenup.  But keep hay available during this early spring grazing.  Less scouring and rumen problems will occur as cows adjust to the new, green feed.  Once they are accustomed to the pasture your cows will eat very little hay.

               Next, rotationally graze through pastures very rapidly, never staying longer than two or three days in one place.  Some folks suggest that you should graze every paddock twice within the first forty to forty-five days.  Too much rest during fast, early grass growth just lets plants get stemmy, which we often want to avoid.  Instead, let animals top off the pasture as best they can to keep as many plants from forming seedstalks as possible.  If it’s too difficult to rotate animals rapidly through all your paddocks, put some animals in each paddock if possible or open the gates.  And if you are certain you will have excess growth anyhow, fence off some pasture and cut it for hay before returning it to grazing.

               Finally, as grasses start to elongate, begin slowing rotational grazing to ration out remaining grass and to guarantee that plants get enough rest for regrowth.  Good luck, you can do it.



Green Plains Reports First Quarter 2016 Financial Results

Green Plains Inc. (NASDAQ:GPRE) today announced financial results for the first quarter of 2016. Net loss attributable to the company was $(24.1) million, or $(0.63) per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2016 compared with net loss of $(3.3) million, or $(0.09) per diluted share, for the same period in 2015. Revenues were $749.2 million for the first quarter of 2016 compared with $738.4 million for the same period last year.

"The margin environment remained weak, providing little opportunity to generate a profit in the first quarter," stated Todd Becker, president and chief executive officer. "We focused on maintaining our strong liquidity position to remain well-positioned, not only during this cyclical downturn, but also for future growth opportunities within our supply chain. Our marketing and distribution segment reported an operating loss for the quarter which was primarily related to the valuation of inventories held for forward business that is fully hedged. We anticipate the profits on these positions will be realized over the remainder of this year and operating income for the marketing and distribution segment will remain in the $25 to $30 million range for fiscal 2016."

During the first quarter, Green Plains produced 247.0 million gallons of ethanol compared with 232.5 million gallons for the same period in 2015. The consolidated ethanol crush margin was $0.5 million, or $0.00 per gallon, for the first quarter of 2016 compared with $14.9 million, or $0.06 per gallon, for the same period in 2015. The consolidated ethanol crush margin is the ethanol production segment's operating income before depreciation and amortization, which includes corn oil production, plus intercompany storage, transportation and other fees.

"The forward ethanol margin environment has improved since the beginning of the second quarter and we have hedged a portion of our future production," continued Becker. "We believe the ongoing growth in global and domestic ethanol blending will continue to drive better market fundamentals for the industry and are optimistic the margin environment will improve during the balance of 2016."

Earnings before interest, income taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) for the first quarter of 2016 was $(5.8) million compared with $19.2 million for the same period last year. As of March 31, 2016, Green Plains had $400.7 million in cash and cash equivalents, and $146.6 million available under revolving credit agreements subject to restrictions and other lending conditions. Total debt outstanding was $776.6 million, including $277.4 million outstanding under working capital revolvers and other short-term borrowing arrangements for the marketing and distribution, and agribusiness segments at March 31, 2016.



 Iowa Learning Farms May Webinar to Discuss Monarch Conservation in Iowa

The May Iowa Learning Farms webinar will be on Wednesday, May 18 at 1 p.m. This month’s guest speaker is Steven Bradbury, professor of Environmental Toxicology in the Departments of Natural Resource Ecology and Management and Entomology at Iowa State University. Bradbury retired from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2014 after 30 years of public service. His role at the EPA included four years as director of the Office of Pesticide Programs.

Bradbury’s presentation will cover research related to monarch conservation, including the development of cost-effective practices to establish and maintain monarch breeding habitat in agricultural landscapes, the development of models to better understand monarch population responses to different arrangements of new habitat patches in the Iowa landscape, and techniques to monitor the status and trends of habitat and monarch population responses. 

The ILF webinars are held on the third Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. They are free, and all that is needed to participate is a computer with Internet access. To log in, go to: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/ at 1 p.m. on the afternoon of the webinar and log in through the “guest” option. Webinar participants will be able to converse with Bradbury by typing their questions through the chat function. The webinar will be recorded and archived on the ILF website for future viewing: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/ilf/Webinars/.

ILF has hosted a webinar every month since January 2011. To date, there are 64 webinars to view on topics including soil erosion, water quality, cover crops, buffers, bioreactors and farmer perspectives.



The Trend Toward Cage-Free Eggs is Based on Misinformation

More than 100 companies purchasing eggs now are demanding their sources produce cage-free eggs.  The idea of chickens roaming about, scratching in the dirt, elicits an idealistic thought that it leads to better animal welfare and better quality eggs.  The National Association of Egg Farmers wants consumers to know that this is simply not true.

Not more humane - Removing chickens from cages, where they have been for decades, will lead to issues with more chickens dying. Chickens establish a "pecking order" among those in their group. Imagine a flock of thousands of chickens establishing a pecking order among themselves.  Those lower on the pecking order are pecked more often.  This is minimized in a cage environment where only a few birds are placed.

Food safety concerns - Cage-free eggs are more likely to be contaminated with bacteria due to prolonged exposure from litter and manure in the nest boxes or on the ground. The most recent Salmonella enteritidis (a foodborne pathogen) outbreak linked to eggs comes from a cage-free farm in Lebanon, Ohio.  A recent Food and Drug Administration warning letter was issued to a cage-free egg farmer in Missouri.  Yet the narrative that cage-free chickens produce a better quality egg gains traction because few are exposing this false premise.

Farm workers adversely affected - As for the workers in cage-free barns, the amount of dust, which can transmit pathogens, inside the barn represents a health risk to farm workers, and the need for workers to collect floor eggs creates ergonomic challenges, too.

Fewer egg farmers - Farmers want to please their customers and so there will be more cage-free farms built, but the smaller farmer will struggle with the estimated costs of $40 per bird for the labor, building, feeders, waters, and nests in their cage-free barns.  The larger egg farmers will build these structures and increase their market share as the smaller farms cannot compete and simply quit the business. The end result will be fewer, but larger farms producing eggs.



Avian Flu Found at Missouri Turkey Farm

Federal officials said 39,000 turkeys have been destroyed following the discovery of a low-grade form of avian flu at a farm in Missouri.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said a routine inspection last week found samples of the H5N1 virus in a healthy flock, and the birds were destroyed as a precaution.

The strain is far less infectious and deadly than the H5N2 virus that spread through parts of the Midwest last year, though Japan on Tuesday banned poultry shipments from parts of Jasper County, Missouri, where the latest outbreak originated.

Industry groups said the discovery was unlikely to affect domestic trade beyond that area because the virus is less dangerous than the highly-pathogenic strains that spread through the nation last year.

The poultry industry boosted biosecurity practices and testing following last year's big outbreak. The last serious case of the more infectious virus came in January at an Indiana turkey farm.

USDA and the Missouri Department of Agriculture are probing the latest incident and boosting surveillance, according to a USDA report submitted to the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health on Monday.

Last spring, the H5N2 virus strain spread rapidly across the Midwest in the worst-ever U.S. outbreak of avian flu, resulting in the deaths of more than 48 million egg-laying hens, turkeys and other birds. The outbreak sparked countrywide bans on domestic poultry products, most of which have since been relaxed.



Beef Checkoff Launching Second Annual 30 Day Protein Challenge

The checkoff's “Beef. It’s What’s For Dinner.” brand will launch the second annual 30 Day Protein Challenge campaign this month. Americans currently consume two-thirds of their total daily protein intake at dinner, which doesn’t leave much room for protein at other meals or snacks. The 30 Day Protein Challenge provides a step-by-step plan to get an optimal amount of protein throughout the day.

The first launch of the Protein Challenge in 2015 was extremely successful, exceeding benchmark metrics set for the campaign, including more than 14,000 email campaign subscriptions, 81,000+ email opens and click-thrus, and more than 164,000 visits to the Protein Challenge landing page on BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com during the campaign period.

To continue the success in 2016, several upgrades have been made to the campaign to increase engagement with, and visibility of the program...
-    The first upgrade is the addition of a weekly email option. This weekly option will complement the daily emails, providing all the tips and tools for success a participant needs at the beginning of the week rather than every day.
-    The Protein Challenge landing page also was updated, making it easier for participants to navigate through the tools and recipes available.
-    The Protein Challenge also will be supported through a variety of checkoff-funded advertising tools, such as Facebook advertising, Google search advertising, banner advertising and targeted ads within consumers’ Gmail inbox accounts.

“For some time, researchers have known that there are health and wellness benefits to consuming protein in balanced amounts at each meal,” says Beef Board Member Chuck Kiker, co-chairman of the checkoff’s Consumer Trust committee and a producer from Beaumont, Texas. “Significant research shows that some people can lose and maintain a healthy weight, support a healthy metabolism and age more vibrantly when they consume more high-quality protein, within calorie goals. And the good news is, beef is an excellent source of protein (20% or more of the Daily Value).”

To sign-up for the Protein Challenge, visit BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com/ProteinChallenge.



Beef Production Surges In April
David P. Anderson,  Extension Economist
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service

       Spring sprung early this year as fed cattle prices have dropped sharply from their highs in early Spring.  Texas-Oklahoma fed cattle prices averaged $139.05 for the week of March 20, 2016.  A month later they averaged $126.87, down 9.1 percent.  Cattle moved lower to end the month quoted at $124, for a full 10.8 percent decline.  One of the important factors at work in lower prices is beef production.

       Beef production is made up of two parts, the number of cattle slaughtered and their weights.  Steer and heifer slaughter in April 2016 was up an estimated 1.8 percent over the year before.  The final daily slaughter data through April 16 indicated that while steer slaughter is above a year ago, heifer slaughter is lower than in April 2015.

       Dressed weights continued to decline seasonally.  Steer weights were the lowest, at 878 pounds, of the year so far, and the lowest since July 2015.  But they remained above a year ago by 6 pounds.  Heifer weights did increase by 2 pounds to 820 pounds, but except for the previous week were the lightest since September 2015.

       The combination of the number of head and weight per head pushed estimated beef production for the last 5 weeks to about 2.3 billion pounds, up 6.2 percent from last year.  The 485 million pounds for the week ending April 30 was the largest weekly beef production since the week ending October 17, 2015.

       Increasing beef production is certainly pressuring cattle prices, which in turn is pressuring feeder and calf prices lower.  But there are a few things that may provide some support to cattle prices going forward.  One, it appears that cattle are being pulled ahead to market sooner.  The number of cattle on feed more than 120 days has fallen below year ago levels.  Pulling cattle ahead can reduce the number ready for slaughter later in the Spring and Summer.  Weights are declining seasonally.  Beef by-product values have been increasing, up nearly $1 per cwt. in the last 2 months.  The live-to-cutout spread was the third largest weekly estimated figure, at $257 per head, going back to 1991. 

       While there might be some good reasons for higher cattle prices coming soon, the reality is lower prices now.  Large beef production is a major culprit in lower cattle prices.  The long term trend is for more beef production and lower prices as cattle numbers expand.



Informa Trims Soybean Forecast

Informa Economics lowered its forecast for South American soybean production, according to a report by the private forecaster Tuesday.

Soybean production in Argentina, one of the world's biggest exporters, will total 55 million metric tons for the 2015-16 season, Informa said. That is 4.5 million tons below the firm's April forecast, and 6.4 million below the country's harvest last year. Reduced production is due to heavy rains and flooding, the firm said.

Brazil's soybean output is forecast at 100.1 million tons, down 400,000 tons from its previous estimate, according to Informa. If realized, Brazil's crop would be 3.9 million tons greater than last season, the firm said.

"Rains in Argentina were well above average during the middle part of April, which resulted in flooding that stalled fieldwork as well as grain movement and damaged mainly soybeans in Entre Rios, Santa Fe, northern Buenos Aires, and eastern Cordoba," Informa said in Tuesday's report. "The rains were especially problematic since the bulk of Argentina's soybeans were maturing with harvest just beginning."

Meanwhile, Brazil's corn crop is pegged at 81 million tons, which is 2.7 million below Informa's last forecast. Informa reduced its projection for Brazil's winter corn crop by 1.8 million tons compared to last month due to drier-than-normal weather.

"Brazil's wet season ended sooner than normal with below-normal April rains lowering the winter corn's yield potential," the firm said.

Informa Argentina's corn crop is seen at 27.5 million tons, the same as its previous forecast.



Celeres Slashes Brazil 2nd Corn View by 10%

Celeres, a Brazilian farm consultancy, has lowered its 2015-16 second-crop corn view by 10% to 52.8 million metric tons (mmt) due to the hot, dry conditions in the center-west of the country.

As a result, output will now be 4.6% lower than last year, representing the first drop in the crop since 2009.

Dry spells of 20 days during April across key producing regions of Mato Grosso and Goias came at the worst time for corn crops entering reproductive phases.

That means irreversible losses and prompted Celeres to lower its Brazil average yield forecast by 10% to 85 bushels per acre.

"We also have to consider that the frustration (with losses) from the corn crop could be even greater," said Celeres in a report.

Late planting means that crops still need significant rain in May, which is a typically dry month. Celeres said it is putting a downward bias on its forecasts for the crop.

Total Brazilian corn output in 2015-16 is now pegged at 81.5 mmt, down 5.4% on the year before.

Less corn will obviously mean less product available.

With such a large portion of the crop already sold for export, shipments can't be cut that much. In its latest survey, Celeres reduced its export figure by 0.5 mmt to 27.5 mmt.

However, it reduced its domestic animal consumption number by 4% to 48.8 mmt, down 2% on last year, amid the expectation that internal prices will remain strong for the rest of the year. Ending stocks will also be squeezed. Celeres now pegs them at 5.6 mmt, down 26% on last year.



FSA Loan Volume On the Rise

A softening in the agricultural economy and decline in commodity prices has an increasing number of farmers turning to the Farm Service Agency to help with their credit needs and even assist to restructure or re-service loans in the countryside.

According to Feedstuffs magazine, FSA Administrator Val Dolcini noted that, to date, the number of FSA loans is 21% more than the same time a year ago.

Each day, approximately $20-50 million of new money is being loaned out to help out those operations in need of an infusion of credit. No region or commodity is experiencing greater need, Dolcini said. He adds that there is heavy activity in all of the 800 credit teams at FSA's 2,200 offices.

The agency projects a 30% increase in servicing activity for the fiscal year. So far, FSA has obligated $3.5 billion since the fiscal year started on Oct. 1, 2015, and is closing in on 75% of the available loan funding appropriated by Congress for the year.



KS Wheat Tour Day 1

Twenty vehicles with 78 participants headed west from Manhattan, Kansas, today on the Hard Winter Wheat Tour 2016. Scouts stopped in 306 locations on the six routes between Manhattan and Colby.

The Wheat Quality Council's wheat tour is held every year to get an idea of the yields and production of the crop. Crop scouts take measurements in fields across their routes, using a formula developed by USDA/NASS to estimate the yield for each field. These estimates are averaged in each car, and then combined with all cars to get a yield estimate each day. The average calculated yield for day 1 was 47.2 bushels per acre, compared with only 34.3 bushels per acre along the same route last year.

On Tuesday, scouts reported seeing some stripe rust, barley yellow dwarf virus, early season drought stress, and freeze damage. Overall, wheat looked as good or better than expected. Almost all wheat was between late boot stage and early flowering stage.

The NASS report on Monday rated Kansas winter wheat condition 2 percent very poor, 8 poor, 38 fair, 46 good, and 6 excellent. Winter wheat jointed was 97 percent. Headed was 49 percent, ahead of 34 last year and well ahead of 28 average.

A small group of scouts from Colorado began the tour there and headed east to Colby. They reported an average yield of 39 bushels per acre in Colorado and estimated production at 78 million bushels for the state.

Nebraska reported that 95% of the state's crop is currently rated good to excellent, with an average yield of 55 bushels per acre. They are estimating 70.4 million bushels of production this year, up from only 46 million bushels last year.

On their way across Kansas, participants were able to stop at some interesting locations across the state, including the World's Largest Ball of Twine, They Also Ran Museum, and Barbed Wire Museum in addition to the World's Largest Porch Swing in Nebraska.

While scouts anticipated seeing a lot of stripe rust, reports came in that many of the fields had been sprayed with fungicide to prevent the spread of the disease. Aaron Harries, Kansas Wheat VP of Operation and Research, commended farmers for their management practices. He said, "Farmers need a round of applause for taking care of rust issues before they became a huge issue."

Jeanne Falk Jones, KSU multi-county agronomy specialist, concurred. She discussed what extension is doing to educate producers about what they could do to get out in front of stripe rust.

Romulo Lollato, KSU wheat and forages extension specialist, discussed three major freeze events that have occurred this spring, including one in northwest Kansas earlier this week. Falk Jones said, "We had cold temperatures Monday morning. It will take us 10 days to 2 weeks to know if we have any damage from that."

The tour will continue on Wednesday, with routes between Colby and Wichita. It wraps up on Thursday with an overall yield and production estimate for the state of Kansas.



Sorghum Checkoff Launches New, Mobile-Friendly Website

Serving as a premiere information resource for the sorghum industry, the Sorghum Checkoff recently launched a new, mobile-friendly website that will host the latest user-friendly technology and provide accurate, current sorghum information, communication and education for various audiences.

“Now mobile-friendly, the website has the ability provide sorghum growers with the information they need while in the field, at home or wherever they go,” said Jennifer Blackburn, Sorghum Checkoff external affairs director. “The goal of this site is for it to become the go-to source of information as it relates to sorghum agronomics, marketing information and more."

The website sorghumcheckoff.com will serve as a hub for resources aimed at improving field-level results and marketing opportunities. Key features of the site include a revamped connections directory, enhanced usability and a clean, updated design to support the expansion of the industry’s brand.

“The sorghum industry, like every other industry, is constantly evolving, and our website should reflect that,” said Sorghum Checkoff Chairman David Fremark. “As new technologies and practices arise, the website needs to evolve in order to remain beneficial and relevant for farmers and end-users."

The Sorghum Checkoff has also invested in the development of a consumer-focused website. The goal of this website will be to enhance awareness of the super grain with nutritional information, cooking instructions, general awareness education and more. This website is scheduled to launch summer 2016.

“As sorghum growers and a collective board, we believe supplying growers with the information and educational tools they need is essential to helping increase producer profitability,” Fremark said. “By investing in modern web technology, we feel we are taking an important step toward achieving that goal.”




 Land O’Lakes, Inc. Announces First Quarter 2016 Results Farmer-owned cooperative reports net earnings of $104 million

Land O’Lakes, Inc. today announced first quarter financial results, reporting quarterly net sales of $3.6 billion and net earnings of $104 million, up from $99 million in 2015.

“Coming off of a record year in 2015, performance remains strong in the first quarter of 2016 despite continued challenging market conditions,” stated Chris Policinski, Land O’Lakes, Inc. president and CEO. “Building on our strategy and momentum, we continue to invest in core growth, new markets and step up our innovation. In an environment of increasing industry consolidation, we are expanding our presence and capabilities to provide value to our farmer-owners to help them compete in this great growth industry.”

Land O’Lakes Winfield US (Winfield United Suppliers) recently announced the company signed a letter of intent to enter into a supply agreement with Southern States Cooperative, Inc. With the agreement, Winfield US will exclusively provide a majority of crop inputs requirements to Southern States’ network of 1,200 retail locations located in the Eastern U.S. beginning in crop year 2017. This agreement will bring the WinField portfolio of products, including WinField seed, seed treatments, adjuvants, micronutrients and plant growth regulators, to a new customer base.

Overall first quarter results in Crop Inputs, which includes the WinField and United Suppliers branded portfolios, were impacted by lower volumes across their seed and crop protection products.
First quarter results for Feed include strong performances in large animal feed driven by strong margins within formula feed and milk replacer products.

First quarter results for Dairy Foods, which includes the company’s LAND O LAKES brand, benefitted from higher volumes and margin in Foodservice and improved margins in Specialty Ingredients. Dairy Foods also benefitted from lower declines in global milk powder prices in 2016 as compared with the prior year.



CNH Industrial Reports Lower Revenues

CNH Industrial N.V. announced consolidated revenues of $5.3 billion for the first quarter 2016, down 5.7% compared to the first quarter 2015 on a constant currency basis. Net sales of Industrial Activities were $5 billion in Q1 2016, down 5.7% compared to the same period in 2015 on a constant currency basis.

Operating profit of Industrial Activities was $178 million for the first quarter, a $45 million decrease compared to the same period in 2015, with an operating margin of 3.5%, down 0.5 p.p. compared to the first quarter 2015.

"Given market conditions, we are pleased with the performance of our operating segments this quarter," said Richard Tobin, Chief Executive Officer of CNH Industrial. "While we continue to navigate challenging trading conditions in the agricultural equipment industry, we are encouraged by the improved operating profits and margins in our other industrial segments compared to last year."

Net loss was $513 million for the quarter, or -$0.38 per share, after recording the previously announced exceptional non-tax deductible charge of $502 million related to the investigation of the company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Iveco S.p.A., and its competitors by the European Commission for certain alleged anticompetitive practices and related matters.



Cullman named President/CEO of Farm Foundation, NFP

Farm Foundation has named Constance Cullman to be President and CEO of Farm Foundation, NFP and President of Farm Foundation. Cullman, who is currently U.S. Government Affairs Leader with Dow AgroSciences, will assume her new duties on June 6.

"We are excited to have Constance step into the day-to-day leadership role at Farm Foundation," says Farm Foundation Board Chairman Mark Scholl. "She brings to the table a unique set of skills that have been fine-tuned through experiences in education, farm organizations, government service and private business."

Cullman will be the seventh person to serve as President of Farm Foundation since the organization was founded in 1933. She succeeds Neilson Conklin, who has served as Farm Foundation President since 2008. In July 2015, Conklin announced his plans to retire.

"A passion for agriculture and rural communities has always been at the core of my diverse professional experiences,"says Cullman, who was reared on a family farm in Ohio. "Farm Foundation presents an exciting opportunity to help stimulate the important conversations we need to have today across the entire food value chain--from producers to consumers. The Foundation is uniquely positioned to help stakeholders examine the diverse and complex issues shaping the future."

Before joining Dow AgroSciences in 2010, Cullman worked at the Corn Refiners Association, Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Ohio Farm Bureau Federation, and the Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Cullman is a graduate of Ohio State, earning her bachelor's degree in agricultural economics, and a master's degree in agricultural economics with an emphasis on international trade and agricultural policy.

"Cullman's diverse background will serve Farm Foundation well as it continues its mission to help public- and private-sector leaders address the critical issues that are shaping the future of agriculture and food systems today," said Scholl.



AGCO Teams with iMaps to Implement QlikApp

AGCO Corporation (NYSE: AGCO), a worldwide manufacturer and distributor of agricultural equipment and solutions, today announced that it has teamed up with iMaps to implement QlikView, the business intelligence and visualization software. As a large global business with multiple brands and numerous international locations, AGCO was looking for a unique solution to integrate and analyze a huge amount of complex data from many different sources inside and outside the company in order to better drive business. AGCO is one of the first agricultural companies to embrace data-driven solutions to move the industry forward.

Eric Lescourret, AGCO Director, Advanced Technology Solutions & commercial strategic initiatives, North America said, “QlikView allows AGCO to integrate and unify our 20+ data sources for a complete overview and to centrally evaluate all of that critical data. We can now seamlessly build the tools we need to analyze and visualize information. AGCO can now be more proactive and predictive and make better-informed decisions, quickly.” The QlikView solution connects all data sources in one central location and provides AGCO with a meaningful analysis and visualization of all relevant data quickly and in real time. Multiple users and stakeholders are able to access information and benefit from new insights.

As data integration and analysis became more important, AGCO enlisted iMaps as a partner to implement QlikView. To analyze commercial performance a special QlikView app called Data Driven Commercial Performance (DDCP). “The DDCP app is enabling AGCO to better track commercial activities as well as our ability to execute our marketing and sales plan, helping us to achieve our retail and market share targets,” explained Lescourret.

From now on, AGCO’s North America business will be able to share the data efficiently across various functions and benefit from data interconnectivity and standardized key performance indicators (KPIs). Lescourret continued, “The capacity we’ve gained to benchmark our KPIs by district, account manager, dealers, and by product is amazing. After our analysis we were able to focus on critical areas, setting more realistic goals and reallocating resources and investments more efficiently.” Different functions can consume the same information in different ways based on their unique challenges and area of engagement.

The data collected reflects how AGCO and its dealers efficiently manage the entire customer journey; from the time the customer is considering acquiring equipment from one of AGCO’s equipment brands to the time they need to replace it with a newer machine and the ability to support that customer along the way.

The data-driven analysis tool enables AGCO to make smarter and quicker decisions based on imminent market demands and needs. The pilot rollout within the North American marketing and sales team has been successful thus far. In the months to come, AGCO plans to engage with users to further optimize the tool so that it will support AGCO’s mission to grow through superior customer service, innovation, quality and commitment.