It’s good to have the opportunity to speak with all of you again and I hope all had a productive spring; no doubt challenged again this year to avoid the wet spots (in your fields and on the roads) and dodge the frequent rains. The week of May 13 provided most of us with a decent window to get a significant portion of the crop in the ground, even if conditions were not ideal. We appreciate the good communication from you to our agronomy operations staff, as it amazes me how productive we can be working together when we communicate well and proactively with each other.

We continue to put a strong emphasis on operational efficiency and are making progress (albeit slower than we would like) in our four divisions. February and March were rough months for our feed operations with the extreme cold and snow in February giving way to the unprecedented wet conditions and mud in March, however we have recovered nicely and have these operations back on track.

Good progress is being made on the new bin going up in Melvin, as the foundation is now complete. Progress on the new bin in Alcester has been slower with the wet conditions over there, however work has now started on the foundation and we expect both bins to be ready well ahead of harvest. The bin additions will improve our grain handling efficiency at both of these locations, resulting in improved service for you at harvest.

It appears that this growing season will be another wet one. Strongly consider side-dressing N and fungicide treatments this year, as last year proved that these applications made a significant difference in final yields.....more of the same likely this year.

All of us at FCS are well aware that you have numerous options where you can do your business in NW Iowa, SE South Dakota and SW Minnesota and we sincerely appreciate the business you do with us. As we grow our business we have opportunities to improve our asset efficiencies, resulting in improved returns for you. Remember that this is your coop and we are here to serve you. Let me know if there are areas where you believe we need to improve or new services/products that would be beneficial to your operation. We will continue to strive to EARN your business each and every day.

Written by: John McDaniel