Farmers Coop Society recently held a set of meetings for our Professional Applicators and our Agronomy Operations Team. Training and employee development are one of the pieces that sets Farmers Coop Society apart from other Coops. One of the topics we focused on was Spring Safety. Covering the basics every year and reminding our team to be focused on the little things and details is key to preventing accidents. We also brought in a representative from Dakota Fluid to talk about machine hydraulic maintenance and safety. All of these are instrumental in preventing downtime so we can maximize our efficiency. 

We also covered the new chemistries and we will be applying this year. Training our team on the chemistries and how they work allows them to review work orders before they apply and make sure all rates are correct. Our professional applicators aren’t worried about getting the job finished, they are worried about getting the job finished correctly. They will double check any questionable rates or field boundaries with the Agronomists before they apply any chemical. They know that our customer’s crop and land is valuable and they treat each field like it’s their own. 

Our team of Professional Applicators is experienced and all have a strong and trusting working relationship with each other. This positive attitude and team environment is key to their success in the hectic and busy spring application window. Johnathan Fluit has been a Professional Applicator with Farmers Coop Society since April 2008. He lives in Rock Valley with his wife and two children and came to work at Farmers Coop Society after graduating from SDSU with an Ag Systems Tech degree. 

Over that last several years, Johnathan has seen a lot of technology changes. Technology advancements in the machines has made him more efficient and technology dispatch updates has decreased in down time. All of these advancements increase efficiency, stay organized, and makes Johnathan’s job easier. When he first started he had to steer and drive his machine but now, he’s hands- off auto-steer (even on the contours). 

In the spring you can find Johnathan in his R4045 John Deere Sprayer, doing pre- and post- applications. He will cover approximately 500 to 700 acres per day, weather and terrain depending. One of his favorite features is Exactapply, where his machine will automatically adjust the fertilizer rate applied based on the variable rate field maps. Each individual nozzle on the 120-foot boom will turn on and off on its own. 

Johnathan takes pride in every field he applies, he enjoys being able to look at his fields later in the year and knowing that he was able to help those customers succeed. He also enjoys working with an experienced team who values quality over quantity. They care about the work they do and work hard to get the job done. 

Interested in a career as a Professional Applicator? Apply today!