"Customer First" Seed Corn

"Customer First" Seed Corn CROPS Miscellaneous 27-5-5 A good friend of ours called the other day to tell us about a new seed corn company that he thinks has the potential to become a real winner in the business. According to what he told us, it sounds like the people behind this new company are doing everything right. Founding partner Merl Pruett of Production Partners Seed, Inc., worked several years for a well-known Midwest seed company, but left when he felt the company lost sight of its customers' best interests. The emphasis on company profit over customer success bothered him. He started his own seed business, and this year expanded it by adding more staff members who deal direct with farmers. Their theory? Take care of the customer and the business will take care of itself. The company has access to the best genetics in the business. "None of our hybrids are over 3 years old and 90 percent are 1 to 2 years in the marketplace," says Pruett. "Some well-known seed companies sell corn hybrids that are 5 to 6 years old so you don't get the latest and the best." Production Partners contracts its production, but maintains control over quality, processing, conditioning and bagging. "If there's ever a problem with any seed we sell, we want to hear about it. Our goal is to always put the customer first," says Pruett. Production Partners offers a product line of 53 corn hybrids, including 15 conventional, 11 Roundup Ready«, 14 YieldGard« Corn Borer, 7 Roundup Ready«/YieldGard« Corn Borer stacked, 3 YieldGard« Rootworm, and two alfalfa varieties. The company's goal is to have very limited seed carryover from one year to the next. "We want our customers to always be planting newly-grown, freshly-bagged seed rather than product that may have experienced rough handling or been sitting in a warehouse for a year or more," says Pruett. Because the company sells direct to farmers and not through dealers, the cost of seed is lower û generally 15 to 20 percent below the price of dealer-oriented companies. "Our selling point is that every customer will benefit from a year-round, full-time professional sales staff that has only one goal û customer satisfaction." Production Partners sells direct to farmers across the Midwestern corn belt as well as Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York. They have offices in both Minnesota and Iowa. For a free catalog, call toll free 888-550-1909 or go online to www.productionpartnerseed.com.

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