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Turnrow Talk: NEW Cooperative builds trust with quality service
Turnrow Talk: bringing real value to growers
We are outside Fort Dodge, Iowa with another edition of Turnrow Talks featuring Shan Jaeschke. Shan breaks down why real field experiments matter, how those results support ROI conversations, and why showing up with value instead of a sales pitch earns long-term trust. As a member-owned co-op, grower success drives every decision. If our members are not successful, we are not successful.
Turnrow Talk: bringing real value to growers
We are outside Fort Dodge, Iowa with another edition of Turnrow Talks featuring Shan Jaeschke. Shan breaks down why real field experiments matter, how those results support ROI conversations, and why showing up with value instead of a sales pitch earns long-term trust. As a member-owned co-op, grower success drives every decision. If our members are not successful, we are not successful.
“Whenever we visit our farmer-members, we want them to know we’re bringing value to their farm. It’s not just about selling something,” said Shan Jaeschke, agronomy manager with NEW Cooperative. “We’ve worked with many of our farmer-members for several years. They are partners with us in the field and one reason NEW Cooperative continues to be successful.”
The long-lasting relationships with the farmer-members help the co-op’s team accumulate knowledge about each field, leading to informed, field-specific recommendations for seed and crop protection.
No assumptions
Although they’ve worked with their farmer-members for many seasons, the co-op’s agronomists don’t assume they know what’s needed for the following year. Agronomists sit down with their customers to review what worked well, to discuss what may need to change and to see how weed, insect and disease pressure has evolved.
“Our NEW Cooperative team sets us apart from other co-ops,” Jaeschke said. “We carry the same products they do, but they don’t have our people. From those scouting fields to applying herbicides to hauling product to the field, our team is the difference.”
Farmer-members count on the NEW Cooperative team to apply crop protection products, spread fertilizer and lime, scout and more. The types of service provided come down to the individual farmer’s needs. Jaeschke and his team map out plans — noting how they are going to help each farmer-member — in late summer to be ready for fall field work. That way, they can hit the ground at full speed when it’s time to be in the fields.
Plan for change
Even with the best plans in place, Jaeschke and his team know they’ll have to pivot throughout the season due to weather, equipment issues and other seasonal challenges. The team knows it will have to change quickly to keep fields in the best condition possible.
“Mother Nature is going to throw us curveballs, and so application, service and product plans will change too,” Jaeschke said. “That’s why we communicate with growers almost weekly during the season. We can evaluate what’s happening in the fields and update what we’ll do next.”
What’s new and what works
The NEW Cooperative team wants to bring innovative solutions and ideas to its farmer-members, and to do that, the team has to stay informed about products entering the market. More important, the agronomists must know if the products actually work. Before recommending a new product, they take part in summer trainings and observe field trials.
Established relationships with manufacturers, including Corteva Agriscience, help the co-op’s team learn about and understand new products. Having the support of Corteva helped Jaeschke and his team roll out the Enlist® weed control system to the area.
“Knowing we have a reliable representative who will be there is No. 1 when partnering with other companies. We prepare so we can help our customers through the changes that are made. We need to be ready to explain why we’re doing something different. Are we improving the grower’s return on investment (ROI) or increasing yield potential?”
— Shan Jaeschke
Jaeschke and his team analyze soil samples in-house to help farmer-members make educated decisions about seed, soil fertility, weed control and more for individual fields. Helping growers with decisions at the beginning of the season makes it easier to recommend next steps as the crops mature. The results of the decisions made in the fall are realized at the next season’s harvest.
“It’s a year-long process to see how well we did with the recommendations,” Jaeschke said. “When our farmer-members have success, NEW Cooperative does too.”
Turnrow Talk: NEW Cooperative
Shan Jaeschke (middle), Agronomy Manager at NEW Cooperative, talks with Dan Dix (right), CEO at NEW Cooperative, and Turnrow Talk host Andrew McCrae about the service and customized recommendations the team brings to its farmer-members.