Helping Customers Overcome the Unknowns With Retailer Ambassador Adam Kryder
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This month, we’re talking with retailer ambassador Adam Kryder. Adam is the agronomy sales and marketing manager at Stephenson Service Company in Lena, Illinois. He’s been in the ag retail business for more than 10 years.
Adam doesn’t just work in ag retail though. He’s a farmer himself. He grew up on a farm, and today, he and his wife own land in the Lena area. They farm on that land with Adam’s parents.
As a farmer, Adam has unique insight into the challenges his retail customers face. He shares their concerns and says what keeps him and his customers up at night are the unknowns: changing commodity prices, new regulations and extreme weather.
Weather Concerns Customers
Weather, Adam says, has been particularly troubling lately. “The last couple of years in the industry have been really hard, to be honest with you, because of the weather,” he says.
One year, there’s too much rain, and the next year, it’s too dry. Corn yield suffers when the weather doesn’t cooperate. Adam tells us the unpredictability is stressful. “They’re worried about their profitability. If they’re not growing good yields, it’s a bad day. They need to have the yields,” he says. But, Adam says, it’s his job to help take some of that stress away from his customers and that’s why he enjoys the retail business. “I like that I’m always helping someone. It’s their livelihood at stake here,” he explains. “Trying to make them more money. Trying to make them prosperous. Helping [my customers] is just the biggest thing.” Most of the customers Adam works with use anhydrous ammonia for their main source of nitrogen. He advises fall applications when possible for two reasons: “We love to apply fall ammonia, because you’re making one less pass in the spring. That saves time, No. 1 and, No. 2, early planting gives you higher yields.” Adam says applying in fall frees farmers to do other fieldwork in spring and helps them avoid setbacks like bad weather, which can delay or even prevent spring nitrogen applications. However, he says, customers need to protect those applications. “You have to stabilize that fall anhydrous ammonia with N-Serve® nitrogen stabilizer. This product is proven. It works to protect nitrogen and help grow good yields,” he says. N-Serve® nitrogen stabilizer protects anhydrous ammonia from loss below ground due to leaching and denitrification. Leaching, in particular, can be accelerated thanks to weather. Rain will wash nitrogen out of the soil and into waterways. N-Serve helps keep that nitrogen in the root zone to maximize corn yield potential. Sometimes the extreme weather strikes in fall instead of — or in addition to — spring. In cases where customers can’t do fall applications, or if they simply prefer to apply their anhydrous ammonia in spring, Adam says they still need to stabilize. “I lay it on the table and ask if they want to keep their nitrogen or not. The weather is always so unpredictable. So, we need to protect that nitrogen investment. It’s one of the most important investments,” he explains. You can get an idea of the nitrogen your customers could lose without a stabilizer by using the nitrogen loss calculator. When it comes to his customers, Adam says, he knows the risks they face. As a farmer, he faces the same risks. He says it’s his job to help them protect their investments and, ultimately, their yield potential. Do not fall-apply anhydrous ammonia south of Highway 16 in the state of Illinois. Always read and follow label directions. Overcoming Challenging Weather
“You have to stabilize that fall anhydrous ammonia with N-Serve nitrogen stabilizer. This product is proven. It works to protect nitrogen and help grow good yields."
Meet a Retailer Ambassador
Name: Adam Kryder
Retail Name: Stephenson Service Company
Location: Lena, IL
Fun Fact: Adam is the father of triplets.
Hobbies: Spending time with his children