On Monday, June 20, I spent the morning getting in contact with Jeff Cole’s customers to locate plots. With the large amount of rain we received this day, I figured it would be a good day to catch guys in their office. I was able to set up a few appointments for the following few days. I also gathered the information that the following locations will not have a plot due to the weather delays: Co Alliance Advance, Shelby County Co-op, Premier Ag Co-op Franklin, and Co Alliance Bringhurst. I then traveled to Lebanon to meet with David Masten at Co-Alliance. He provided me all of the information for the plot that his going to be at his location. Because of the rain, we were not able to actually travel to the plot location, but he did provide me a field map and give me directions for the next time I am in the area. David made the comment that if Instinct was able to protect Nitrogen on the soil, it would completely take over all of Agrotain and Agrotain plus.

On Tuesday, June 21^st, I traveled to the Co-Alliance in Bainbridge and met with Manager Sam Fry. We discussed various plots that he would have, but with the rain on Monday, we were unable to go to the fields. He requested that I leave some information sheets with him, and when I pick them up, he will also take me to locate the fields. He should have 4-5 plots. I then traveled to Co-Alliance in Russellville and met with Manager Ted McGaughey. He gave me a list of all the plots that he was going to have, and the farmers contact information for each. He will have approximately 6 Instinct plots, and also 5 N-Serve Plots. Christy and I discussed this, and we agreed that we will probably not focus as much on the N-Serve plots as we will the Instinct. I called each of the famers on the Instinct list and was able to acquire plot information for three of the plots, and also located one of the fields. In two weeks, Christy and I plan on locating the rest of the fields together as this location is on her contact sheet as well. Following this, I ended the day with Co-Alliance in Danville. I spoke with Doug, the Manager of this location and he informed me that he was unable to get any plots out due to the season.

Wednesday, June 22^nd I acquired some more plot information from the previous day’s farmer list, and then traveled to Franklin for a lunch meeting with Rob Snepp. He is the farmer I sold Instinct too following the District Meeting. I collected his plot information and also located this field. I then traveled to CPS in Greensburg and met with Keegan Carmony. He also requested that I leave the plot information sheets as he was not sure how many he would have. He will be getting in contact with me as soon as these are complete. Following this, I traveled to the Premier Ag location also in Greensburg and met with Manager Michael Schwering. He provided me the information for their plot, and sent someone with me to locate and view this field. After leaving here, I traveled to Evansville, IN to stay the night for my visits in Kentucky the following two days.

Thursday, June 23^rd I met with Monty Parrish at Parrish Shop and Sales in Henderson, KY. He also provided me his plot information, and took me to view the field. I then visited CPS also in Henderson and met with Karl Dawson the Manager. He gave me the needed information for his N-Serve plot and drove me to view the field as well. He said that last week the farmer said he could notice a visual difference; however we were not able to notice anything this particular day. I ended the day at a different location where I put up field signs for one of our herbicide products.

Friday, June 24^th, I also spent the day in Kentucky. I began in Franklin, KY at Southern States. I traveled with Jeff Fowler to view some Sure Start fields that they were extremely pleased with. I was able to take pictures and he was right, the field looked great! He also took me to watch an airplane spray Urea on a field. Next, I traveled to Helena Gromor in Glasgow to meet with Nate, and unfortunately he was not there. So I left my business card with another employee there. I finished the day in Glendale at CPS where I met with Logan. He was one example of someone who still had their trial product. He said he had full intentions of using it but didn’t actually know all the details about mixing, what it could be used with, etc. With this said, he told me he would still try to get it out but could not promise anything.

I think this week of work was one of my most beneficial as far as learning goes, but it was also pretty challenging. I am learning that a lot of times, people will not return my phone calls. I'm sure this is normal, however it is worse when you are only an "intern." I started the week off very frustrated, but it taught me a lot of things including don't worry about stepping on peoples toes. What I mean by this is naturally I am a people pleaser. If a retailer doesn't answer or return my phone call, I often feel bad just stopping by unannounced. Well, unfortunately, I do not have time for this! So, I adjusted my topic of conversation or I will bring cookies or something with me... then of course they cant be mad! Works every time. :)

Also, I think this week was also the most challenging for me emotionally. I began to get a little homesick after experiencing a few unfortunate events. I told a good friend that it was times like this that made me miss home the most. Being a "big girl" is an absolute must for me!

-Macy

Weekly Work Broken Down:
Monday, June 13, I spent the day riding along with one of my reps, David Martin. We visited CPS in Roachville, Attica, and the Wingate Branch of Ceres Solutions.

Tuesday, June 14, was probably my most successful and enjoyable day on the job so far. I made a morning appointment to visit with Chris Price at Harvest Land in Bryant. I was under the impression that he already had two plots out, but it turned out that we delivered trial product to the two guys who will be putting out an Instinct plot. Following this visit, I then traveled to Union City and met with Derrick Mote, the Manager of Mote Farm Service, Inc. This was also a great visit because I was able to visit with him about Instinct for a good amount of time. He agreed to put in a plot for me to work with. I then went to the Ag Best office in Muncie, and found out that this particular location is the Corporate Office, Here I spoke with John, the General Manager and he encouraged that I visit the Agronomy locations. I then drove to Dunkirk and spoke with Andy, Manager, and Ryan, the Salesman for this Ag Best location. These guys asked me lots of questions and were very interested in Instinct. They were not aware that Agrotain only protected against volatilization. They were one of the two people that I received word of Agrotain not being readily available. After much discussion, they agreed to try some product, so I drove to nearest Helena location to pick up some product and delivered it back to Ag Best in Dunkirk.

Wednesday, June 15, I traveled with David Martin to CPS in Switz City. We talked with Rex Thornbury and Bill Fuller. They informed me that they will not have any plots due to the late season. Following this, we traveled to Traylor Fertilizer in Montgomery and took these guys to lunch. David and I were expecting just one of the salesmen, Brent Baker to attend, but it turned into 8 people. They were very inquisitive about Instinct and applying it with manure in the fall. After this, Brent, David, and I located two of my test plots. We located them, discussed the methods and application practices, and then traveled to meet with the farmer to collect the needed data. I was very excited to actually find and begin working on my first two plots.

Thursday, June 16, I traveled to Noblesville to meet with a rep and discuss my plots in her territory. In this area, we are very far behind and I have been finding that guys either just applied Instinct to the whole field, or not at all. I also provided her with some sales sheets that I requested and picked up from the Dow AgroSciences Headquarters. After this morning, we traveled to the CPS location in North Grove. We discussed some of their various needs and potential products, and then took them to eat. They do not know if they are going to have a plot yet, but they spoke of a lot of opportunity and assured me they would try to get one out.

On Friday, June 17, I worked on organizing my information and contacts for each person’s specific territory. I strive to pick up at least one business card or point of contact at each location I visit or work with. One of my reps showed me a great method he has for his organization of contacts, so I am working towards something similar. I also entered plot information I collected into my excel data sheet provided. Lastly, I compiled a list of goals I have for myself for the remaining days of my internship and set a tentative schedule for the upcoming week.

While I promised I wouldn’t include my weekly report in my blog, I felt it was necessary this week because it really discussed what I did each day in detail. I am required to submit a bi-weekly report to the District Sales Manager every other Friday. This is a great way to keep me on my toes and definitely holds me accountable. One thing about working from home, is you have to be very self motivated. No one is there to make sure you are up and working, no one is really going to know your every move for the day, but if you don’t get up and get to working, it will soon began to show. If all of these towns sound a little strange, believe me, I KNOW! One of the most challenging parts of my job so far has just been learning the geography of the state. Someone will say, oh it is just North of ____ town. You know what that means to me? Time to pull out a map and see where____ town even is. Everyone refers to counties here also, again, means nothing at all to me. If I have learned one thing here, it is to not be afraid to ask for help or even ask what seem like a silly question.

Yesterday, as I flew home from a wedding in Wyoming, I sat next to one of ht neatest individuals I have ever met. He asked me what my major was, so I told him. Come to find out, he is a Leadership Consultant! Talk about small world. I feel like since I have been working for Dow, I have come to really enjoy time to just be quiet since I talk all day every day with people. However, I was so intrigued by this man; we talked the ENTIRE flight, even to baggage claim. I asked him what his perception of my generation was in the work force, and he provided me the exact answer the recruiters at Dow AgroSciences also told me early in the training process. Kids in my generation expect more than they really deserve, regarding pay and job titles in the workforce. Why is this? Who knows! But I can honestly say that I am guilty myself, I expect to graduate college and just have this awesome job. He told me that a raise becomes effective, when you do. Such a good point. Why should a company pay you more when you aren’t producing for them? Anyways, I could definitely get on a soap box because I LOVED every minute of our conversation, but I will refrain.

I am falling more in love with my job and Indiana each and every day. It is so crazy how fast you can adapt and conform to the lifestyle around you. Before I began this job, I could hardly picture myself walking through a corn field wearing work boots. Now, it is just the norm and I find it so much fun. I know I will be ready to come back to Texas when the time comes, but as for now, I will just enjoy every minute of life in the Midwest.

Blessings,
Macy

Continue to stay updated! :)

Howdy!

It’s hard to believe that I have already been living in Indy for one whole month! Time sure does fly when you are having fun! Last week I had the bright idea that I would also post on my blog what I turned in to my supervisor in the format of a “weekly report.” Well…. A good friend informed me that she had no idea what I was talking about, so I will leave that part out this week! ;)

This week was one of my favorite weeks on the job so far. Monday, I spent my last “ride a-long” day with my Mentor, Jeff Cole. We visited 6 different fields for various service calls. The weather here in Indy jumped from 60 one week, to 90 the next, so needless to say… the corn was a little stressed (as were the farmers.) On a service call, our job is simply to visit and evaluate the field, and try to come up with a solution of what could possibly be wrong or how the plants were damaged. It could be anything to weather, chemical burn, or possibly even compaction in the soil due to large amounts of rain. This was a rather long (and HOT) day, but each and every day I spend in the field, I learn so so much.

On Tuesday morning, myself and the other intern (Zach) headed to Louisville, KY for the Central Mid-West District Meeting. We spent the next two and a half days here really learning a lot about our specific territory, as well as Dow AgroSciences in general. One extremely neat thing that I took away from this week was the Personal Talent Inventory (PTI) that we completed. When I say completed, I guess as an intern I should just say the PTI that was completed for me! I am guessing this was done by the four Sales Reps that I work with, in addition to my boss the District Sales Manager. If you are familiar with this, people just tell all the areas where they feel you are extremely good at, and maybe a few areas that you can “continue to develop these talents to become a real strength.” It is neat to see what everyone has to say about you, and definitely good to see areas where you could probably improve.

While I think this exercise would be somewhat difficult to complete with a large group, a group of co-workers, small class, or clubs and organizations would be the perfect opportunity for this. In fact, it was definitely a view on leadership that I have never taken part of until now.


On Thursday, Zach and I made the journey back to Indianapolis and included a few stops along the way. He needed to stop and meet with a grower to collect some Chlorophyll samples. Me on the other hand, I had to stop and meet a farmer…. Where I am pleased to say that I made my first official sale of the summer! The Manager at a Crop Production Services (CPS) location asked that I go and visit with this guy about possibly using Instinct on his fields. As you know, Instinct is one of the Nitrogen Stabilizer products that I am focusing on this summer. I must admit that it was a little bit awkward just walking into the field, sales sheets in hand, and start initially trying to make a sale. He initially told me that he would use the product for 20 acres…. Not sufficient for this chick! Seeing how he was already side-dressing (method of applying fertilizer where the Instinct would be mixed) I was able to get him to agree on 200 acres! Much better! This was a good feeling to be able to tell my boss that I sold him that amount of product. In addition to making a sale, I developed a great relationship with this particular individual and I know he will be a great person to work with throughout the rest of the summer as I follow up on the results of this product.

On Friday, I had somewhat of a “slower” day as I focused a lot of my efforts on setting me appointments for the following week. I am now completely on my own, so I am the boss of my own schedule from here on out. I expect to have between 30-40 different plots, so as you can imagine, this is going to keep me very busy. It is neat to be only an intern but have the large amount of responsibility that I have.

As each day passes, I continue to learn more and more about myself. I have learned how to be content spending a lot of time completely alone, I have gained an appreciation for small things such as having a washer and dryer in the home, and I have truly been reminded that in order to gain big, you also have to risk big.

Blessings,
Macy

Two weeks down, many to go! :)

Hello Friends,

My week in detail is as follows:

-On Tuesday, May 31 I spent the day again riding along with my mentor and sales rep, Jeff. We visited Co-Alliance in Kempton and they will not be having any Instinct plots (my assigned summer project) because they strictly use Anhydrous. We then went to Co-Alliance in Michigantown and received a tour of the facilities. A group of five Dow Formulation Team members wanted to see the mixing process to gain a better understanding of how the products they make actually work. Joe, the Manager at this location told us how much he liked Sure Start as he said “it works too good!” We then went to visit a farmer whose corn was at V-2/V-3and wanted to know if he could still apply Sure Start (A herbicide).
-Wednesday, June 1 I spent with my sales rep, Jamie where we visited a few locations in her territory. After one particular visit, the Manager then called her to order an additional 500 gallons of Sure Start after seeing us that morning. We also dropped off some Sale Sheets for the new Instinct Sidedress label.-On Thursday, June 2 I spent the day on the road by myself dropping off sale sheets at various locations in Jamie’s territory. While at each of these locations, if I was able to speak to the Manager, I asked and gained information about Instinct plots and if they were going to have any or not. I went to Harvest Land in Lapel, CPS in Fairmount and Warren, Helena in Markle, Harvest Land in Decatur and Williams, Helena in Berne, Harvest Land in Bryant and Winchester, and lastly Harvest Land in Lynn.
-On Friday, June 3rd I also spent the day doing visits and dropping of Sale Sheets and I also took some Instinct notepads with me. This day I visited CPS in Homer, New Salem, Straughn, Rushville, and Williamsburg. I also went to Harvest Land in Hagerstown, Mt. Summit, Dunreith, and Wilkinson. I tried to acquire information about potential plots for these locations as well but since the weather was nice, the majority of the time I was only able to speak with the Secretarys. Also, because planting has taken place so late, most guys are either going to apply Instinct to the whole field, or not at all. The locations on Thursday and Friday told me they had just began planting within the past day or two, so they were extra far behind.

Thursday and Friday were my first two days to actually travel alone. From Tuesday evening until Friday, I put over 900 miles on my vehicle! These two days were a little challenging just that everyone was super busy trying to plant corn, therefore did not really have a lot of time to provide me. I understand people are busy, however if it were me, I might just try to be a tiny bit nicer! :)

One major difference in the social style of Texas and Indiana is that people here are not near as friendly as we are in the Lone Star State. For whatever reason this may be, it is definitely something I have to take into consideration as I make my various visits and stops with customers. In addition, spending a lot of time on the road alone and meeting with people who act like they do not have time for you, will make for a long few days. I can honestly say that I miss getting to interact with people as I have in previous jobs, but I just have to remember that this time of year for farmers, is extremely crucial with as far behind as they are.

Just a point of reference, ALL Corn had to be in the ground by June 5th, and the guys I visited Thursday and Friday told me they had just begun planting. Talk about stress!! They had to work all night long to complete the planting before June 5th.

I am beginning to make some friends here, which is so helpful. This experience has reminded me how many simple things I take fore granted. I never thought being here, knowing nobody would be as much of a challenge as it really is. I forgot how nice it is to attend church and recognize familiar faces. Nope, not here. I can go anywhere in the whole city and not know a single person. I forget how nice it is to just be able to call a friend and go hang out. This summer is definitely going to teach me who I really am and allow me to grow up more than I could have ever imagined. With that said, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I feel extremely blessed to be here and I love my job more and more every day. It is like no other feeling to be able to learn all of the technical information and actually be able to apply it and help farmers with their crops that provide their families total income. I am truly trying to learn as much as I can each and every day so that I will be able to make a difference in American Agriculture as I had originally hoped.

Blessings,
Macy