System Road Trip Drives Grain Originators to Success

Driving to certification sessions turned into an educational experience of its own

More than one year ago, Dave Snowdon, a Zone Origination Specialist from Central Ontario FS and Great Lakes Grain FS, and Heather Miller, a Grain Originator with AGRIS Co-operative and Great Lakes Grain FS, embarked on a journey that would expand their horizons in unexpected ways.  

Heather and Dave were selected along with four other Retail Grain Unit employees from across the FS System to participate in the Certified Grain Originator course, designed as a next-level certification program similar to the Certified Crop Specialist program. The course allows employees to improve their knowledge of finance and accounting, professional sales, legal authority, record keeping, grain marketing, and enhances their awareness of the GROWMARK System grain network across North America.  

What started as an effort to earn their certifications soon turned into an educational road trip as they incorporated stops at GROWMARK and FS System locations as they drove from Ontario to the different locations where course sessions were held throughout the year.  

Here are some of the System sites they stopped at for tours with employees or simply drove by the physical locations after hours: 

• GROWMARK’s Lakeside Grain Trading in Chicago 

• GROWMARK St. Louis barge terminal on the Mississippi River 

• TGM Illinois locations in Arcola, Champaign, Lovington, Cadwell, and Shelbyville 

• FS GRAIN Illinois locations in Kankakee and St. Anne 

• Countless fields outside the car windows to watch the progress of many crops grown in the Midwest 

Dave said their travel time between locations presented a unique opportunity to examine the growing crops in the Midwest as the USDA released their planting and harvest forecast reports throughout the season.  “This opportunity to travel through the heart of American agriculture allowed us to share firsthand knowledge with our local Ontario producers of the crop conditions in the USA”, says Dave, “ This visual knowledge helped us to differentiate ourselves from our local competition and provide value back to our shareholder members.” 

In Chicago, the pair got to tour Lakeside Grain Trading, a recent and unique addition to the GROWMARK System, due to its connection with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange as the last remaining par value delivery warehouse.  “At GROWMARK’s Lakeside Grain, we saw innovations in unloading, and at MID-CO’s winter outlook meeting, we had the opportunity to hear some world-class speakers,” Miller said.  

Dave and Heather would like to thank GROWMARK’s Andy King, Northern Region Senior Field Trainer, for spearheading the program, and Great Lakes Grain FS teammates Devin Homick and Petra Hathaway.  They would also like to thank GROWMARK’s Joe Kapraun, Katelyn Schwiderski, and Ryan Hesterman, Collin Graves with FS GRAIN, and  Don Kabbes with the AGRIS Co-operative, for sharing their time and knowledge, and the staff of Lakeside Grain Trading in Chicago for showcasing their facility.