Announcing an Advancement in our Refined Fuels DeliveryWe’re excited to announce that we are converting to a remarkable new fuel delivery system called Cenex® Automated Fuel Delivery.

The program provides our customers with two primary benefits:

1) Customers never have to check their tanks and worry about ordering fuel again, and 2) Customers don’t have to pay for fuel until they use it, which helps improve cash flow and ultimately their bottom line.

At the heart of the system is a fuel monitor that we install in our customer’s bulk fuel tanks, at no cost. When fuel levels change, the system automatically generates a fuel order, and delivery trucks are routed from the Cenex distribution center via GPS technology. Our customers will continue to receive the same dependable Cenex® fuels and same reliable, personal service from our cooperative. The only difference is their fuel will now be delivered by CHS, our fuel supplier. This is advanced technology at its best – providing more convenience for you while helping make your cooperative more efficient.

Fuel is always there when our customers need it. And the best part is, they don’t have to pay for it until

they use it. That’s right, customers can opt for Deferred Billing – meaning they are billed only for the fuel they actually use each month, similar to the way they are billed for their monthly electricity usage. (No more paying for fuel that’s sitting in our customer’s tanks.)

Article continued on page two

Advancement in our Refined Fuels Delivery– Viafield is converting to new fuel delivery system called Cenex Automated Fuel Delivery. Pages 1-2

Viafield welcomes Safety Leader Kevin Davis. Page 2

Explore Career Opportunities at New Website Career Section. Page 5

Viafield Voice 2

Average Monthly Pricing is a real advantage with today’s price swings. Customers maintain total control over fuel supply management, with the flexibility to contract fuels or to own the fuel in their tank at any time.

We’ll be contacting fuel customers in the coming weeks to schedule a brief appointment for conversion to the Cenex Automated Fuel Delivery System. If customers aren’t already ordering bulk fuel from us, there’s

never been a better time to switch. It’s a new era in fuel delivery, and you

won’t find these proven benefits with any other program.

Letters informing our customers about this change will

be mailed in early August. A copy of the letter was emailed with this newsletter.

As always the energy team welcomes feedback, especially during this transition timeframe. If you have any questions on this transition please contact Energy Business Team Leader Mike Kuboushek at 563.380.6156

“We’ll be contacting fuel customers in the coming weeks to schedule a brief

appointment for conversion to the Cenex Automated Fuel

Delivery System.”

Meet your Safety Team Leader - Kevin Davis

Hello, my name is Kevin Davis. For those of you I haven’t met yet, I hope to get around to each of the locations in the next 30-45 days, so if you see me wandering around, don’t be afraid to come up and introduce yourself. In this first safety article, I’m going to start off with a simple safety concept: SEVEN SECONDS TO SAFETY.

It only takes seven seconds to ask and answer these three questions.

1) What is the greatest potential risk in this task that I’m about to perform?

2) Am I properly protected (personal protective equipment) and trained to perform this activity?

3) Do I need additional help?

If we all take just seven seconds to ask ourselves these three easy questions, we can reduce — if not eliminate — many of the accidents and incidents that occur at work and home. Stopping and asking these three questions is a very easy task that could save you, your team members, customers, or a family member from a terrible accident.

So, next time you’re getting ready to do any task — whether easy

or challenging — stop for seven seconds and ask yourself those three questions. If you cannot answer each of them with an answer that makes you feel you can do the task safely, step back and review the proper policies and procedures. If you still cannot comfortably answer the three questions, ask for help. Following this practice will reduce or eliminate the risk so that you or anyone else is not injured.

Safety is nothing too BIG to accomplish, it is just doing all the little things the right way and using common sense. Think Safety.

I look forward to meeting and working with you in the near future.

Article by Kevin Davis (See page 6 to learn more about Kevin and his new position.)

Six Things to Do Today to Get Business1. Send a handwritten note – everyone gets emails so a personal note can be more effective.

2. Clip and send an article of interest – especially if it impacts that client more directly.

3. Talk to a satisfied client and ask whom else you might help.

4. Send a thank-you note to someone who referred you.

5. Send a letter to the editor of a magazine or trade publication your customers read.

6. Call a client you have not talked to in two years. Maybe something changed that opens the door again.

Viafield Voice 3

Brian Dirksen- Precision Ag SpecialistRockford

Originally from Latimer, Iowa, Brian Dirksen has been involved in agriculture his entire life. With over 12 years of experience in precision agriculture, he has partnered with cooperatives like Viafield in the past to figure out their precision ag. During the next couple months Brian will be helping our producers company-wide learn about the latest precision farming technologies and the options that best fit their operations. Brian will also work with our agronomy team to train and educate them on the latest precision ag equipment. Brian and his wife Rhonda reside in Mason City, Iowa. Brian and Rhonda have four children: Brett (22), Katie (20), Paige (19) and Tess (16).

David Ulfers - Agronomy Account Relationship ManagerMarble Rock

A graduate of Iowa State University, with a B.A. in agriculture education and a minor in ag business, David Ulfers is Viafield’s newest addition to the agronomy team. David will work out of Viafield’s Marble Rock office, assisting customers with seed recommendations, fertilizer and chemical product information, crop scouting, and more. Prior to working for Viafield, David worked with Monsanto and Dekalb for 25 years as a retail account manager and a district sales manager. David is looking forward to developing good relationships with our customers and finding the right technology and products to bring value to their operation. In his free time David enjoys golfing, hunting and being activities in his three children’s (Amanda 23, Lexi 19 and Cody 16) athletic and school actives. David resides in Osage, Iowa.

Bill Hoffman - Agronomy Account Relationship ManagerArlington

Making the transition into agronomy sales, Bill Hoffman will be assisting Gary Benson and Dave Adams at Arlington to help customers develop profitable seed plans, forecast fertilizer needs and implement proactive chemical tactics to help produce a healthy and profitable crop. Bill will split his time between agronomy application and sales. Bill is originally from Jesup, Iowa, and has a B.S. in agriculture sciences from Western Illinois in Mccombs, Illinois. Bill and his wife Annette live in Maynard and have four children (Brittany, Tiffany, Dakota Anne and William).

Team Member SpotlightsThe team at Viafield is growing. Here are the new agronomy and feed faces you will see at your cooperative

*New Livestock Production Specialist — On August 1, we will welcome Mason Kolbet to our feed team. Mason has been hired as a livestock production specialist working with beef, dairy and swine. A graduate from Iowa State, he’ll be working mostly out of Rudd and Northwood and the surrounding area.

Brian Dirksen

David Ulfers

Bill Hoffman

Constructive Criticism: React, but Not the Wrong WayFor some people, the kneejerkreaction to any kind of criticism— constructive or not — is toget angry, lash out, or dismiss thefeedback. However, there are somevery good reasons to halt theseinstincts.

The first is that if you react defensively, you don’t fully allowthe criticism or suggestion to sink

in. Unfortunately, the instinct toprotect your ego could easily keepyou from making positive changesin your behavior. Even if you findyour first reaction to be irritation,give feedback time to marinate.You may encounter criticism thatdoesn’t seem fair, even after timehas passed, but you may also findthat the more you allow yourselfto calmly consider constructivefeedback, the more you can growfrom it.

Even if you’re certain there isn’tone, look for the grain of truthin criticism. It’s true that a personcould lash out at you becausehe or she is having a bad day.Still, you’re likely to find at least

some truth in any criticism, evenwhere the deliverer is influencedby something other than yourbehavior.

Balance it out. Being open to constructive criticism doesn’t mean you have to agree with every assessment of you, your work, or your behavior. Still, there’s a balance to be sought between taking everyone’s opinions of you to heart and refusing self-reflection altogether. To grow, you must first be willing to listen, then willing to consider that you could be wrong, and finally, willing to change.

Viafield Voice 4

Tools at Your Fingertips - Paylocity UpdateViafield recently switched payroll vendors to Paylocity and it has been a system success! Team members are encouraged to access and register their account by going to this secure link https://login.paylocity.com. A Self-Service Brochure was sent out to assist with the first log-in

(registration) experience. And there is also a quick training video to show you how to register the first time you log-in at the following link as well. http://www.paylocity.com/resources/webpay/employee/Initial_Login/Initial_Login.htm. You will need our company ID, which is B3559, in order to access or register the account. You may want to put that ID number on a sticky note (for reference) next to or on the public computers that have multiple users.

The Paylocity Web Pay system provides many tools and much information at your fingertips. And as we become more familiar with

the features of the system, more tools will be added to the portal for your convenience. Thank you to our team members who have already registered and updated information in their account. Please stay tuned to your email regarding our next transition to the Timeforce II timekeeping system in July and August.

“Check out our career section of the website…we want our team members to continue developing as Viafield grows opportunities!”

Current Full-Time Openings• Agronomy Applicator - Northwood • Grain Marketing Relationship Manager- East Region, Location TBA• Feed Truck Driver - Elgin • Marketing Communications Team Leader - Location TBA

Viafield Voice 5

The Viafield Voice section dedicated to you, our team members

Years of Service HonorsWe thank team members who have accomplished years of service milestones for their hard work!

Explore Career Opportunities at New Website Career SectionThe human resources team and senior leadership welcome current team members and prospective team members to view the new career section located on the CAREERS tab on the green bar on the homepage of the website.

The cooperative industry is experiencing changing business needs and Viafield recognizes those needs and understands that we must

also continue to adapt and grow. The career page, which gives viewers a chance meet our team, see career opportunities and follow Viafield in the Twitter world (twittersphere), among other things, is just as much for current team members seeking new opportunities as those looking to join our family.

The section, which is broken into five main areas, features:

Career Home - Welcome note, calendar of events and a Twitter feed introduces visitors to this section.

Why Viafield - A summary of our benefits and success as a cooperative are highlighted.

Meet our Team - Team member testimonals and spotlights are featured.

Career Homepage Screenshot

Join our Team - Job postings and a look into our culture.

Internship Program - Students interested in our internship programs can search this section to get a snapshot of our program.

Congratulations!To Dennis and Whitney Link on their June 16 marriage!

We wish the happy couple the best of luck!

Congratulations to team member Rich Koenigisfield on his recent retirement from Viafield. Rich retired after 34 years working in Marble Rock as a refined fuel sales specialist.

Rich also wants to thank everyone on the Viafield team for making his job fun! “The co-op has been so good to me, and although I am sad to no longer see my teammates and customers everyday, I will never forget my experience here!”

We wish you the best of luck Rich! You will be missed.

Best in ShowCongratulations to Hayley Hamilton and her calf Randy. The daughter of Charlie Hamilton, Hayley won the over all grand champion calf at the Buchanan County fair. Randy’s feed was made in our Viafield Maynard location.

Viafield Voice 6

Cultivating Excellence: Effective Leadership Development SeriesIt is my pleasure to introduce a new initiative created by our Senior Leadership Team that supports Viafield’s growing opportunity as it relates to developing our current team members. It is important Viafield continue to invest in training

team members to sustain our growth into the future. Cultivating Excellence: Effective Leadership Development Series is a year-long program, beginning in the next couple months, designed to enhance a variety of skills for high potential team members. Our partnership with Land O’ Lakes will provide superior trainers to lead the sessions. In order to financially support this initiative, our partnership with Stateline Cooperative will help defray the cost of the program. The first group of team members selected have wholeheartedly agreed to commit their time and effort in

applying the practical techniques they learn in their current or possibly future positions with Viafield. Please keep in mind if the Cultivating Excellence Series is a success, we expect to send a select group each year to ensure those who show interest in growing with Viafield have the opportunity to do so. The goal is to positively impact Viafield’s forward direction as we work together to build our team atmosphere and move Viafield to the next level. We ask that you too support our team members in this endeavor, as the program and Viafield will be more successful with everyone’s support. As always feedback is welcome.

Safety - Name of the Game - Safety Leader HiredViafield has hired Kevin Davis as ournew Safety Team Leader. Kevin willhead implementation of programsand procedures to control, eliminate,and prevent negative health andsafety situations.

“Our main goal in hiring a safetyleader is to keep our employees andcustomers safe,” says Kent Appler,CEO. “Adding this position to oursenior leadership team is evidence ofthe priority we place on safety. HiringKevin will build upon the work oursafety committee has done to keep

us ahead of the game when it comesto safety.”

With over 21 years of experience as aNationwide Agribusiness Insurancerisk management consultant forcooperatives such as Viafield and 27total years working with agriculturein the area, Kevin comes wellequipped for the job.

In his new role, Kevin will provideteam member training, assist withDepartment of Transportation (DOT) safety and compliance, as well ascollaborate with other organizationsto ensure thorough safety riskmanagement. He will investigate,inspect and audit our feed, grain,agronomy and energy activities inaccordance with health and safetylaws, standards and regulations andcontinue to work with CompassConsulting Services, Viafield’s currentcompliance safety consultants.

Kevin gets excited when talkingabout where the Viafield Team isgoing. “Part of Viafield’s growingopportunity involves deliveringservice that is reliable, but safe at thesame time. I look forward to assistingin that goal.”

Kevin lives in La Porte, Iowa, with hiswife Sue, who he has been marriedto for 27 years. His son Ralph is asenior at Loras College in Dubuqueand his twin girls Mary and Molly areseniors at Don Bosco High School inGilbertville, Iowa.

Please contact Safety Team LeaderKevin Davis at (563)387-7572 if you have any questions about Viafield’s safety policies and procedures. Kevinwill be stationed out of our Maynardoffice. See Kevin’s first safety column on page two.

Timeforce TrainingJuly 24 - 7:45 a.m. Marble Rock, Rockford, Rudd and Napa July 25 - 7:45 a.m. Northwood, Manly, Carpenter, Grafton and LondonJuly 30 - 7:45 a.m. Arlington, Lamont and WinthropJuly 31 - 6:15 a.m. Elgin, Clermont and the C-Store August 1 - 6:15 a.m. Maynard, Randalia and Sumner

All Sales Meeting August 2 - 9:30 a.m. Sleep Inn Hotel, Charles City, Iowa

Location Leader Meeting August 23 - 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Sleep Inn Hotel, Charles City, Iowa

Pre-Harvest Training:August 28 – 8:00 a.m. Clermont, at 1:00 p.m. ArlingtonAugust 30 – 8:00 a.m. Marble Rock at 1:00 p.m. Northwood

The following topics will be reviewed (with approximate times): LOTO/Machine Guarding - 45 minutesConfined Space/Housekeeping - 60 minutesPPE/Fire Ext/Hot Work/EAP - 60 minutesOSHA update - 15 minutes

Cultivating Excellence: Effective Leadership Development SeriesAugust 14-15 - 9:00 a.m. Best Western, Clear Lake, Iowa