PROFITABLE GROWTH SERVICE, LLC Of MORAVIA, NY 315-209-9145 Profitable Growth Services, LLC. “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established”, Psalm 16:3 January 22, 2015 My Professional Opinion on the State of the CCA and the Retailer Industry I do not write this with any hidden agenda or ulterior motive. I believe my views on agriculture and the environment are well documented and speak for themselves. What I will provide in this statement is a view that has been developed over the course of my career in the retail industry and the inside view that I developed based on observations, discussions and personal experiences with fellow Certified Crop Advisers within the industry. The Agricultural Industry with in the United States is truly a well oiled machine. It is capable of producing an abundance of food for not only the Citizens of the United States but also for the World. These statistics are well documented and cannot be refuted. This capability has been through a series of events, plans, and acts that fostered agricultural independence and allowed the American Farmer an opportunity to literally grow as little or as much as his imagination would take him. However, I am here to submit that, perhaps, the system is becoming unbalanced. We have a system that is very efficient. However, at what point do we trade the Principles of Sustainability that are laid out in Articles for an organization such as the Certified Crop Advisor Program for increased efficiency? The Supply Chain has been refined to a razor sharp spear. The Agronomists who are in the United States Retail System are the very small group of people at the Tip of that Spear. I can personally testify to the fact that professionals with CCA credentials will have to meet demands of the industry and perhaps more often than not fall on the side of “efficiency”. This is not necessarily a premeditated choice. Rather, the constraints of Efficiency placed on facility management by other forces, both internal and external, will lead to the sacrifice of making Best Recommendations that the CCA may know should be made but can’t. I contend that the Spirit of the CCA program has been lost within the Retail Chain. Now, I am NOT saying that this is the case everywhere. I cannot make such a claim as I do not know everyone. However, I can say that as Retailers become larger the demands of a larger and more efficient supply chain will overshadow the Spirit of the CCA program. In the end the Program is compromised and this makes for a dilution of the Value Proposition to the farmer. Hence, a CCA looses their professionalism to the customer. Too many CCA’s in this position leads to a Commoditization of the Program and a Loss of Intent. This is why the 4R initiative is so important.

January 22 cca position paper

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PROFITABLE GROWTH SERVICE, LLC

Of MORAVIA, NY 315-209-9145

Profitable Growth Services, LLC. “Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established”, Psalm 16:3

January 22, 2015

My Professional Opinion on the State of the CCA and the Retailer Industry I do not write this with any hidden agenda or ulterior motive. I believe my views on agriculture and the environment are well documented and speak for themselves. What I will provide in this statement is a view that has been developed over the course of my career in the retail industry and the inside view that I developed based on observations, discussions and personal experiences with fellow Certified Crop Advisers within the industry. The Agricultural Industry with in the United States is truly a well oiled machine. It is capable of producing an abundance of food for not only the Citizens of the United States but also for the World. These statistics are well documented and cannot be refuted. This capability has been through a series of events, plans, and acts that fostered agricultural independence and allowed the American Farmer an opportunity to literally grow as little or as much as his imagination would take him. However, I am here to submit that, perhaps, the system is becoming unbalanced. We have a system that is very efficient. However, at what point do we trade the Principles of Sustainability that are laid out in Articles for an organization such as the Certified Crop Advisor Program for increased efficiency? The Supply Chain has been refined to a razor sharp spear. The Agronomists who are in the United States Retail System are the very small group of people at the Tip of that Spear. I can personally testify to the fact that professionals with CCA credentials will have to meet demands of the industry and perhaps more often than not fall on the side of “efficiency”. This is not necessarily a premeditated choice. Rather, the constraints of Efficiency placed on facility management by other forces, both internal and external, will lead to the sacrifice of making Best Recommendations that the CCA may know should be made but can’t. I contend that the Spirit of the CCA program has been lost within the Retail Chain. Now, I am NOT saying that this is the case everywhere. I cannot make such a claim as I do not know everyone. However, I can say that as Retailers become larger the demands of a larger and more efficient supply chain will overshadow the Spirit of the CCA program. In the end the Program is compromised and this makes for a dilution of the Value Proposition to the farmer. Hence, a CCA looses their professionalism to the customer. Too many CCA’s in this position leads to a Commoditization of the Program and a Loss of Intent. This is why the 4R initiative is so important.