AgCentral Farmers Coop Gains Full Ag Retailer and Agronomy Operation Capabilities with Ever.Ag Solutions
Company Overview
AgCentral Farmers Coop is a farmer-owned, farmer-operated business providing goods and services for agricultural operations and enterprises for 75 years. Headquartered in Athens, TN, AgCentral delivers quality service to the everchanging needs of its producers and partners. With over 200 employees who operate feed mills, grain and agronomy divisions, multiple ag retail stores, tractor and equipment sales, and a dairy division that includes route sales, support and installation, their operation is multifaceted and requires the pooling of resources to manage the complexities within the agriculture industry.
Challenges
The system they had been using was outdated and insufficient to handle multiple workflows. In addition, reporting was delayed and tedious for employees to keep current, and the poor user interface further delayed workflow. AgCentral operates multiple divisions of an agribusiness, including a feed mill, grain contracting, agronomy sales and services, ag retail sales, equipment implement, sales and services. With operating multiple divisions, AgCentral needed to keep accurate records of customers, transactions, inventory, and services.
Objective
AgCentral wanted to modernize the technological capabilities of its ERP system to improve management and visibility of the multiple aspects of cooperative operations. The coop needed to gain efficiency in overall workflow and streamline processes to continue to add value for their customers and farmer-owners.
Furthermore, it was important for AgCentral to gain a user-friendly interface as well as solutions to manage daily agribusiness-specific operations, including:
- Tracking and generating reports
- Adding and maintaining customer records
- Managing service workflows
- Real-time access to data
- Mobile application capabilities
At a Glance
Challenges
- Outdated ERP system failed to manage all aspects of a complex coop.
- Lacking the ability to sufficiently run complete reports on batching and customer reports.
- Poor interface limited efficient user experience.
Objectives
- Establish a protocol to efficiently generate reports for all agribusiness activities.
- Implement a modern ERP solution to streamline operations.
- Gain modules customized to manage daily agribusiness-specific operations.
Results
- An ERP solution capable of managing specific agribusiness operations.
- A streamlined process for report generation.
- Optimized workflows from. order input to customer records and service.
“I’ve dealt with really good people at Ever.Ag – from implementation to continued service – and that’s why we continue to work with them.”
Solution
AgCentral collaborated with Ever.Ag to implement an agribusiness-focused ERP solution, Merchant Ag. The coop utilizes the solution’s patronage, fertilizer, and grain modules. Using the accounting management software solution, they streamline and eliminate time-consuming steps for the coop. It records and maintains customer details, including tax exceptions, compliance paperwork, and chemical and seed licenses.
With managing multiple locations and working in the field, office, or on the road, AgCentral needed to access data in real-time with mobile application abilities available with Merchant Ag.
Over time, as the marketplace continued to grow and new technologies emerged, AgCentral elected to add Ever.Ag’s comprehensive digital agronomy solution, FieldAlytics. The solution centralizes all field logistics and planning, which allowed them to elevate the farmgate conversation. As a result, the coop has streamlined operations in its agronomy division, including taking and completing work orders, maintaining accurate customer records, and saving time by having the ability to easily import and export data.
Result
By working with Ever.Ag solutions, AgCentral has established capabilities to manage all aspects of their coop, from
accounting, grain, energy, retail, and agronomy services. They have gained efficiency in daily operations and streamlined workflows by eliminating manual documentation and report generation. The integration between MerchantAg and FieldAlytics increased efficiency by an untold amount by eliminating the need for dual entry of work orders, optimized processes to enter customer data and real-time monitoring of inventory transactions.
“We used the grain module from early on. It’s been useful for maintaining the grain contracts, bookings, and position on ownership.” – John Walker, AgCentral
Furthermore, AgCentral appreciates Ever.Ag’s modern agtech solutions built to address the challenges and unique needs of operating multiple aspects of a cooperative. As growers continue to demand more in terms of product selection, convenience, and personalized service, the coop has embraced technologies that focus on adding value to farmer-owners and all their customers throughout the ag industry.
Learn more about how Ever.Ag creates digital links between the field and office.