Having the right tools available for the job you’re working on is critical in every job. Whether you work as an agronomist, mechanic, software developer, doctor or any other job; if you don’t have the right tools, the chance of creating successful outcomes for your clients decreases.

We recently had the privilege of speaking to Bernie Blasius, agronomist with Luckey Farmers Cooperative in Bradner OH, about this exact topic. Bernie has been an agronomist in the local area for over 25 years, helping growers with crops ranging from tomatoes and vegetables to corn, soybeans and wheat. Bernie had been using a few different legacy software solutions while working at a small local elevator, but none of these solutions presented themselves as the self-sufficient platform that Bernie was looking for.

Bernie explained to us: “While I was still working at the small local grain elevator and inputs supplier, I got acquainted with Luckey Farmers Cooperative as they started to service some of the larger growers that we were not able to service, and I saw how they used Agworld to provide their agronomic services. Not too long after that I started to look around at my job options, and one of the most important factors for me was going somewhere that would provide me with the right tools for the job.”

“For a 21st century agronomist, next to having a good vehicle and some other smaller pieces of equipment available, I believe that having access to the best possible digital platform to streamline all agronomic activities is key. I knew that Luckey Farmers utilized Agworld, and that is one of the factors that made me decide to join Luckey Farmers as an agronomist.”

Bernie adds: “I need to be able to write my recommendations in the field and not have to first go back to the office to then double-handle my data and create a recommendation on a desktop computer. I also need to be able to create a crop plan and budget together with my grower clients that they have access to, and that we can change in an instant if circumstances change. With both of us having access to all data on Agworld, it gives us a structured process of communicating back and forth. Especially in times like these when input prices are going through the roof, supply is constrained, and profitability isn’t guaranteed for every crop, it’s important to be able to help a grower pivot at a moment’s notice.”

It’s great to see, from our Agworld perspective, the difference that Agworld is making in the lives of growers and agronomists, and it is probably one of the biggest compliments we can get. At the same time, the exact same topic is important for Agworld when hiring new software developers and other staff. Agworld’s head of Human Resources Renee Farmer told me that one of the first questions that software engineers looking to work for Agworld ask is which tools they are provided with.

Renee: “A decision to join a new employer is not just based on salary or the number of vacation days per year, but about the tools you are provided with as well. At Agworld, we cannot expect our software engineers to create a cutting-edge agtech ecosystem with sub-par tools, and so we make sure they have the best computers, desk setups, and anything else they need from the day they start. We also focus heavily on team structures, support, software systems and everything else that makes our software engineers more effective.”

Renee continues: “I notice that it’s these, not so little things that play a significant role when people are looking for a new employer. Similar to why Bernie chose to join Luckey Farmers, we have software engineers joining us because they’ve heard from their peers which systems, technologies and way of working are used here.”

Having started my own career as a mechanic, I can certainly appreciate the importance of having the right tools for a job - and it’s good to see that this is starting to play a bigger role in many other jobs as well. And on a side note: Agworld has grown very rapidly as a business over the past 24 months and now that we are part of the Semios group, we are needing even more software developers to join our team and help us improve the Agworld ecosystem further. If you are interested in learning more about the tools and systems you’ll have available as software developer at Agworld, don’t hesitate to drop Renee a line on renee.farmer@agworld.com!