Corey Holthaus is a 4th generation farmer who grew up in Kansas raising cattle. After high school, he ventured off to Kansas State where he studied Agricultural Economics with a minor in business and animal science.
He interned with a hybrids and chemical company while in college and eventually took a role as a District Sales Manager for the hybrids company. He eventually found his footing selling seed.
When he was approached to become an independent FBN® Community Builder in late 2019, he saw it as an opportunity to get into the chem business. While he had experience selling seed, he saw the potential to expand his business by selling chemicals.
One of the benefits of becoming a Community Builder was that he didn’t have to sink a lot of capital into the chemical stock he was selling. And not having to maintain inventory while still having the opportunity to sell, was huge.
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His sales experience helped him focus on goals for helping his growers. When he evaluates his growers’ needs, his goal is to focus on what benefits their entire operation. It’s this forward thinking strategy that has been successful with his core customers.
Holthaus explains that there are three things farmers need every year: chemical, seed and fertilizer. While he doesn’t deal with fertilizer, his main business is selling seed. And by partnering with FBN as a Community Builder, the ability to offer affordable inputs to his customers has opened up an entire new revenue stream for him.
“My seed business is what makes me money but, for me, having the chemical to offer my customers means that’s one less agronomist that has to go to their farm.”
But beyond that, Holthaus sees financing as a huge benefit for someone looking to purchase from FBN.
“Financing, that’s a huge deal. There’s not very many other companies that offers 0% financing from November to December of next year, or January of the next year. That is a huge advantage.”
He also sees the broad spectrum of products that FBN offers as another advantage to helping his growers.
“FBN as a whole is using a different platform and that’s selling online. It makes things a lot simpler when you can say, ‘pull up the app to find a price.’”
Corey’s built relationships with farmers that are meant to benefit the farmer. He wants his business and the farmers he’s working with to see him as someone who’s working with their best interests at heart.
At the end of the day, being a Community Builder helps him foster relationships that do what’s best for farmers and their operations.
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