Learn more about the open roles available at FBN.
At one point, Cotton Rohrscheib “entertained becoming a storm chaser.” Today, the serial entrepreneur works in the fast-paced culture of FBN as a territory manager. Rohrscheib shared with us how he went from giving a Ted Talk to helping to level the playing field for farmers.
Our “Why I Chose FBN” series features stories from employees across different roles, teams, and geographies on how they got to FBN, what it’s like to work here, and how their teams help fulfill our mission of putting Farmers First®.
I joined FBN in 2016 shortly before we launched FBN Direct and have been with the company almost since the beginning. I am based out of Central Arkansas and cover the mid-south region including Arkansas, Mississippi, and Alabama.
I routinely assist growers in reducing costs and increasing profit potential through a variety of means: crop protection products; input, operating, real estate, and equipment financing options; and agronomic data management and analysis.
Throughout my career I’ve had the opportunity to work with some extremely brilliant and talented people, but our team at FBN is the absolute best I’ve ever worked with and without a doubt the best in the industry. Our culture at FBN is also second to none. Our people come from so many different backgrounds but are brought together by shared goals and vision.
My family is also engaged in agriculture and operates a large row crop and cattle operation here in Arkansas.
I’ve always been an entrepreneur. My career started right out of high school when I launched one of the first ISPs (internet service provider) in the South and went on to sell the company a few years later and launched a successful web hosting company with thousands of clients globally. I also started a software company that developed some pretty niche applications for the real estate industry. I also launched an online store specializing in e-commerce sales of low-carb foods that I eventually sold. In 2001, I co-founded an award winning advertising agency that worked with NASCAR, Walmart, etc. I’ve also been involved in and invested in a handful of startups over the years.
Around the time I sold my agency we adopted our son, Spencer, so I took some time off to consider my next career move and even entertained becoming a storm chaser. During this time, I was asked to do a TED Talk so I chose agriculture as my topic. The talk was titled, “Biting the Hand That Feeds Us.” Following my talk, I had multiple people connect me with some of the guys at FBN so we began talking and sharing ideas before I actually joined the company.
I fell in love with the mission and vision of the company. I consider FBN to be the last chapter of my professional career, and I want to do something that's going to have an impact on future generations.
Agriculture has always been near and dear to my heart, and I’m very familiar with how the industry oligarchs have taken advantage of farmers. Our vision of a network of growers, sharing information, purchasing products together, and buying directly from the manufacturer (Farmers First, GCS, and Willowood) levels the playing field.
Even though we’ve been in business for 10 years, I feel as if we’ve only just gotten started in so many ways. Our impact is already evident across the United States.
A career at FBN should not be thought of as a bullet point on your resume. The agriculture industry is complex and doesn’t always accept change easily. It takes hard work, dedication, and time to move the needle. The pace at FBN moves pretty fast at times and requires a lot of agility and hustle. There are easier jobs out there but none as rewarding as being a part of a team like FBN.
I’m an avid gardener and history buff. I enjoy spending time with my son and being outdoors.
FBN is disrupting the ag industry by offering data-driven ag insights like our Ag Chemical Price Transparency Report, direct-to-farm delivery of farm inputs, groundbreaking ag chem transparency through our Price Intelligence Tool, the land parcel assessment tool AcreVisionSM, and ag financing solutions. We hire talented individuals in warehousing, marketing, sales, procurement, and more to help serve farmers.
Learn more about the open roles available at FBN.
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