There are few businesses that I appreciate more than a trusty convenience store. The best ones are located right along the highway or near an offramp to minimize detours. They earn my repeat business because they have whatever I’m looking for, whether that be an emergency phone charger, an ATM, or a quart of oil. And when I’m on the homestretch of a long road trip, a lit-up convenience store sign shines like a beacon of hope when my gas gauge is nearing empty and my bladder is nearing full.
It seems like more businesses are embracing convenience as a staple component of their customer service. That convenience comes in the form of same-day shipping, at-home deliveries, and a never-ending selection of products to choose from. Whatever buyers want, they can have, and the pace of providing convenience only seems to be accelerating.
Despite the guise of quick and simple, though, it likely takes more work behind the scenes to make goods and services more convenient. This may result in higher production costs, but the trade-off is a consistent and satisfied customer base. Perhaps no one understands this exchange quite like those who make, market, or custom harvest hay.
This thought occurred to me during the National Hay Association’s (NHA) annual convention held in Frankenmuth, Mich., at the end of September. After meeting farmers at this convention and visiting dozens of other commercial hay farms across the country, it’s safe to say no two producers make or market their hay the same way. But what most hay businesses have in common is their willingness to meet customer demands and provide a product that’s most convenient for them.
Options abound
Within the parameters of their respective climates, farmers grow various grasses and legumes to be cut, dried, and baled into large square, small square, or round bales, depending on their target market. They can bale forage wet and wrap it for baleage, too, which is often a solution to overcome adverse weather in the humid regions of the U.S. or wherever there is a demand for a fermented product. Whatever the case, farmers adapt their approach to reflect what their customers want. Whether those customers are local dairy operations, horse owners who live states away, or international hay buyers doesn’t matter — the sale ultimately contains a component of convenience for the end-user.
Some haymakers take it a step further and invest in equipment that transform their products into an even more convenient package. Take the hosts of the NHA farm tour, brothers John and Mike Strieter, for example, who use hay dryers on their farm in Bay Port, Mich. With hayfields just miles away from Lake Huron’s Saginaw Bay, a humid atmosphere and unpredictable precipitation patterns can make it difficult to dry forage down to proper baling moisture, and the baleage market just didn’t make sense for the Strieters. Therefore, their hay dryers give them more flexibility to make and move hay off the field and into storage without compromising forage quality or delaying their harvest schedule. It’s convenient for them, and it’s convenient for their customers, who expect a consistent, high-quality product.
The Strieters also have a bale press that slices large square bales into small square ones — a convenience for horse owners who prefer to handle and feed bales by hand. This piece of equipment offers convenience to the Strieters, too, as they can take advantage of the harvesting efficiency of a large square baler while staying in the small square bale market.
In addition to demand for small square bales, many horse owners prefer buying hay by the bundle. That’s where bale bundlers come in, and a growing number of haymakers who sell small square bales are adding these in-field or stationary machines to their fleets. Whether it’s making large bales into small bales, or packaging small bales into large bundles, the objective for investing in specialized hay equipment is usually inspired by convenience.
Business values
Convenience is also the name of the game for custom forage harvesters with a wide range of services provided to a mixed bag of clientele. It’s not easy to balance several jobs at once when late summer alfalfa cuttings and corn silage harvest line up on the calendar, nor is it always feasible to accommodate individual requests. But custom forage harvesters find a way to manage flexible schedules because they know convenient service is at the root of repeat business.
I have found that most successful custom forage harvesting businesses prioritize communication highly among their list of values. That includes communication with their customers during the growing season about forage maturity, corn moisture levels, and scheduling conflicts; communication when harvest is over to assess their work and plan for the following year; and communication within their team, which often includes several members of the family.
In one way or another, haymakers and custom forage harvesters eventually find their niche. When they do, they make it their responsibility to meet customer demands and adapt to market trends. These farmers typically find that going the extra mile to cater toward their clientele pays off in the form of good relationships, trust, and consistent sales, which is convenient for everyone involved.
