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[00:00:08] Mike Howell:
The Dirt, with me, Mike Howell, an eKonomics podcast where I present the down and dirty agronomic science to help grow crops and bottom lines. Inspired by ekonomics.com, farming’s go-to informational resource, I’m here to break down the latest crop nutrition research, news, and issues, helping farmers make better business decisions through actionable insights. Let’s dig in.
[00:00:39] Mike Howell:
Well, hello again, listeners. Welcome back to The Dirt. Glad you’re tuning in this week. This is not our normal episode. We usually talk about agronomy and soil fertility. Quite honestly, I have no idea where we’ll end up today. I have invited somebody to be on the podcast, and I’m just going to tell y’all buckle up and be ready. This is going to be an exciting episode. I don’t know how we’ll get there, but she is full of energy and we’re going to cover some ground today. Angie Traetow, welcome to the dirt. And if you will, take just a minute and introduce yourself to our listeners. Let them know what you do.
[00:01:09] Angie Traetow:
Thanks, Mike. Well, I definitely have a lot to live up to with that intro. My name is Angie Traetow. Thank you so much for having me join you today. Grew up on a farm in South Dakota. Won’t tell you where. It’s the middle of nowhere, but my husband is from Minnesota and he got me to move to this beautiful state. We farm near Fairmont, Minnesota, farm, corn, soybeans, and we also do some custom work to diversify our operation a bit. Like many of your listeners, Mike, deeply rooted in agriculture. Growing up, I was active in 4-H, FFA.
[00:01:43] Angie Traetow:
I started my career as a sales agronomist, selling fertilizer, seed, chem. Since then, won’t tell you how many years ago, Mike, but since then at Nutrien, I’ve had different roles. Currently, my role at Nutrien is leading sales training and our employee development team across North America. Employee development, anything from soft skills training, sales training, and just that development of that employee to make sure that we service our customers. I have a team of seven, work directly, like I said, various teams across Nutrien. And, Mike, I also have a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old daughter. And between our family, our farm, and my role at Nutrien, truly, if I’m being honest, my cup runs over and I have lots of irons in the fire. A lot to keep me busy. And yeah, it’s definitely an honor to be here today.
[00:02:36] Mike Howell:
Well, we’re glad you’re here. I’ll understand how it is with the little ones. They will keep you busy. A little word of encouragement, it doesn’t slow down the older they get.
[00:02:43] Angie Traetow:
I know. I missed, Mike, too growing up on a farm here. We also have three farm cats. We just have three for now, so maybe the next time I join, I’ll let you know how many we have.
[00:02:52] Mike Howell:
Yeah, they tend to multiply.
[00:02:55] Angie Traetow:
Yeah.
[00:02:55] Mike Howell:
Angie, when we first met a couple of years ago, you said you were in charge of training, and that’s where we first met. And I have to make a confession before we get started. I saw your name on the program. I saw you had a four-hour time slot in our sales meeting. I said, “Oh my word. We have to listen to somebody train us for four hours. This is going to be boring. I got to get a lot of coffee to get through this session.” That was the fastest four-hour session I think I’ve ever sat through. We were on the edge of our seat the whole time. We got a lot out of it. And after we did the second session a few months ago, I said, “We have got to get her on the program. There’s a lot of information we can get here.” I hope you’re not offended by that first impression, but I have grown to appreciate what you do.
[00:03:31] Angie Traetow:
Oh, well, thank you so much, Mike. And when you love what you do, time goes by fast, doesn’t it? But I’m sure you would probably be the same. I really, really appreciate that.
[00:03:41] Mike Howell:
Angie, let’s dig in, talk a little bit about what we wanted to talk about today. Here at Nutrien, we are hearing a lot this year about being intentional in everything we do. And you spoke a little bit about that topic at a recent training session we were at in Chicago, and I thought that would be a good place to start today. What exactly does it mean to do things intentionally?
[00:03:59] Angie Traetow:
Well, I don’t think we have to overcook the goose. Being intentional, I think, just means acting deliberately with purpose and being proactive versus reactive. I think of examples of being intentional and how we can best support our customers is just how we show up to work every day, how we collaborate with others. Mike, it’s also how we treat people and doing what we say we’re going to do. Have that conviction. On my team, I think I shared this when I saw you at the last meeting, but we have a quote that we live by, and that is to work hard and be a good human. I don’t think it’s any more complicated or less complicated than that. Work hard and be a good human. And if you are intentional with that model, Mike, the results will follow. Simple as that. That’s what being intentional means.
[00:04:47] Mike Howell:
One thing I remember when you were talking about being intentional, you said if we intentionally cut out 15 minutes of something, and you use social media as an example, everybody is into social media. I try to stay away from social media, quite honestly. But if you would cut out 15 minutes of something and replace it with something to improve your life, and there’s a number of things that you could select from that, talk a little bit about the impact that could have over the year, how much time you could spend on improving yourself.
[00:05:12] Angie Traetow:
Well, you were close, Mike. I actually said 14 minutes, not 15. The reason why I said 14 is because 1% of 24 hours a day is 14 minutes. When you actually do the math, it’s crazy. And you’ll double-check my South Dakota math, but 14 minutes a day equals 98 minutes a week, 98 minutes a week, and that’s over two working weeks a year just by being more intentional. I’m with you, I don’t do social media. Once in a while, I’ll do Instagram because I love a good meme. I love a funny Reel. I am guilty in that department, but my guilty enjoyment is actually Facebook Marketplace. With the four-year-old and the two-year-old, I’m constantly looking for used farm boots or used bikes, clothes. They grow so dang fast. But you know what? Doing the math, Mike, I don’t want to be wasting two work weeks a year looking for deals on Facebook Marketplace. It definitely has impacted me.
[00:06:15] Angie Traetow:
So instead of just scrolling, scrolling, scrolling to wind down in my spare time, will I do some social media? I still will, but instead I try, Mike, to focus more on inspirational quotes or more productive material that betters me spiritually, betters me as a wife, a mom, a leader to our team, leader within Nutrien, and honestly, our greater egg community. Live in a small local egg community, try to find more productive material where I can make a bigger impact. Again, inspirational quotes, I’ll try to read market reports, I’ll try to read the news. Instead of scrolling, I also will try to consciously get up from my desk, maybe sometimes get some steps in, but it is like everything else, Mike. It definitely takes some discipline and some strong habits, but it is achievable when you set your mind to it.
[00:07:06] Mike Howell:
I couldn’t help but think when you were giving that presentation, how could this benefit farmers? They’re doing a lot of the same things we’re doing. They’re scrolling through the social media, but they can benefit from things like this as well. What if they were to do 1% of their time and focus on something else? What could they focus on and how could they improve a little bit?
[00:07:23] Angie Traetow:
Doing sales training, we teach others to have that pre-call plan, whatever customer meeting you’re going into, be prepared, have a plan. I was thinking you were maybe going to ask this question. I had a suspicion. I said, “I bet Mike’s going to ask this question.” So this morning, before my husband left the house, because my husband farms, I asked my farmer husband this question, this exact question, and he goes, “As farmers, we wear so many different hats and I don’t think we wear any of them super well.” So maybe your listeners will agree, will disagree, but in my mind, here’s what I think, Mike. I think farmers need to spend less time in the operational day-to-day and they need to spend more time being strategic and thinking big picture. It’s like we started this conversation, be proactive versus reactive.
[00:08:10] Angie Traetow:
And I think if our farmers spent more time trying to be strategic, “What is fuel doing? What are the fertilizer markets doing? How can I spread out risk in grand marketing? How can I manage that risk?” I think they should stop worrying about what their neighbors are saying. I think farmers could be more intentional and take emotion out of running their business. It’s not just a farm, it’s a business. So I think sometimes thinking about big picture can probably be nerve-wracking. I think including succession planning. Could farmers spend more time being intentional, thinking big picture, thinking about succession planning? I think that’s a topic being surrounded by farmers and working in the egg industry as long as I have, I think sometimes farmers are scared to think and talk about that or even seek professional advice on succession planning. But going back to being intentional, I’d like to challenge our farmers and our customers to take 1%, or 14 minutes, of their day and be more strategic and think about the big picture of their operation and their business.
[00:09:10] Mike Howell:
Angie, you’ve been doing this for a while and you’ve worked with hundreds of people, I’m sure, over the course of this program. Can you talk a little bit about some specific examples, how this has changed some people and some benefits you’ve seen from people doing this program?
[00:09:22] Angie Traetow:
First, I started my close circle. I would actually say both my husband and my dad, both farmers, but I think they have focused on being intentional in different perspectives. My husband is intentional by thinking outside of the box. We know we have to diversify our operation, Mike, to make our farm work. He partners with another farmer. I mentioned we do a bunch of custom work. He also needs to diversify. They do a bunch of custom work and it’s great on many different fronts, subsidizing equipment, networking. The list goes on and on there. My husband’s also very intentional on doing the research and not just doing what has always been done, especially regarding inputs and technology.
[00:10:06] Angie Traetow:
And I think I would challenge some of your listeners and some of the farmers out there to don’t just do what’s always been done. Utilize technology, maximize every acre on your farm. That is being intentional. You talk about how we can be more intentional, utilizing technology and maximizing every acre on your farm is being more intentional. Don’t be afraid of the technology. It can provide big returns, both from a financial perspective, but also the quality of life. Another motto, work smarter, not harder. Use the technology. Don’t be afraid to use it.
[00:10:38] Angie Traetow:
My dad, on the other hand, in South Dakota, I think he does a great job of being intentional from a succession plan perspective. He came back to farm, Mike, in 1984. As most of you know, that was not a great time to come back to the farm. He’s been very intentional with his succession plan to the point where he has communicated to all of us kids, even those that are off the farm, what that succession plan is, so there are no surprises. So we know exactly what the plan is when the next generation takes over. My brother is the fifth generation on our farm, and I think we’ve gotten to that point by being intentional in everything we do, including succession planning.
[00:11:19] Mike Howell:
We did a podcast on succession planning, and I encourage everybody to go back and listen to that. There was a lot of good information in that one. And I agree that’s something people are not intentional with. They tend to avoid that and we need to spend more time planning for that. Angie, we spent a lot of time talking about being intentional in our professional lives, but this can also move over into our personal life as well. Can you talk a little bit about how this can affect people’s personal life?
[00:11:42] Angie Traetow:
Yeah, absolutely. I think that it double dips significantly. From a personal standpoint, instead of scrolling social media or trying to find that good deal on Facebook Marketplace, I personally, Angie speaking here, I’ve dedicated more time trying to be spiritual, meditating. I’ve spent more time thinking about 14 minutes a day, how I can be more present. Like you said, those kids grow fast and in a blink of an eye, they’re growing up before my eyes. And how can I be more present and enjoy the moment? That’s one way. I think going back to that quote that I try to live by, work hard and be a good human. When you are intentional about being kind, respecting others, being intentional about being grateful, and letting your light shine to others, how you treat others and working hard, don’t worry about anything else. How you treat others and how you are in your character, the results will follow. I think from a personal perspective, try to live by that motto every single day and just impacting others and letting my light shine.
[00:12:46] Mike Howell:
Well, Angie, we really appreciate you taking time to visit with us today. We’ve covered a lot of topics here this morning. Is there any closing comments or anything you want to leave our listeners with before we wrap up?
[00:12:56] Angie Traetow:
There is actually, Mike. What I would say, talking about being more intentional, helping others, it was an honor to join you today. Hopefully, I did impact someone out there. My ask would be, as a listener, if I did impact you, my ask would be to pay it forward, help somebody else be more intentional, help somebody else kind of see the light and how just by spending 1% of your day, which is 14 minutes, be more intentional with those 14 minutes and how that can help somebody else. My ask would be pay it forward, help somebody else. And thank you so much, Mike, for all you do for our customers and for our greater ag industry. You are being intentional, Mike, in helping others, and it was such an honor to join you today.
[00:13:39] Mike Howell:
Angie, we really appreciate it. Listeners, we hope you’ve enjoyed this as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you today. And as Angie said, please forward this on to anybody else that you think could benefit from this. And if you will, hang around for just a couple of moments and we’ll be right back with segment two.
[00:13:54] Mike Howell:
Farming isn’t farming without questions, and now there’s a place to go for answers. At eKonomics, an entire team of agronomists is waiting and ready to help for free. No question is too big or too small. Visit nutrien-ekonomics.com and submit your question with the Ask An Agronomist feature.
[00:14:16] Mike Howell:
Listeners, welcome back for segment two. This is our Ask An Agronomist session, and we’ve got Dr. Alan Blalyock back in the studio with us. Alan, thanks for joining us again today.
[00:14:25] Alan Blaylock:
Thanks, Mike. It’s good to be here. I enjoy these discussions.
[00:14:28] Mike Howell:
Alan, we’ve got another question pertaining to sulfur today. And the question is, why has sulfur become one of the most limiting nutrients in our soils?
[00:14:36] Alan Blaylock:
It’s an interesting thing, Mike. Sulfur has become quite limiting in some areas because of the decrease in atmospheric deposition. What do I mean by that? Well, for many, many years, we had quite a bit of sulfur being admitted to the atmosphere through manufacturing processes, the use of fossil fuels, steel production, and a variety of other heavy industry that used coal or oil or gas, particularly coal, and emitted a lot of sulfur to the atmosphere, and then that sulfur would be deposited back to the ground in acid rain. And with the passage of the Clean Air Act in the early 1980s, we see now a very large reduction in this atmospheric sulfur because we’ve had to clean that sulfur out of emissions from power plants and factories. It’s not going into the air.
[00:15:27] Alan Blaylock:
The atmospheric sulfur contribution has diminished in some cases to almost nothing, where we used to get that sulfur deposited on the land for free, basically, now we see widespread sulfur deficiencies in many cropping regions, but this change has been the biggest in, say, the eastern half of North America where we had a lot of that heavy industry and a lot of that atmospheric sulfur deposition. And now we see that sulfur deficiency in many crops really on a widespread basis across the region. It’s one of the consequences of doing the right thing for the atmosphere, but now we don’t have that sulfur being deposited from the air. The Clean Air Act was definitely a good thing in that we’ve cleaned up those emissions, but the consequence of that is we now have to apply that sulfur to our crops.
[00:16:16] Mike Howell:
Alan, a lot of people are referring to sulfur as the fourth major crop nutrient these days just because of those reasons you described. Listeners, we want to thank you for joining us today. As always, if you need more information on anything we’ve talked about, you can visit our website, that’s nutrient-ekonomics.com. Until next time, this has been Mike Howell with The Dirt.
[00:16:37] Mike Howell:
Hey guys, if you like what you heard today, do us a favor and share this podcast with someone else. It could be your neighbor, your friend, your crop advisor, or whoever you think would enjoy it. Your support helps ensure future episodes. So please like, subscribe, share, and rate the show wherever you’re listening from.
