Day by Day

If you've heard of the magazine Farm and Ranch Living, you might be aware that one of their regular features is a collection of one-month diaries kept by their readers. Last October and November, I had the opportunity to keep one of those diaries. The issue with my diary included is hitting mailboxes as I write this.

Keeping the diary was a lot of fun but also harder than I anticipated. On days when we did special things like helping with my uncle's Cub Cadet plow day or traveling to Indianapolis to see my brother get his American FFA Degree, deciding what to write about was simple. However, because of the lengthened harvest, many days were the same as the one before - we combined corn or soybeans, all day. Finding something new to write about on those days was a challenge, but it was on those days that we did what needed to be done.

Kind of like in the GROWMARK System. Not every day is out of the ordinary; in fact, certain times of the year might feel a little monotonous, doing the same tasks over and over. But those days are perhaps the most important ones, because those days are when things get done - loads get delivered, fields get sprayed, and statements get mailed.

Even though it may not be exciting, the work you do on regular old days is appreciated. Thanks for doing what you do best - serving your farmer-owners!

Vineland Growers Celebrates 95 Years

This entry was provided by Janice Johnson, communications specialist for GROWMARK's Ontario Region.

On Sept. 12, 2008, Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd.celebrated 95 years of business success.

Most recently, the co-operative was recognized by achieving the highest score in overall business improvement throughout the GROWMARK North American System and was awarded the Most Improvement Award at GROWMARK’s Annual Meeting in Chicago. “This is such an honour for us, especially during our 95th anniversary,” says General Manager George Mitges. “We just keep building on our past successes and we see a very bright future ahead.” Plans are already underway to prepare for the co-operative’s 100th birthday celebration.

It all began with the initiative of four families of fruit growers that got together to form what is now known as the oldest agricultural co-operative in Ontario. Their purpose, at that time, was to merge their knowledge and skills to grow better fruit and in turn provide their customers with a premium quality product. Through their co-operation, better varieties of fruit were developed and, as increased production was realized, the four original members became better equipped to serve the needs of their customers.

Today, Vineland Growers is a thriving establishment that serves and supports more than 300 members. It is a valued and respected by the local community and surrounding area of the Niagara Peninsula fruit belt. The strength of acquisitions and mergers over the last five years has well supported the members and growers of the area’s finest fruit with produce such as strawberries, cherries, plums, peaches, nectarines, pears and grapes. Its retail stores stock everything from pruners to fertilizers.

The co-operative has three prominent locations throughout the Niagara fertile fruit-growing belt which are comprised of three retail stores, box and basket manufacturing, cold storage and warehouse facilities. A Cardlock fuel station is open to customers at its main branch in Jordon Station.

In spring of 2009, the co-operative’s management team and board of directors will attend the Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s 84th annual national convention and trade show in Toronto. The show is very well attended by approximately 2,000 vendors and attracts key decision makers and customers in the fresh fruit and vegetable industry. “We see this as an excellent opportunity to spread the Vineland Growers’ name out to a larger international audience of retail grocers,” says Mitges.

“So, almost 100 years later, there is still one thing that remains constant, says Vineland Growers Co-operative President Phil Tregunno. “Just like our four founding families, our members today are still the backbone to what keeps Vineland Growers Co-operative successful.”

A New Face in Corporate Communications

I'd like to introduce Aaron Waldeck, a senior at Illinois State University who is working part-time in the Corporate Communications and Marketing Services department at GROWMARK. Aaron will be working with me on Spirit and also on a variety of other communications projects.

He grew up as the fifth generation on a family corn and soybean farm near Farmersville, Ill. He was active in FFA and also played baseball and basketball. At ISU, he is a Public Relations major and intends to graduate in December 2009. He hopes to find a career where he can be creative, inventive, and work with people.

Aaron is a huge Chicago Cubs fan (I knew we got along for a reason!) and in his spare time likes to hunt, travel, and spend time with friends and family. Be sure to watch for his byline in upcoming issues of Spirit!

Everyday Moments of Excellence

Everyday, employees of the GROWMARK System go above and beyond to meet the needs of their farmer-owners. Moments of excellence occur in many ways, from the simple to the complex. It's because of these moments that we are able to enjoy continued loyalty and success.


Anyone can create moments of excellence. Isn't it time to take notice? And more importantly, show some appreciation?


I will be highlighting these moments in the Spirit magazine with a special feature story focusing on different moments of excellence, but I need your help. Because I can't be everywhere and see everything that goes on throughout the System, I am asking you to be my eyes and ears and nominate moments of excellence as they happen.


Moments can be anything you believe demonstrates excellence - to your co-workers, your customers, or your community. If you prefer, I will keep your nomination anonymous to the person you are nominating.


Filling in the form found at http://espirit.growmark.com/everydaymomentsform.pdf will provide me with all the information I need. You DO NOT have to make your nomination on that form; just be sure to include all the requested details. Please submit applications in one of the following ways:


E-mail: kjones@growmark.com



Phone: 309/557-6184



Fax: 309/557-7065



Mail: Karen Jones, GROWMARK, Inc., 1701 Towanda Ave., Bloomington, IL 61701


There will be a random drawing before each issue of Spirit is published to choose the featured Moment of Excellence nominee. That person will receive a $25.00 FS FAST STOP gift card. All other nominations received will be mentioned in the Spirit magazine as well.



Please start looking for the moments of excellence all around you - and don't forget to share them with me!