Sunday, June 24, 2007

Run, run - it's an Agribusiness Giant!...

I have been watching the media to make sure I know who the enemy is today. Number one is Terrorists, of course. They hate us for our freedom, apparently.

But surging in the polls are Agribusiness Giants (AG). Descended no doubt from ancient Titans of Greek mythology, the mere mention of their names evokes evil and merciless power. Gird your loins, I'm going to horrify you:
Oddly, I seldom see John Deere mentioned as an AG. (How embarrassing!) Nor does Pioneer - the leading seed grower (as of right now) - often fall into this category. One wonders if this is a coup by their public relations people or a failure.

Regardless, the AG epithet is becoming stale, I think - perhaps even lame. Few talk about "giants" in other sectors or even care. Think about Toyota as an "autoindustry giant". Just doesn't work, does it?

Here is how I see it. Cargill and ADM are customers of mine. I like customers of all sizes. Oddly, I have discovered that bigger customers often pay better and their checks don't bounce. All in all, I don't worry about the size of my customers, I worry about what they want to buy.

As for Monsanto, they are a supplier. If somebody else can give me more value for my money, they are soo yesterday on this farm. Even AG's can't strip me of my right to choose.

Labels like "agribusiness giant" are little more than code for "I wish I was (or worked for) them". And that envy comes from seeing business done well.

No comments: