Farm service

USDA-FMS Farm Service Agency USDA-FSA Food and Nutrition Service... 

Western Farm Services CROP PRODUCTION SERVICES INC... 

Basic fertilizer ingredients are, of course, commodities, not specialties, and they must be marketed as commodities. A number of manufacturers of basic ingredients have set up networks of farm service centers for supply of fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals directly to the farmer. These centers offer soil analysis and custom-blended products tailored to individual soil and cultural requirements. The emphasis is on supplying the farmer, not with a commodity, but with a service— although the underlying motivation is obviously to move products. 

These farm service center operations represent attempts on the part of manufacturers of basic commodities to move their products by selling system. Where all this will lead remains to be seen. However, the future success of firms in the fertilizer business will depend on how well the marketing executive meets the challenge of finding the most effective combination of basic manufacturing facilities and sophisticated distribution machinery to enable him to pass on to the farmer the benefits of large-scale fertilizer production—and at the same time deliver a reasonable return on the very substantial capital investment required. 

The expansion of the major fertilizer producers into retail marketing through mergers, acquisitions, or construction of dry and liquid bulk-blend plant and farm service centers. Of the major companies engaged in manufacturing of fertilizers, over 60% own retail outlets. 

The basic fertilizer producer who is integrated direct to the farmer through his own retail outlets and the regional farm cooperative through the co-op stores constitutes a growing market outlet for pesticides. These retail outlets, now referred to as farm service centers, in addition to supplying production input items—fertilizer, pesticides, seeds, etc.—will provide custom application equipment and various technical services to the farmer. 

It is believed that as the farms become larger and the need for technological service increases, the farmer will come to rely more and more on the services of custom applicators. Custom application can be provided by the farm service center or companies specializing in this service. These applicators will provide the farmer a complete pest control program under contract. This frees up the farmers time, reduces capital outlay for special equipment, and reduces required skilled labor. 

Prior to World War II the Forage Crop Division of the Experimental Farm Services, Canada Department of Agriculture, had obtained seed of both forage and oil rapeseeds and had distributed them for small plot tests at experimental farms and research stations across the country. These research plots indicated that rapeseed could be successfully grown in both Eastern and Western Canada. 

During the 1930s, the Forage Crop Division of the Experimental Farms Service of the Federal Department of Agriculture experimented with seed of both oil and forage crop rapeseed. Their tests established that summer types of rapeseed could be grown successfully in both Eastern and Western Canada. In 1936, a farmer in Saskatchewan received a sample of rapeseed from a relative in Poland. This sample of Brassica campestris seed was increased and eventually became the source of all Brassica campestris varieties in... 

IFDC, 1993. Farm Servicing Hdndboo/c, IFDC A-3, prepared by C. C. Yaptenco, Jr. 

Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency, USA http //www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp area=home subject= oued topic=landing... 

Fig. 76.3 Enrollment in the conservation reserve program in 1997 and net change in enrollment over the next decade. (Data Source U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency)...

The tire industry sales consist of about 60% passenger tires and 30% truck and bus tires, with the remaining 10% represented by farm service, aircraft, motorcycle, bicycle, and earth-moving tires (also called off-the-road or OTR tires). 

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