“It Still All Comes Down to Talking with Farmers in Their Fields ”

Kevin Poppel pulls into the parking slot slightly late for his scheduled 9:30 a.m. interview.  The bespectacled, hulking figure, a spring 2003 graduate from the University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business, emerges from his vehicle and immediately apologizes.

One glance at his brand-new, full-size Chevrolet pickup, sporting a mud-caked four-wheel-drive ATV strapped in the bed, renders any excuses moot, however, because it’s clear Poppel has been in a field, dealing with a farmer client, and the customer must come first.  In this case, the farmer is less than pleased with the performance of a weed killer, and Poppel knew that discussing the situation with him in person, right where the weeds were growing, was the only option.

“Even with all the emerging technologies in the agricultural services industry, it still all comes down to talking with farmers in their fields,” Poppel said.  “Those face-to-face relationships are what give me the biggest charge.”

It’s not that technology isn’t a big part of what Poppel does each day for Triangle Agronomy Services in Lake Park, MN.  One look at his pickup - with a wireless personal digital assistant (PDA), laptop computer and Global Positioning System (GPS) device inside – confirms that.  But for Poppel, it’s all about building relationships.

“You have to build up some level of trust and credibility,” he said.  “If you don’t, someone else will be doing your job for you.

Kevin Poppel ’03 uses relationship building and technology skills daily in his job as an agronomy production specialist for Agriliance and Triangle Agronomy Services in Lake Park, MN

The Job

Technically, Poppel works for Agrilance, which sub-leases his services to Triangle.  As an Agronomy Production Specialist, Poppel works in Lake Park and other surrounding towns that are also home to Triangle branch locations.

Triangle’s history dates back three years, he explained, when a bunch of local farm cooperatives joined forces instead of continuing to compete with each other.  In all, there are 11 Triangle locations in and around the Red River Valley, and Poppel expects that number to grow. He’s growing already.

“I’m growing within my position every day it seems, with more responsibilities added on.  It seems like whatever roles I want to play, there is an opportunity to do so,” he said.  “But that’s the way I want it; I love doing different things every day.”

Some days he sells, other days he drives a truck.  One day he might find himself managing the plant in Lake Park, the next day he might be spraying a field. Some of his favorite days are spent experimenting with emerging technologies.  “We’re doing so much with GPS, variable rate application and satellite imagery now that I think we’d be lost without it,” he said.  “Those tools have revolutionized this industry by really showing farmers what’s available to them to improve their operation.”

Poppel, originally from Breckenridge, MN, estimates that he spends 80 percent of his time on the farm with his clients.  One of his biggest clients is Steve Mattson, brother of longtime UMC agronomy Professor Marv Mattson.  “He’s one of our best customers, and a major account,” Poppel said.  His clients range from large operations like Mattson’s to a 250-acre family dairy operation near Ulen, MN.  No matter the size, Poppel scouts every single acre, documenting yields and rotation.  The family dairy operation in Ulen has particularly piqued his interest of late.

“He’s growing crops for his animals, so it’s not food-grade, but he has some very interesting practices in place,” Poppel said.  “It forces me alter my focus a little bit, which can be challenging.”

Poppel (at right) firmly believes that personal relationships with his clients are the key to his success

The biggest challenge, however, has been adjusting to the “real world,” he said.  Thinking he was living in the real world as a student and also as an intern, Poppel now knows he was living in a sheltered existence, even when he was laid off in the midst of his internship at Aventis Crop Science (he was subsequently able hook up with a corporate farm operation in Breckenridge to complete his internship requirement).  Trying to illustrate his point, he uses the words “progressive” and “aggressive” to describe the agricultural services industry.  But as he expands on his thoughts, “cutthroat”becomes his more apt description.

“Things are happening right now that could change what I’m doing in a heartbeat,” he said, citing a large fertilizer plant that a Triangle competitor is constructing in Ulen as just the latest example.  “We’re competing with people who don’t care about us one bit.  Our margin for error is so small that we just have to be better, pure and simple.  Anyone can recommend chemicals to a farmer, but our people have to be better than their people, or we’re toast.  It’s right there in my job description: I have one year to produce or I’m down the road.”

When Poppel interviewed for the job at Triangle, he was told that price isn’t the company’s main selling point.  “I was told flat-out that they were looking for a quality person, another person who would set Triangle apart from the rest,” he said.  “Farmers want to see someone on their farm and want to see that you really care. If they don’t see that from you, they’ll find someone else in a heartbeat.  An e-mail or a phone call just isn’t going to cut it.  If you’re going to give them a call, you might as well be a telemarketer because that’s how they’re going to see you.”

Well before receiving his bachelor’s degree at UMC Commencement in 2003, Kevin Poppel had made the connections that landed him the job with Agriliance

Crediting the UMC Experience 

When Poppel talks about how his UMC education prepared him for the many responsibilities that come with his job, classes aren’t the first thing that come to his mind. Instead, he said getting involved in the whole UMC student experience – in clubs, organizations and as a student senator –helped shape, develop and enhance his personality, which improved his leadership and communication skills.

“There were no limitations at UMC and no locked doors; I had the opportunity to get involved in pretty much anything that I wanted to,” he said.  “I firmly believe that there are no born leaders. You have to be shaped and groomed, and UMC gave me those skills, whether I was in a club, in the senate, or just in the community doing some kind of service project.

“Obviously, your upbringing plays a big part in that kind of development; it has to stem from somewhere,” Poppel continued.  “But being treated like a living human being at UMC and shown every day that I was cared about is key to where I am today.”

Not that academics didn’t play some role, he’s quick to add, singling out UMC agronomy instructor Chuck Habstritt as someone who truly challenged and tested him.

“Early on, I was like, ‘I’m not going to learn a thing from this guy,’” Poppel recalled.  “Now I get out into the field, and I see firsthand that it’s UMC instructors like him that raise their students to the next level.  I have the knowledge and I don’t need the technical assistance that maybe a graduate from somewhere else needs.”

He admits to still having much to learn, however.

“My classes taught me about agriculture, business and people, but now the real learning begins,” Poppel explained.  “There is so much I don’t know, so much waiting to be learned.  With my UMC base, I’m ready to learn it. Others might not be so ready.”

Whether it’s technology or simply understanding where the ag services industry is heading, UMC instills the necessary knowledge, he said.

“Farming is not just driving a tractor and spraying Roundup. It’s a business, and UMC instilled that understanding in me,” Poppel said.  “UMC instructors are farmers, they’re progressive. They’ll give you to tools you need for the future, not for the present.  I feel that when I started this job I was two years ahead of the curve.”  It’s all about setting yourself apart, he said.

“This is an exciting time in this industry and a lot of people want to get in on it, so whether you want to be a farmer, an agronomist, a marketing person or some other kind of specialist, there are phenomenal opportunities.  But you’d better be better than average,” Poppel said.  “UMC will set you apart. With its small size and hands-on opportunities, there’s no better place to go.”

Already Giving Back

Only a few months removed from receiving his degree, Poppel is already establishing a scholarship that he wants to see go to a UMC student looking for the opportunities that he sought as a student.  A scholarship recipient as a sophomore, Poppel doesn’t want grade-point-average to be the main factor in determining who gets the scholarship he’s setting up.

“A lot of scholarships are based mainly on GPA and I want mine to be different,” he said.  “Grades won’t determine how far you’ll go in life, but determination, motivation and a willingness to take on challenges will.  I want students to get involved on campus and in the community and look back on those years as the best four years of their life, because that’s how I see them.  By giving this scholarship, I want to expand students’horizons.”

Mike Meyer, UMC’s director of development, is thankful for any and all alumni gifts.  “The gifts from our alumni make a difference in lives of our current students every day,” he said.  “Kevin Poppel is giving students the help they need to take on the challenges ahead.  Since Kevin is such recent graduate of UMC, his contribution is unique, and we hope it will inspire others.”

Written by Mike Christopherson