What we offer!
Uniquely Qualified to Address Business Development Opportunities!
The Andersons has prided itself for years in being able to adapt its primary businesses in a fashion that better serve the needs of its many and diverse customers. Through a needs assessment combined with our experience and unique capabilities listed below, The Andersons has been able to add value to the businesses of our customers through the development of opportunities as they emerge. For more information on any of these topics, please contact Neill McKinstray at (419) 891-6570.
Direct Producer Relationships - Working directly with producers on the entire process of contract acreage, seed supply, pricing, quality monitoring, storage and delivery allows for tighter control of all elements of product management. Our existing network and business history with over 15,000 producers allows us to select only the most dependable and capable producers. The elimination of additional "middlemen" allows for more supply consistency, better control, more information, and higher quality products. This is really the only way to assure consistently high quality in an Identity Preserved corn supply program.
Pricing and Risk Management - The Andersons occupy a unique position, and have an ability to "separate" producer pricing and risk management needs and decisions from those of the ultimate user. Beyond the advantages of independent pricing between producer and ultimate user, The Andersons can offer creative risk management concepts specifically, and independently tailored for the producer and user. This can lead to better managed price risk, and allows the entire pricing process to be much more efficient and effective for all participants in the supply chain.
Geographic Diversity - Depending upon the product, storage, and logistical considerations, The Andersons may originate and supply specialty crop from a broad Eastern Corn Belt geography. This geographic diversity allows for greater product quantity and quality assurance. Additionally, it allows for a greater diversity of genetic and agronomic selectivity.
Farm Centers - The Andersons operate 7 farm centers. From GPS "prescription" fertilizer and crop protection application to agronomic consulting, to contract production protocol, to field history database management, a customer-designed production management process can be designed to provide additional assurances of product quality, safety, and documentation.
Cost - As a volume handler in commodity corn, soybeans and wheat, The Andersons have an existing plant and management infrastructure that allows for cost effective management and supply of specialty soybean and grain products. Existing commodity business allows us to have the most experienced and professional managers, yet "spread" their cost beyond specialty product activity.
Information - The Andersons existing commodity business activity allows us to provide more timely and accurate information to specialty customers relative to cash commodity markets, producer preferences and production economics. This insight allows for the awareness for cash commodity trends, which often compete for acreage and pricing of specialty products.
Generic Specialties - For larger volume, "generic specialty" programs, such as those with non-GMO specifications, The Andersons can assure higher quality through the use of magnetic separators, "Megatex" cleaning, NIR selection, stress crack analysis, micotoxin testing and on-line sampling.
Specialty Handling - The Andersons have experience with, and can tailor a supply program that involves, naturally-dried, low temperature-dried, super cleaned, non-GMO, farm stored, or other feature, as needed by specific customers.
Transportation - The Andersons can offer multiple choices of product packaging and delivery. Bulk truck, single- and unit-train bulk rail, vessel, (via Great Lakes), inland waterway, bulk container, and bagged. The Andersons have the experience to develop cost-effective supply routes according to customer needs.
Railcar Opportunities - Depending on the needs of our customers, we can provide dedicated food-grade bulk hopper, or other specially modified railcars of virtually any type. The Andersons can also provide full-service leased cars, and/or provide fleet management services for dedicated equipment.
Experience - The Andersons has extensive experience in the contract production and supply of various tofu, OCIA organic and specialty-use food-grade soybean, as well as specialty food- and feed-grade corn for multiple applications. We have managed concurrent multi-year programs involving as few as 1,000 acres, to as many as 15,000 and more, for over 20 years.