Growing a Custom Farming Business with NoTill

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Growing a Custom Farming Business with No-Till

• Brian and Keith Berns
• Bladen, Nebraska

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Do you wish you could afford a new or bigger
piece of no-till equipment?
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Consider doing some custom no-till farming for
your neighbors to help pay for your equipment
investments.
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History of our no-till farming operation.

• In the beginning ..
• Renting our first no-till drill
• First no-till investment
• Selling conventional tillage equipment

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Benefits of a custom no-till business

• Additional income
• Additional experience and learning opportunities
• Better equipment
• Better working relationships with neighbors

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Drawbacks of a custom no-till business

• Timing of labor
• Wear on equipment
• Customer complaints
• Liability?

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Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Offer value-added that they cant rent or
  borrow.
• Be efficient
• Be timely
• Be fair

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Experience and labor     

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Equipment enhancements
• 1.      Starter fertilizer

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Equipment enhancements1.      Starter
  fertilizer2.      Drill harrow

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Equipment enhancements 1.      Starter
  fertilizer 2.      Drill harrow
• 3.      Drill monitor

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Equipment enhancements1.      Starter
  fertilizer2.      Drill harrow 3.      Drill
  monitor4.      Markers

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Equipment enhancements1.      Starter
  fertilizer2.      Drill harrow 3.      Drill
  monitor4.      Markers5.      Different firming
  wheels.    

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Offer value-added that they cant rent or
borrow.
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Convenience
• 1.      Soybean inoculation
• 2.      Seed sales, storage, and
  delivery

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Be Efficient     
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Bigger drill ( from 15 to 20)
• Bigger tractor (from 4430 to 4755).

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Be Efficient     
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Bigger drill ( from 15 to 20)
• Bigger tractor (from 4430 to 4755)
• Drill mounted auger 

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Be Efficient     
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Bigger drill ( from 15 to 20)
• Bigger tractor (from 4430 to 4755)
• Drill mounted auger
• Seed tender    

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Be Timely     
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• The customer is not always first, but they cant
  always be last.
• Find ways to lengthen the planting window1.     
  Early planted soybeans2.      Early planted
  wheat into wheat stubble or short season corn or
  beans

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Be Fair     
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

•   Accuracy on planted acres1.  Markers2.  Drill
  monitor with electronic acre counter
• Accuracy with fertilizer and inoculants

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Be Fair     
Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Customer service1.      Replant policy2.     
  Operator error adjustments
• Pricing policy1.      Volume discounts2.     
  Other discounts and incentives
• Repeat Customers -Any successful business needs
  repeat customers to survive.

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Keys to a successful custom no-tilling business

• Offer value-added that they cant rent or
  borrow.
• Be efficient
• Be timely
• Be fair

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If you can manage these keys, your customers will
come back year after year and your custom no-till
business will be a success.
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