The Pacesetter Pod

Show Highlights:

• Past Pacesetter deep-dives on the co-op asset challenge. [02:27]

• How to evaluate a strategic asset in ag co-ops. [04:53]

• Are "strategic" and "profitable" objectively the same? [10:56]

• Key elements for selecting co-op assets for closure. [16:31]

• How co-op members really perceive an asset closure. [24:14]

• Four best practices for communicating closing assets. [27:28]

• Why legal guidance is a must in asset closure decisions. [32:49]

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Discover ACES, a recruitment co-op for co-ops. [05:15]

• How peer networks elevate HR practices in ag. [09:16]

• How does ACES manage trust around urgency with vendors? [12:50]

• Can co-ops sustain internal culture while using external services? [16:31]

• Survey and tools for optimizing hiring and performance. [17:33]

• The cultural DNA of co-ops thriving in consortiums like ACES. [22:53]

• Evolving ACES services with member needs and next-gen shifts. [26:41]

• Risks of fading internal resilience due to pooled services. [33:39]

• Leveraging future-forward member co-ops for new ideas. [36:47]

To learn more about ACES, visit https://agtalentcoop.wordpress.com/.

Connect with Kalese Sheldahl on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/kalese-sheldahl/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Two questions a GM Pacesetter texted Joe about change. [00:23]

• Why "more" tactics won't effectively communicate change in ag co-ops. [02:20]

• Recognize information asymmetry in co-op M&A deliberations. [05:04]

• Tips for translating change logic into proof for members. [10:12]

• Is a mandate to operate also a mandate to transform? [14:27]

• How to earn strategic trust and a mandate to transform. [16:26]

• Pacing change against "trust stock" without losing members. [26:52]

• The deal clock vs. the trust clock. [35:37]

• The reality that markets don't wait until change is digested. [38:02]

• Send Joe your feedback and listener questions. [41:54]

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Overview of MMPA and its evolution in changing dairy. [04:52]

• Is it true that there are fewer dairy farms and a trend toward scale? [09:25]

• Grain and dairy supply-chain parallels, and the perishability issue. [14:27]

• The need for investing in dairy assets for diversification. [21:49]

• How an oversupply crisis led MMPA to product innovation. [28:13]

• Learn about milk ultrafiltration and products. [33:22]

• Why engaging members in innovation must be a priority. [34:05]

• Safeguarding producer value over short-term relief. [37:02]

• Discover MMPA's new highlights and future innovations. [43:08]

• Leveraging byproducts, turning permeate into ethanol. [44:27]

Learn more about Michigan Milk Producers Association (MMPA) at https://www.mimilk.com/.

To contact Joe Diglio, connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-diglio-19638171/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• What happens to a growth strategy that fails the member vote? [05:40]

• Anchoring co-op team emotions post-vote and pivoting. [13:20]

• Discover Mercer Landmark's newly created leadership roles. [17:17]

• Creating co-op-wide strategic clarity beyond "business as usual." [19:54]

• The need for shared P&L accountability in co-ops. [26:31]

• An example of elevating leaders based on strengths. [30:27]

• Why Mercer Landmark turned divisions into business units. [34:51]

• What's the RAVE standard for customer service excellence? [35:15]

• Learn about the Unified Customer Approach (UCA). [36:32]

• Building a UCA employee culture through purposeful redundancy. [43:51]

To explore Mercer Landmark, visit https://mercerlandmark.com/.

Find Neal Horrom on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-horrom-81519051/.

Get your copy of Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0688123163?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• What makes strategic alliances popular in agribusiness? [00:25]

• Understanding the ceiling problem of strategic alliances. [02:05]

• The agribusiness alliance-to-merger dilemma. [03:12]

• Five reasons co-ops choose alliances over mergers. [04:47]

• Explore four common strategic alliance structures in ag. [07:03]

• Identify three savings-efficiency phases in non-JV alliances. [10:59]

• How strategic alliances can diminish later merger value. [15:58]

• Targeted efficiency plays with no gains ceiling risks. [17:12]

• Goals and metrics boards must set before creating alliances. [19:20]

• Are strategic alliances dress rehearsals for mergers? [23:04]

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• How AI has supercharged ag-tech product development. [05:47]

• Darwinism risks for companies that fail to adopt AI tools. [09:46]

• Tips for enabling internal AI-driven change across teams. [12:53]

• What's "Personal OS" or a context vault for AI? [17:17]

• Addressing employee fears of AI replacing jobs—and will it? [23:15]

• How AI boosts existing ag workflows—e.g., Goose Assist. [29:42]

• Why leveraging AI doesn't equal ceding decision rights. [34:40]

• The dangers of "vibe coding" with lessons from a failed project. [38:48]

• Avoiding the trap of overbuilding digital product features. [41:40]

• The value of constraints James Dyson learned from Soichiro Honda. [44:33]

• Using AI as a capability enhancer, not an unqualified creator. [47:36]

To learn more about AgVend, visit https://www.agvend.com/.

Connect on LinkedIn with our guests from today's episode.

• Alexander Reichert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexanderreichert/

• Patrick Walther: https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-a-walther/

Check out Alexander's past appearance on The Pacesetter Pod.

• Ep46: Vintage 3 AgTech with Alexander Reichert: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4pncNwe4CuJDDUHMrA6vOx?si=N2PQmWRmRSevXtWkS426qg

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Adapting to ag's "new norm and never before" as co-ops. [04:09]

• Should co-ops shift to shorter 100-day strategic plans? [08:53]

• Learn key data on farmland transitions and ownership. [09:22]

• Input cost, innovation pipeline and supply chain considerations. [10:20]

• Three differentiators that give Land O'Lakes faith in the co-op model. [17:35]

• Revisit the core purpose of co-ops with four questions. [23:37]

• Navigating ag co-op member segmentation and growth. [30:06]

• Discover the best retailer metrics co-ops should adopt. [31:30]

• Four retailer growth-plan evaluations Land O'Lakes uses. [39:29]

• Why Land O'Lakes has a value-add focus as a federated co-op. [40:24]

• Has Land O'Lakes had success with cross-industry hires? [44:05]

• Land O'Lakes' 3-pillar growth plan and the value of data. [44:40]

• Brett's observations on our "Asset-Light Co-op" series. [48:48]

Explore Land O'Lakes by visiting https://www.landolakesinc.com/.

Connect with Brett Bruggeman on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/brett-bruggeman/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• Three questions to radically self-assess differentiation in co-ops. [02:49]

• Why does brutal honesty matter to clarify market position? [07:17]

• The power of fostering intrapreneurship within co-ops. [10:06]

• Competing with other co-ops vs. specialized businesses. [12:44]

• A case study of co-op collaboration and benefits realized. [17:07]

• A startup-like store renovation that built a rural market. [23:43]

• Traits from varied professional cultures that can improve co-ops. [29:46]

• Why Mike values decisive leadership learned in the police force. [40:36]

• How photography decommoditized with lessons for ag services. [42:45]

• Thriving in digital disruption and customer value shifts. [45:36]

• Communicate and capture diverse value as ag co-ops. [51:42]

Find out more about Central Prairie Cooperative by visiting https://www.cpcoop.us/.

To connect with Mike Corbus, go to https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-corbus-2a3339169/?skipRedirect=true.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.

Show Highlights:

• The evolution of ag co-op services and today's needs. [04:02]

• Training mindsets co-op employees need for member success. [08:23]

• Is non-farm talent a threat or an opportunity for co-ops? [11:35]

• The need to balance side ventures with the co-op's core mission. [18:58]

• How co-ops can efficiently collaborate for greater scale. [26:29]

• Why local control matters when co-ops work together. [29:13]

• Management and board roles in strategy ownership. [36:45]

• The key to sustainable organic growth for modern co-ops. [45:18]

To learn more about Tennessee Farmers Cooperative, visit their website: https://www.ourcoop.com/

Find Joey Caldwell on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/joey-caldwell-317a3bb2/.

If you are interested in connecting with Joe, go to LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/joemosher/, or schedule a call at www.moshercg.com.