The roots of family-owned Simplot Grower Solutions continue to shape how the company operates today. Across the organization, from local retail locations to the headquarters in Boise, Idaho, employees are committed to helping customers succeed while looking out for one another along the way. For Josh Wyckoff, market manager covering Colorado, Kansas and Missouri, that culture of care is one of the company’s defining strengths.
“Being an American-owned and privately held company means we can solely focus on our customers, and we’re not worried about trying to service and take care of shareholders,” Wyckoff said. “At Simplot, we can focus on helping our customers grow, which is a big deal.”
The Simplot Company remains vested in the land and cattle industry through its farming operations. Through production agriculture, the Simplot team keeps connected to customers and better understands the challenges farmers face.
From HQ to the local office in Wray, Colorado
Bryan Dickson, crop advisor for Simplot Grower Solutions in Wray, Colorado, experienced firsthand how family- and team-focused the company is. Only a few short months into his 21 years at the Wray location, Dickson traveled to Boise for a Crop Advisor training. As he and others waited outside their hotel, a man sporting a derby hat pulled up in a minivan, looked at Dickson with his Simplot hat on and said, “So, you work for me.”
And that was Dickson’s introduction to J.R. Simplot, owner of the Simplot Company.
“We sat down and actually had a good conversation,” Dickson said. “I’ve met almost all the family members and even have had dinner with them. Coming all the way out of a small town in Wray, Colorado, not knowing if I’m a statistic or not, but then I get out there and they know me by first name — it’s exciting. I definitely enjoy working in that type of atmosphere.”
That’s the environment Dickson helps replicate at the Wray location. Whether it’s evaluating seed performance, blending and delivering products, coordinating field applications or supporting customers through every stage of the season, the Wray team is united by a shared commitment to helping growers succeed. Every role plays a part in delivering the service, expertise and responsiveness customers expect from Simplot.
“We’ve built a good team around us,” Dickson said. “We have a whole financial team to help farmers, and then we have our SmartFarm team, also. I like to say it’s kind of a one stop shop. You can come in and get everything you need, from seed corn to your fertilizer to your chemical to even just a morning cup of coffee.”
Throughout the winter and year-round, Dickson and the Wray team work closely with customers to understand their goals, develop crop plans, and identify opportunities to improve productivity and profitability. Leveraging tools such as Simplot SmartFarm®, the team combines field mapping, soil and tissue sampling, yield analysis and other data-driven insights to support on-farm decision-making.
“We are always trying to stay ahead of the curve, especially with everything changing from genetics to weed resistance to insect resistance,” Dickson said. “I always want to be the guy that tries to find the problem first instead of reacting to everything.”
The team also leans on its relationships with crop protection companies, including Corteva Agriscience. Local Corteva territory managers give the Simplot team access to knowledge not only about how Corteva products work but also how they work relative to
competitor products.
“We have to give the absolute best recommendations we can,” Wyckoff said. “But we need other perspectives from a larger geographic area to understand how products perform.”
Building a team atmosphere
Wyckoff is in his sixth year with Simplot Grower Solutions, and he emphasized the unique culture at the company. What stands out to him is the family atmosphere, passion for employees and the complete team approach to better serve customers. He makes sure to pass that along to all the people on his team in Colorado, Kansas and Missouri.
“What’s important is that I create a team atmosphere,“ Wyckoff said. “Our crop advisors regularly share insights and experiences from across the region, which helps us solve challenges more effectively and deliver greater value to our customers.”
To read more about how ag retail supports farmers with expert solutions, visit the Turnrow Talk landing page at Corteva.com/us.
