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Burlington, IA | Boy, for some of you guys, everything is just ever and always the fault of all the seed personnel and/or seed companies, isn't it? If you'd just employ a little forethought and common sense when you're finishing up, and make a phone call to your dealer or sales rep promptly if it becomes obvious you'll have beans left, you probably won't have to worry about a no return policy.
This year, the official policy of the company I work for allows a dealer to return/dump up to 7% of their total soybean sales, for full credit. On a 1000 bag dealer, that's 70 bags, or over 1 pallet. Officially, only treated beans, or true bulk beans, can't be returned or dumped, and for good reason. But unofficially, we have always tried our best to find a home for someone's extra beans, even treated ones, if they will just give us a timely call, not 30-60 days after the fact. And generally, we can find a place for the extra beans to go, if a person will do so. I've got clients I've worked with for up to 20 years now, and this has never been a problem.
I can't imagine that the companies with a strict no return policy this year will not also do so, especially given the tight supply, if a person will just make the effort to make that call within a day or so of finishing planting, if not before. It ain't that hard! Every company wants to see their seed go in the ground, not get dumped.
The possibility of double booking is the main, if not exact, reason that some companies have tightened up on their return policies this year, given the current supply of seed. There are more than a few producers out there who will double book every chance they get, if given half a chance. That's why most of the time, new numbers in tight supply to start with, are spread out, so more people can have a chance to get a look at them, and not allow them to be hoarded by a few. A company can't tell on the other end when an order is genuine, or when double booking is in play, so there have to be some guidelines in place. They'd never admit it, I'm sure, but I have no doubt that there are readers of, if not posters to, this site, who are guilty of double booking in the past. And someone else wound up not getting seed they wanted, because of it. They're probably the same people who would board a lifeboat ahead of the women and children.
In JB's situation, I can understand his dilemma. Double crop beans always revolve around the weather, and it's hard enough to figure out what to do without dealing with the type of seed supply problem that's present this year. He's to be commended for trying to be fair, and strike a happy medium, almost to his own detriment, so to speak. If I were his sales manager, in recognition of his honesty, I'd be making an extra effort, and bending over backward, to supply him with whatever he needs, if available, when the crystal ball becomes clearer, and he knows which way to jump. That kind of an individual is a pleasure for a sales manager to work with. Hopefully when the dust from the first go around clears, there will be enough seed beans available to take care of double crops if the weather permits.
No doubt many of you don't like what I'm saying. So be it. The truth can be an inconvenient thing, but sometimes somebody has to say it. If it weren't for the supply, and the risk of double booking, you probably wouldn't be seeing the no return policies this year that you resent so much. As usual, a few have screwed it up for the many. If you want to point the finger of blame, try pointing it at the producer a couple of miles down the road, or over in the next county, not at your seed rep or company. All they are trying to do is keep the playing field as level as possible, supply-wise, and stretch it as far as possible, so that everyone hopefully has at least an adequate supply for their needs. Even then it may not be enough, although some companies are in better shape supply-wise than others for this year.
By the way, don't accuse me of being biased for the seed companies, to the detriment of the producers. I come from a long line of Irish farmers, and I've got experience from both sides of the fence. I understand both the producer's and seedsman's positions full well.
I call it as I see it.
JDH | |
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no return policy
