Every day brings Mitchell Bohrn new opportunities to learn and share good ideas. Bohrn is a Grow Team member at Pembina Co-op, where he helps farmers in south-central Manitoba answer some of their most challenging questions.
The wide range of challenges farmers have creates new experiences every day. “My favourite thing about going to work is that no two days are the same. I might be out identifying a pest I’ve never seen, working on a farm budget to help a customer improve the bottom line, developing a chemistry plan for someone with a weed they can’t control, learning about the latest crop protection products or watching the fertilizer market,” he said.
Bohrn values the opportunity to learn from his farm customers and then use his growing expertise to help others. “There are a hundred different paths to success in agriculture and no two farms take the same path, but that doesn’t mean one farm can’t learn from another farm’s path to success.”
Bohrn grew up on a small mixed farm in Manitoba and studied agribusiness at college. He worked for Ag-Quest before joining Co-op about eight years ago and spent a few years farming himself. “What I enjoy doing most is making recommendations to help others make farming decisions. I’ve had to make those decisions on the inputs side myself, so I understand they aren’t easy,” he said.
Joining the Co-op Grow Team provided Bohrn with the opportunity to learn more about the industry. “What better way to learn about farming than to have farmers who’ve farmed their whole lives asking you questions they haven’t been able to answer yet?”
THE GROW TEAM
As one of Co-op’s hundreds of Grow Team members serving local farmers across Western Canada, Bohrn is part of a team of innovative experts who work together to help growers overcome problems facing agriculture today by answering difficult questions about crop production. Bohrn values the fact that his local Co-op can deliver local and personalized service while being part of a larger network to access excellent training and support.
“The training and learning opportunities are second to none. We have a good support system, so if I have questions, I can always find someone to answer them,” he said.
He appreciates what he calls a “Farmers first” model: “We are a member-owned business, and we keep the farmers’ best interests in mind. Hopefully farmers feel that at the retail level when they talk to their agronomist.”
In his role, Bohrn provides a fresh set of eyes when solving customer problems and is most excited when he can make a difference, whether that’s introducing a farmer to a new technique being used successfully on other farms or finding a new solution to an old problem that will improve their operation.
For Bohrn, being a successful Grow Team member requires patience and relationship building. “When you’re trying to help someone solve a problem, you need to take the time to learn all the details before you can suggest the best solution. Ten different crop protection products might control the same weed, but you have to learn enough about the operation to know which one is the right fit for that farm,” he said.
Bohrn and his wife are busy raising two young children, aged three and one, which he describes as “the best kind of busy you can imagine.”
He greets his farm customers at the Pembina Co-op with that same positive, upbeat attitude. “I’m lucky to be in the stage of life I’m in right now so you won’t hear me complaining, that’s for sure.”
To learn more about how Co-op can support your farming operations, contact your local Grow Team member.