Smith Fertilizer and Grain buys and stores grain at 7 locations in south central Iowa. Over the years SFG has upgraded our facilities to provide fast unloads that get customer trucks headed back to the field without delay. We have begun this process at the 3 facilities we purchased in 2019 and customers will see improvements as time goes by. We have increased our dryer capacities over the years so we can handle an influx of wet corn when it comes without reducing our receiving hours. We offer competitive storage rates including grain bank for those with livestock that take processed grain back out. With over 5.3 million bushels of storage under roof we never intend to put the “full” sign up. SFG offers on farm grain pickup utilizing our modern fleet of trucks and our experienced drivers. We also offer auger and grain vac services to load SFG trucks.
By Mark White Another week and another USDA grain report. However last week’s stocks report was fairly neutral and did not provide the fireworks that...
By Mark White Last week I mentioned the upcoming USDA reports would be movers. We were not disappointed on that aspect as we saw limit up moves for corn and...
By Mark White All eyes are on this weeks USDA reports which contain both a supply and demand report, and a prospective planting report. This duo is almost...
By Mark White We saw another volatile week in the grain trade last week. Normally we do not see this much movement in the late winter early springtime. Maybe the time...
As part of the local farming community, we understand the challenges grain producers face when it comes to storing, delivering and marketing your crop every year. Our grain marketing team is widely recognized for its knowledge and market expertise. Our head of grain trading, Mark White, provides regular weekly commentary on ever-changing grain market conditions. SFG grain storage and handling services include:
We listen to our customers to understand what services they need us to fufill in order to keep them moving forward. SFG is proud to partner with our customers in their grain operations and currently offer the following services:
• High Speed Receiving • Extended Harvest Hours • Daily Grain Bids • Marketing Contracts - Including Deferred Pay Contracts • Competitive Grain Storage Rates • Custom Corn Drying • On-Farm Pick Up with Auger & Vac Services • Grain Bank Storage for Livestock Owners
Mark White has been involved in agriculture his entire life. He was born and raised on a farm in Lucas County. He began farming right out of high school and farmed full time for 20 years until he took a sales job for the Chariton Farmers Coop. In 2005 he came to work for Smith Fertilizer and Grain as an agronomist. Two years later he was moved into the home office and began working in administration. This included managing the Knoxville location and being the primary truck dispatcher. A year later he also became the grain merchandiser for SFG. Mark attends annual marketing seminars and reads several daily grain articles to keep informed on the grain markets. He enjoys the opportunity to work with our many grain customers. He continues to farm part time which allows him to experience the same ups and downs that our customers feel. Mark and his wife Rhonda have two grown children and two grandchildren.
Eric Stewart was born and raised in Oskaloosa Iowa. He graduated with a bachelor degree in accounting from the University of Iowa in December of 1997. Eric has been involved in some sort of accounting for over 20 years. He moved out to Seattle WA in 1998 where he met his wife Teresa. They moved back to Iowa in 2012 to raise their daughter. Eric started working at Smith Fertilizer and Grain in January 2013 as the Senior Grain Accountant. He likes to spend his time outside and with his family.
Jamie grew up in Knoxville and attended AIB College of Business. She graduated in 2005 with a degree in accounting and returned to the area. Jamie enjoys spending time with family and friends.
Sharon grew up in the surrounding area and graduated from Indian Hills Community College with an AA degree. She has worked at the Centerville elevator for over 25 years. Sharon enjoys spending time with her family and reading a good book.
Kelly Harvey has been involved in the agriculture community her entire life. Kelly grew up on a farm in Jefferson Iowa along with her three siblings. Kelly was very active in showing pigs and raising show pigs alongside with her father and siblings, and was also very active in sports, FFA, and competitive dance. Kelly graduated from high school in 2013, and Attended Des Moines Area Community College, majoring in Ag Business. After College Kelly started at Iowa Select farms and continued to work there until May 2019 when she was hired on at Smith Fertilizer and Grain. Kelly and her husband Austin have two daughters, Jordyn and Bexley. They spend much of summer, fall, and spring going to rodeos and spending time as a family in the practice pen.
Madison Ratliff grew up on a ranch in Southeast Kansas with her parents and four siblings. Madison grew up showing cattle at county, state, and national levels with her siblings. Madison graduated from high school in 2016 and attended Butler Community College for two years, graduating with an Associates in Science. She then transferred to Kansas State University where she graduated with an Animal Science degree in 2020. After college, Madison moved to Blakesburg, Iowa where she lives with her boyfriend, Reed Shockley. They spend their time going to shows and working on show cattle
Sara is from Ankeny, IA where she graduated high school in 2010. She was heavily involved in sports growing up, especially softball, which taught her a lot about initiative, dedication and teamwork. She graduated in 2016 from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA with majors in Public Relations, Communication Studies and Studio Art. She has worked in the fine arts, home healthcare, and social services fields since college, before starting with Smith Fertilizer and Grain in May of 2020. She has a wonderful son who keeps her busy when she is not working. She also enjoys cooking, art projects, and spending time with her family. Grain, agronomy and feed were totally new worlds to her before starting with SFG; however, she has quickly learned that she enjoys working in these areas and is eager to learn more every day. She currently manages our Milo office with the help of our great Location Manager, Scott Goetz, and Agronomist, Jason Jensen. Stop in and say hello anytime!
Kelly Phillips joined the SFG team in the fall of 2019. Prior to this, she was a county extension coordinator where she helped facilitate many county fairs and promoted educational programming within the county, as well as taking care of the county extension financials. She uses her organizational and bookkeeping skills in her position as Melcher Office Manager. Kelly lives in Williamson with her husband, Charley, and daughter Amelia. When not working, the family raises and shows POA horses. She also enjoys spending time with her puppy, Murphy Brown, and sewing.