Introducing Ashley Kaldenberg

I'm Ashley, and I'm a new face at Smith Fertilizer & Grain! I met my husband, Layne, eight years ago and quickly learned where Albia was located on a map. Five years ago, we got married and I moved to Albia. We have been blessed to start a family with our son, who will be two this winter, and we will be adding another baby to our family this winter as well. Layne farms with his dad and grandpa, and I've had the opportunity to learn just how different some things are here from where I grew up.

I grew up on a farm in Northern Iowa in Hancock County. Of course, I was involved in 4-H and FFA growing up, which helped drive my interest in agriculture and eventually led me to pursue a career in the industry.

I knew I wanted to work in agriculture, specifically working directly with farmers. I started my career in agronomy sales before stumbling into an opportunity to work as a grain originator. I knew nearly nothing about the grain industry at the time, but I knew I loved working with farmers, so I set out to learn what being a grain originator was all about. Grain origination is really just a fancy term for buying grain from farmers, or at least that's what I would tell my family and friends when they looked at me blankly after I told them what my new job was. I loved the new role, mostly because it was much more fun to write the farmers' checks!

I spent the last eight years learning the grain industry and working to originate corn and soybeans in Northern Iowa for an Iowa-based cooperative. My role involved sourcing roughly 12 million bushels annually into truck houses and shuttle-loading facilities, along with helping provide trucking for farmers moving grain off the farm during peak season.

I had the opportunity to work with SFG through my role at the cooperative and worked with Mark White a handful of times on ideas and potential opportunities. When the opportunity to come work at SFG was presented to me, I was excited to hear about the company's desire to grow its grain department. It also gave me the opportunity to work with farmers that we already do regular life with here in Albia and the surrounding area.

I'll be working as a Grain Originator with Smith Fertilizer & Grain. My goals are to provide SFG customers with additional contracting opportunities, market updates and other information to help us continue serving the evolving needs of today's farmer.

It feels like beginning a career at SFG has been a handful of years in the making. We've made our home in the heart of SFG's trade area, and I'm excited to finally have the opportunity to work with many of the farmers we've gotten to know through living in the area. I look forward to meeting more of our customers, building relationships and helping grow the grain business at SFG.