Meet Federated’s New Seed Warehouse Manager
Feb 14, 2024
This year’s seed orders will cross the desk of Greg Goetze, Federated’s new central seed warehouse manager. He joined Federated Co-ops, Inc. in December.
Goetze is a local guy who grew up on a dairy farm west of Princeton. After working as an auto dealer technician and a fleet manager for a number of years, “agribusiness called me back,” he said. His family farm background finds itself at home with Federated, serving farmers on a daily basis.
Goetze will probably have a seed catalog or two on his desk at this time of year because, he said, “I love growing things.” He joked that he has “this illness” and he “needs to get the seed catalogs”!
Now, every day is a seed-buying or seed-managing day as he oversees Federated’s seed procurement and distribution. At this point in the season, “we are bringing the seed in,” he said, and by March “we will be dispersing seed to locations and growers.” When planting season arrives, we will do the same with soybeans, getting soybean seeds treated and off to growers by the end of April.
Goetze is securing required seed handling certifications now, so he’ll be ready when the season ramps up. He knows that the job will require a good deal of “hat switching” as his job encompasses more than just buying corn and soybean seed.
As a “big picture guy,” he said he “looks at the big picture and then at all the little pieces of the puzzle and how they will fit together.” He understands that, for growers, it’s all about getting their seed when they need it.
In his two months on the job, he’s observed that Federated really cares about the growers. It’s obvious, he said, that “it matters how we give our growers what they really need.”
Not unlike Federated, “farming is in my heart,” Goetze said. As a former farm boy and 4-H and FFA member, he understands what farmers need. “I’m thankful to be back in agriculture.”
You can meet Goetze at Federated’s Ogilvie location when you pick up seed products this spring.
Goetze is a local guy who grew up on a dairy farm west of Princeton. After working as an auto dealer technician and a fleet manager for a number of years, “agribusiness called me back,” he said. His family farm background finds itself at home with Federated, serving farmers on a daily basis.
Goetze will probably have a seed catalog or two on his desk at this time of year because, he said, “I love growing things.” He joked that he has “this illness” and he “needs to get the seed catalogs”!
Now, every day is a seed-buying or seed-managing day as he oversees Federated’s seed procurement and distribution. At this point in the season, “we are bringing the seed in,” he said, and by March “we will be dispersing seed to locations and growers.” When planting season arrives, we will do the same with soybeans, getting soybean seeds treated and off to growers by the end of April.
Goetze is securing required seed handling certifications now, so he’ll be ready when the season ramps up. He knows that the job will require a good deal of “hat switching” as his job encompasses more than just buying corn and soybean seed.
As a “big picture guy,” he said he “looks at the big picture and then at all the little pieces of the puzzle and how they will fit together.” He understands that, for growers, it’s all about getting their seed when they need it.
In his two months on the job, he’s observed that Federated really cares about the growers. It’s obvious, he said, that “it matters how we give our growers what they really need.”
Not unlike Federated, “farming is in my heart,” Goetze said. As a former farm boy and 4-H and FFA member, he understands what farmers need. “I’m thankful to be back in agriculture.”
You can meet Goetze at Federated’s Ogilvie location when you pick up seed products this spring.