Newest Custom Applicator Ready to Roll
Feb 28, 2024
Federated welcomes Morgan Mandel to the agronomy team this spring. Mandel joined the co-op last fall, and with her season CDL in hand, she got a good feel for trucking and driving on both the agronomy and energy ends of Federated. Now, having passed the custom applicator’s exam (“On the first try!” she said), she is certified and ready to roll behind the wheel of an applicator this spring.
Mandel, who is notably Federated’s first female custom applicator, was raised on a dairy farm in Clear Lake, MN, and has always liked operating the machinery – “tractors, skid steers, and whatnot,” she said. When it comes to big equipment, she said, “there’s nothing I can’t do if I put my mind to it.” Background knowledge obtained on the farm no doubt plays into that, she noted.
“I enjoy working independently, and I’m going to put a lot of responsibility on myself,” she said, when asked what she anticipated most about the upcoming season. She’s been riding with other applicators, observing more experienced team members, and has been out in the fields “spraying water for practice” and learning about “mixing, spraying, and figuring things out.”
Mandel’s AA in agribusiness and dairy farming from Ridgewater College in Willmar will serve her well as she gets to work as a custom applicator. She’s headed for the fields with confidence, and invites growers to “talk, have conversations, ask questions” when the applicator arrives in the fields.
Next time you are at Federated’s Albertville location, stop by and meet Morgan Mandel, Federated’s newest custom applicator.
Mandel, who is notably Federated’s first female custom applicator, was raised on a dairy farm in Clear Lake, MN, and has always liked operating the machinery – “tractors, skid steers, and whatnot,” she said. When it comes to big equipment, she said, “there’s nothing I can’t do if I put my mind to it.” Background knowledge obtained on the farm no doubt plays into that, she noted.
“I enjoy working independently, and I’m going to put a lot of responsibility on myself,” she said, when asked what she anticipated most about the upcoming season. She’s been riding with other applicators, observing more experienced team members, and has been out in the fields “spraying water for practice” and learning about “mixing, spraying, and figuring things out.”
Mandel’s AA in agribusiness and dairy farming from Ridgewater College in Willmar will serve her well as she gets to work as a custom applicator. She’s headed for the fields with confidence, and invites growers to “talk, have conversations, ask questions” when the applicator arrives in the fields.
Next time you are at Federated’s Albertville location, stop by and meet Morgan Mandel, Federated’s newest custom applicator.