By Logan Spalding  

Meet Logan Spalding, an Area Manager at Nutrien Financial! Read this blog to hear directly from him how embracing simple technology solutions has helped him save time and more on his operation. 

I’ve worked with farmers for several years and because I farm myself, I know how much goes into managing and growing an operation. In my day job with Nutrien Financial™, I oversee operations across the Eastern and Southern U.S. My focus is to ensure our customers know what resources are available to them to help minimize operating expenses, maximize capital strategies and boost effectiveness. And sometimes, that means finding efficiencies that might not be immediately obvious but can wind up saving time and money. 

Embracing Simple Technology Solutions

I have a small row crop operation of 50 acres, and rely on custom applicators from our stores and custom planter/harvester people to get the farming done. One thing I’ve embraced with my farm that has been a game-changer is the use of simple technology solutions. 

These tech-platforms can be found in a lot of places but one that I really rely on for my operation is the Nutrien HUB. I’m able to access everything related to my Nutrien Ag Solutions® accounts on my phone and because I’m a finance guy, I like having easy access to review invoices, make payments and see available interest rates depending on my product needs. In addition to these financing features, I can use the Nutrien HUB to access purchase history, look at weather conditions, leverage crop planning tools and review maps with custom hires - all in one place. Let’s take a look at some more benefits I’ve seen with the Nutrien HUB.

Agronomic & Economic Planning Resources

The Nutrien HUB shows me my expenses for the whole year. I can look at expenses by crop type or by product type – sorting and filtering so I can get the exact data I want to see. For example, I can quickly see what my cost is per acre by crop type. Once I have my agronomic plan put together, I can then explore related financing offers associated with my product needs. These offers are all customized to my geography and that information gives me more leeway to consider how I can benefit from accessing these capital resources. Instead of resorting to my bank line of credit, I can be more methodical about my cash flow needs, interest costs and my personal capital strategies. Our local branch employees are always willing to help walk through offers, but sometimes it’s nice to research on your own time and with the rest of your budget in front of you. 

It doesn’t mean it is a bad deal. It just means you need to pay it off before that higher rate kicks in, which for many may be easier said than done. If you don’t have the resources to pay it off while still at 0%, then maybe a higher rate offer upfront will be better off in the long run and save you some interest expense.

Help with Organization

Technological tools like the Nutrien HUB can also keep you organized. I can look at my statements, invoices and billing history all in one place. When tax time comes (groan - who wants to talk about taxes), you can pull up your purchase history and quickly download it for your accountant. It takes away some of the headache of hunting for receipts and manually adding up those costs. 

This brings me to my next point on staying organized - having boxes of documents that go back for years is inconvenient. If you could ditch all of that and keep yourself financially organized, wouldn’t you want to? Technology solutions are great for letting you free up storage space, save on printing, and focus on the field rather than trying to remember where each document is stored and easily forward files instead of printing and mailing. They’re a win-win.

Time Savings

Even with my small operation, using digital financial tools like the Nutrien HUB saves me a ton of time. I can pull up data, export charts and information and look at my statements at any point in time, from anywhere. I don’t have to drive 15 minutes to my nearest store, get distracted talking to someone, spend more time than I thought I would, and then drive back. While I’ll never deny a chance to chat with my agronomist, I’d rather save those face-to-face conversations to talk about yields and product selection – not my financing or credit needs that I can easily pull up on my phone. 

When I’m saving time on administrative tasks like billing and invoicing, I can spend that time elsewhere on things that matter to me like my family or just relaxing and enjoying life. Those are things that make the time savings even more worth it.

Healthy Credit Upkeep

Using the features that technology provides helps me to safeguard my credit. Keeping my credit in the best possible shape is very important so I can get the best rates and terms available. Life is unpredictable, and having access to credit can be a lifesaver during emergencies. This way, I’m able to take advantage of other opportunities without having to liquidate assets.

“I view technology as something that can help us, not hinder us, and I embrace it for its ability to save me both time and money.”

On Nutrien HUB, I’ve set up my account to give me alerts when my payments are due. I’ve also set up automatic payments, so I never miss one. Those alerts can really help when you might be distracted – like harvest time or the holidays – and help you spare yourself from paying costly late fees or damaging your credit profile. The way I view it is if there are tools out there that can help you stay on track so your credit doesn’t take a hit, why wouldn’t you use them?

Take Advantage of the Nutrien HUB

Hearing Logan’s experience with adopting technology solutions like Nutrien HUB shows us how beneficial these tools are. From organization to planning to giving him more time to spend with family, technology has allowed Logan to stay on track and focus on the important things.

Apply for credit, manage your input financing needs and leverage other agronomic tools easily with Nutrien HUB at hub.nutrienagsolutions.com.