In 1942, a board of directors came together to form what is now known as Nortana Grain, a co-op in Sidney, MT, says a report in the Sidney Herald.
When asked what sort of things Nortana Grain offers, general manager Shane Keller said, “We have agronomy, bulk fuel, fuel and propane delivery. We handle grain, sell feed and offer portable cleaners.We’ve got a full shop here in Lambert where we can do repairs, that type of thing. We sell tires, do oil changes etc. Oh, and we do custom fertilizer application.”
Keller has been with the company for the last 11 years. He started as a truck driver hauling wheat, feed and fertilizer, doing that for four years. He then became the the petroleum manger for about five years. Following that, he moved up to being the general manager. The company employs 23 full-time workers ranging from truck drivers, bulk delivery drivers, mechanics and general laborers.
Ira Lake, who is in charge of agronomy, says agronomy helps farmers raise their crops correctly. "If there’s nutrition and protection for your crops that you’re growing, I advise farmers and sell the products that do that," he says. "So I sell things like herbicides, insecticides, fertilizer and more.”
Keller and Lake went on to say that one good thing about working at Nortana Grain is how great the work environment is. “We really try to keep it fun and do activities for the employees like Christmas parties and summer picnics,” Keller added. Lake agreed and went on to add that he enjoys the opportunity to interact with the customers.
“To me it’s fun getting to know what their operation is like and what their personality is through their crops. Just getting to know what their philosophy is on agriculture. That kind of lends to their personality and to me that’s just kind of fun to get to know them on a different level," he says. “I’m originally from this area, so a lot of them knew me as just another kid in Lambert so it’s fun to get to know them on a different level.”
As far as challenges they face, Keller said, “I guess this year particularly was hard because of the drought we were up against. It’s been pretty tough on us as far as our grain handle. I think this year alone we’re going to be about 600,000 bushels short compared to the prior year. So when you put that into perspective, that’s a big loss in revenue for us this year.”
He explained, “More or less, we’re just trying to be competitive with our competitors and provide a good service, those are the kinds of challenges we’re up against every day.” While there’s not a whole lot they can do to make up for their loss during a drought, Keller said, “We just cut back on expenses as much as we can.”
Read the full article at the Sidney Herald.
