1970s buying fertilizer that they
stored in an old hog barn. “We
would haul it out with a loader and
bucket,” he recalls. “We feel like if
we would give up something like
that and hire it out, it would lower
our profit margin and make us
less productive and less profitable
overall.”
While the Rosiers have traded
the loader and bucket for more
modern techniques when it comes
to spreading fertilizer, today they
stand by the same basic principle
Kirby learned from his dad and
granddad.
“We do all of our own
fertilizing and spraying,” Kirby
says. “That’s helped give us a pretty
At only 53, Kirby Rosier has
already begun involving his sons
in the decision-making of the
family’s row crop operation. He
says open communication is key in
generational transfer.
good profit margin. It gives us a
margin that allows us to buy our
inputs cheaper. We’re doing the
work in house.”
RELATIONSHIPS ARE EVERYTHING
Variable interest rates caused
trouble for a number of farmers
back in the 1980s, Kirby recalls.
Focusing on fixed rates, Kirby
appreciates the programs offered
by FCS Financial.
The Rosiers have come
to especially appreciate FCS
Financial because the cooperative
understands their business.
“Relationship is everything to us,”
Kirby says.