Ford West Leadership Academy
Ford West Leadership Academy
Ford West Leadership Academy
January 6, 2025 - January 9, 2025 | Tampa, Florida
The Academy will expose industry employees to all facets of the fertilizer supply chain, grow their technical and soft skills, ensure transfer of industry knowledge from current leaders to future leaders, and equip participants with essential tools for professional success, as well as increase networking and comradery among its participants.
This program is not intended to replace company-specific training, but rather compliment. It provides professionals with the opportunity to encounter various perspectives and comprehensive knowledge of how their role in their company aligns into the broader industry. Additionally, it allows emerging leaders to establish their professional network within the fertilizer industry.
Audience
High-performers in mid-management level positions and/or new to industry employees across the entire fertilizer supply chain and within every function of a company (i.e. operations, sales, warehousing, finance, human resources, logistics, business development, etc.).
This prestigious program is named in honor of the esteemed Ford West, former CEO & President of TFI, whose unwavering dedication and profound commitment to our industry and Foundation will forever be remembered.
CONFERENCE FEES
Member: $3500
Non-Member: $7000
Member: $3500
Nonmember: $7000
Payment Options
Credit Cards: We accept Visa, MasterCard, and American Express. Please provide your credit card number, expiration date, and credit card billing address. All credit card transactions are processed in U.S. dollars and subject to the current U.S. exchange rate.
International Attendees: For international attendees wishing to pay by another payment method, please contact Valerie Sutton at [email protected]. Please note: The Fertilizer Institute is not responsible for foreign check or wire transaction processing fees not included in the actual transfer. Attendees will be required to pay the fee if the check is not drawn on a U.S. bank or if a wire transaction processing fee is not included in the actual transfer.
Cancellations
Cancellations must be received via email to Valerie Sutton, [email protected] by November 7th, 2024, for a refund of the registration fee (less 25% administrative fee). No telephone cancellations are accepted. After November 7th, 2024, all registrations will be non-refundable. No-show attendees will not be refunded. Substitutions may be made by contacting TFI’s conference department or onsite. Refunds for payments made by check will be processed within two weeks following the conference.
Registration List
Registrations are not official until payment is received. A list of all registered delegates will be provided to registered and paid attendees only. Please note that your name, company, address, and email will appear exactly as you have indicated on your registration form. A final list of registered delegates will be available on the conference mobile app. No additional list of attendees will be provided during or after the conference.
Terms & Conditions
The TFI Registration Terms and Conditions apply to all registrants and your participation in the TFI Event (both in-person and virtual), regardless of whether your registration is submitted by you or your proxy. By registering, you accept these terms and conditions.
Attendee List Scam Warning
As with many larger conferences and trade shows, companies may try to contact TFI Conference attendees and exhibitors, claiming to represent TFI or its Conferences (and/or leaving out important information so that it’s ambiguous whether they represent The Fertilizer Institute), offering TFI Conference attendee lists or Industry Contact Lists. The Fertilizer Institute does not ever sell or give away membership or attendee contact information*. No company is authorized to distribute or sell any lists for the event. The Fertilizer Institute does not rent, share or sell your attendee contact information to third parties.
Schedule
Academy Kick-Off
(Year 1) Strengths
Kala Killworth, J.R. Simplot Company | Attendees will identify their personal Strengths by taking the Strengths finder quiz, analyze their top 5 Strengths by answering reflection questions, discuss their Strengths with colleagues who have similar Strengths, and apply their individual Strengths to help them as a leader within the fertilizer industry.
(Year 2) Crisis Management, Safety & Security
Kathy Mathers, TFI | Attendees will differentiate between a crisis, a serious issue, and an issue; describe the importance of crisis management, safety, and security; dispel common misconceptions regarding crisis management, safety, and security; and demonstration skills necessary to effectively manage crises in the fertilizer industry, focusing on immediate response actions, communication strategies, role definition, continuous improvement, and leadership collaboration.
(Year 1) Fertilizer 101
Greg Griffin, Wilbur Ellis | This session will establish a baseline understanding of the value, needs, concerns, and placement of the fertilizer industry in global agriculture. Attendees will describe the connection between soil health and nutrient management, and explain the concept of nutrient cycles, and specifically what they look like for N. P, and K.
(Year 2) Sales and Business Development
Jacob Shreve, Helm | Attendees will summarize the value of human relationships within a sales role., and demonstrate negotiation skills necessary in the fertilizer industry.
Lunch
(Year 1) Agronomy & Stewardship
Trey Cutts, Tidal Grow AgriScience | Attendees will be able to explain the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework and how it is used within the fertilizer industry. They will discuss examples of how to implement the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework, and apply their newfound knowledge of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework to their individual job functions.
(Year 2) Fertilizer 201
Attendees will list the key steps in fertilizer manufacturing, explain key sustainability practices in fertilizer manufacturing, including land reclamation from surface mining, decarbonization efforts, and carbon sequestration techniques.
Break
(Year 1) Major Events That Shaped the Fertilizer Industry
Karl Barnhart, Brandt
(Year 2) Advocacy
Mary Hartney, Florida Fertilizer & Agrichemical Association | Attendees will differentiate common misconceptions about advocacy from the actual truths, enabling them to approach advocacy with a realistic and informed perspective; learn how to advocate effectively for the fertilizer industry by tailoring messages to diverse audiences, avoiding jargon, making content relatable, broadening their reach beyond the agricultural community, emphasizing common goals, engaging constructively online, and leveraging storytelling, transparency, and social media; and apply agricultural knowledge, public speaking skills, and resilience in the face of criticism when practicing advocating for the fertilizer industry.
End of Day Wrap Up
Networking Reception
(Year 1) Sales and Business Development Panel
During this panel, we will see the value of human relationships within a sales role, understand the connection between sales and business development, and recognize the unique nature of sales/business development in agriculture.
(Year 2) Agronomy & Stewardship
Adam Herges, Mosaic | Attendees will review the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework; identify the difference between sustainable, regenerative, and climate-smart agriculture; and discuss how the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework ties fertilizer, agronomy, and sustainability together.
(Year 1) Future of the Fertilizer Industry Panel
Industry leaders will share examples of how the agriculture industry is expected to evolve in the future in order to meet food production and environmental needs, and attendees will recognize how the fertilizer industry will evolve over the next 5 to 10 years and their role in that evolution.
(Year 2) Strengths
Kala Killworth, J.R. Simplot Company | Attendees will identify categorize personal strengths from the StrengthsFinders Quiz, analyze how strengths and weaknesses have shown up in leadership, community, customers, and colleagues, and identify and utilize strengths in a team environment.
Boxed Lunch | Load Bus
Tour
(Year 1) The Essentials of Finance
Rowdy Smith, United Services Association | Goals of this session are to understand key financial issues pertinent to the fertilizer business and how companies in the fertilizer industry make money, identify and understand important financial documents and terms including P&L and Balance Sheet, and create a plan for increasing their understanding of finance in the fertilizer business.
(Year 2) Management & Coaching
Lisa Nguyen, Tessenderlo Kerley | This session will have attendees identify the importance of a well-functioning team environment and its impact on organizational success; implement conflict resolution techniques to achieve win-win outcomes to enhance relationship building across the industry; and analyze current industry challenges and how they impact management and coaching.
(Year 1) Management and Coaching
Lisa Nguyen, Tessenderlo Kerley | This will have attendees identify the difference between a manager, leader, and coach to discover how their individual Strengths align with these roles; discuss how knowing themselves, knowing their peers, and knowing their industry will give them a competitive advantage as a leader; develop and formulate key approaches to lead a successful one-on-one conversation; practice utilizing their Strengths while considering others' Strengths through problem-solving scenarios; and access resources for continuing their development as a manager and leader.
(Year 2) Operational Risk/Responsible Ag Panel
Attendees will recognize the fundamental principles of responsible agriculture and operational risk management; and foster a culture of continuous improvement in operational risk management within agricultural organizations.
Lunch
(Year 1) Crisis Management, Safety and Security
Todd Stuart, Koch Fertilizer | Attendees will identify the effects major crises have on the overall industry and individual companies, consider ways to better prevent such events from happening, articulate what it means to have a Culture of Safety, and plan for ways to better prepare for and prevent crisis situations as industry leaders.
(Year 2) The Essentials of Finance
Rowdy Smith, United Services Association | Goals of this session are to review cohort year 1 “Essentials of Finance” session, identify why understanding profitability is critical in decision-making for stakeholders across the fertilizer industry, and formulate financially grounded decisions based on case studies from the fertilizer industry.
(Year 1) Activity
(Year 2) Farm Level Economics Panel
Attendees will understand and communicate the differences in fertilizer decisions in the past versus today; describe the connection between farmer decisions and impact on fertilizer industry; and recognize the unique nature of farm level economics in the agriculture industry.
Conference Wrap-Up
Curriculum
The Ford West Leadership Academy sessions are designed to be participant-centered, engaging experiences, rather than lectures. Participants will have the opportunity to discuss topics and share their experiences with their peers alongside the guidance of an industry professional serving as a facilitator. These learner-centered sessions focus on real-world experiences and situations to maximize retention and application of the material.
CURRICULUM OUTLINE BY SESSION
Fertilizer 101: This session will establish a baseline understanding of the value, needs, concerns, and placement of the fertilizer industry in global agriculture. By the end of the session, co-hort members will understand the purpose and types of fertilizer, be able to describe the connection between soil health and nutrient management, explain the NPK cycles, understand how fertilizer is manufactured, and visualize the global supply and demand impacts of fertilizer.
Agronomy and Stewardship: The session covers the nutrient lifecycle, 4R framework, basics of agronomy, and answers the question, “Why is fertilizer important in feeding the world?” Participants will be able to explain the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework and how it is used within the fertilizer industry, provide examples of how to implement the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework, and apply their newfound knowledge of the 4R Nutrient Stewardship framework to their individual job functions.
History of Fertilizer: This session shares how major events have shaped the fertilizer industry over time, and why it is important as a leader to study these events in preparation for those to come. Attendees will be able to identify major milestone events that shaped the fertilizer industry, articulate how both domestic and global events have an impact on the fertilizer industry, and better anticipate how major events or breakthroughs may impact the fertilizer industry.
Advocacy: This session will provide the supports and resources to craft a short advocacy elevator pitch. Build an initial draft in the session, then practice it at the evening networking event! The goal of the session is for participants to become advocates for the fertilizer industry by creating a 30-60 second elevator speech to use in a variety of professional situations. In addition, participants will know where to find more information about fertilizer industry key topics and issues to be better equipped to speak to those topics/issues, and practice delivering their elevator speech out loud and in front of their colleagues.
Sales and Business Development: Participants will hear about the importance of relationships in the fertilizer business. Emphasis will be placed on sales goals and theories such as, “We aren’t here to sell tons; we are here to make a profit.” The panel discussion should also discuss current Innovation(s) in the business development sector of the industry and its importance. The session will help attendees see the value of human relationships within a sales role, understand the connection between sales and business development, and recognize the unique nature of sales/business development in agriculture.
Crisis Management, Safety and Security: This session prioritizes the discussion of “hot topics” on safety and security. Participants will work through a case study on Crisis Management and creating a culture of safety. After participating in this session, participants will be able to: Identify the effects major crises have on the overall industry and individual companies, consider ways to better prevent such events from happening, articulate what it means to have a Culture of Safety, plan for ways to better prepare themselves for crisis situations and to better prevent such situations as leaders in the industry.
The Essentials of Finance: This session discusses how companies make money in the fertilizer industry. Participants will learn about the common financial tools and systems such as P&L and EBITDA. After participating in this session, participants will be able to: Understand how companies in the fertilizer industry make money and key financial issues pertinent to the fertilizer business, identify important financial documents and terms, plan for how to increase their understanding of finance in the fertilizer business.
The Future of the Fertilizer Industry: The session discusses the future of the fertilizer and agriculture industry and what needs to change in order to meet global needs. In this session, participants will share examples of how the agriculture industry is expected to evolve in the future in order to meet food production and environmental needs, and recognize how the fertilizer industry will evolve over the next 5 to 10 year and their role in that evolution.
Steering Committee
The Ford West Leadership Academy Steering Committee directs the content and curriculum of the Academy. The steering committee is comprised of a cross-section of companies and individuals with varying skills and experiences in the fertilizer supply chain. Inaugural steering committee members are as follows:
Roger Baker, CHS
Paul Barr, Winfield United
Marcie Booth, Koch
Matt Brown, Landus
Kim Colvin, Quad Chemical
Mindy Dale, The Mosaic Company
John Fowler, Nutrien
Bert Frost, CF Industries
Premjit Halarnkar, CH Biotech
Mary Hartney, FFAA
Kala Kilworth, Simplot
Josh Long, American Plant Food Corporation
Tim Mahoney, IRM
Sean McCarty, Helena Agribusiness
Lisa Nguyen, TKI
Jacob Schreve, Helm
Sarah Terrell, Trammo
Jacob Winans, Brandt
Courtney Yuskis, Yara
For more information and to get involved in future years, please contact Harriet Wegmeyer ([email protected]).