In agriculture, the struggle for dominance over the customer experience across the upstream value chain has waxed and waned for decades. Manufacturers, always hungry for more direct interaction with farmer customers, have often dipped their toes into programs designed to gain greater influence and access, with mixed results.
 
In the 1980s, crop protection manufacturer American Cyanamid even took the ultimate leap, creating its own dealer network of “Agri-Centers” to get its products out directly to farmer-customers. The effort was ultimately shuttered, but put retailers on notice that their place in the distribution network depended entirely on their creation of value for farmer-customers.
 
“Do I fear suppliers going direct?” said Jeff Tarsi, Senior Vice President of North American Operations at Nutrien, repeating back a question he’d been asked. “I’ve been in this industry since 1985, and we have been asking that question since 1985. I’m no more fearful today than I was back then. Nobody can handle all the complexities, the products, the risk, the financing, more effectively than a retailer.”
 
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