Grain and Feed Merchandiser

Position Overview:
This position is responsible for buying and selling grain and other commodities, managing risk and inventory positions, writing and managing contracts, and selling feed products to customers. This position builds long-term producer, customer, and supplier relationships.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Learn and apply WFR core values, contribute to a positive culture, and represent the company well with every producer and customer.
• Buy grain from farmers, including quoting bids, discussing delivery periods and terms, and negotiating purchases within approved position limits and pricing.
• Write, confirm, and manage purchase and sale contracts, including cash, forward, and basis contracts.
• Oversee risk position and maintain adequate hedges to minimize futures risk on all owned grain.
• Manage public bid positions.
• Effectively purchase feed ingredient commodities at the best price possible utilizing negotiation and thoroughly understanding market conditions.
• Sell feed products to livestock producers and other customers, including understanding their operation and recommending products and delivery schedules that fit.
• Proactively build and maintain relationships with farmers, livestock producers, feed customers, and commodity buyers/sellers through regular contact in person and by phone.
• Study markets daily, including futures, basis, freight, and local conditions, to determine market opinion and communicate this information to customers.
• Run the scale as needed, including weighing loads, grading and probing samples, and verifying that scale tickets are accurate and complete.
• Manage the scale help, including assigning tasks, training on scale operation, ticketing, grading, and customer service, and overseeing their work during harvest.
• Create and communicate the fall schedule including hours and staffing needed to handle harvest volume.
• Coordinate logistics including scheduling delivery and pickup, trucking, storage space, and timing, so contracts are fulfilled as agreed.
• Enter contracts, tickets, orders, and customer information accurately and on time, and resolve contract, quality, weight, discount, and settlement questions with producers and customers promptly and fairly.
• Support collection of accounts by communicating terms, following up on past due balances as directed, and keeping the manager informed of credit concerns.
• Assist with customer service at the front counter, including greeting walk-in customers, answering questions, taking orders and payments, and directing customers to the right person when needed.
• Follow all applicable laws, licensing requirements, and standard operating procedures, including grain buying and warehousing requirements, contract documentation, weights and measures, and trading rules.
• Plan and communicate a weekly schedule to hit sales targets and objectives.
• Value customer and partner relationships, attend industry and producer meetings, and complete personal growth opportunities as assigned.
• Maintain confidentiality with respect to producer, customer, contract, pricing, and company information, and share it only with individuals who have a legitimate business need to know.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Reasonable Accommodations Statement: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Reasonable Accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties of the position.