Hope is not a strategy, cautions Floyd
“Stop hoping things will change, and make change happen,” said Allen Floyd, United Potato Growers of America chairman, when asked his advice for potato growers at the May United board of directors meeting held recently in Salt Lake City. “We need to grow potatoes to satisfy the consumer, not grow what we think we want to grow.”
Quoting the business maxim “Hope is not a strategy,” Floyd urged growers to develop intelligent supply management and potato production strategies based on the best available supply and shipping data.
Where can a grower obtain the best supply and shipping data? “From United,” answers Floyd. “It’s time growers trust and believe in United’s data. Our data is collected and prepared for our growers so they can make the best business decisions. The more members we have, the more exacting and impactful our data can be.”
Floyd also urges growers to stop subscribing to the last-man-standing mentality of competition. “That kind of thinking is ruining the industry.”
“No more saying we hope this or we hope that,” says Floyd. “Join United and, with other members, create a long-term strategy that ensures the industry as a whole succeeds so that we can each succeed.”