Choosing the right fertilizer and pesticide distributors to stock your shelves can mean the difference between your customer's healthy crop and a devastated one. A lot rides on choosing the right substances to put on your customer's crops in order to help them grow and prevent insect and animal infestations. You want your clientele to know that they can come to you for all of their fertilizer and pesticide needs.

Establishing a good relationship for working with fertilizer and pesticide distributors is key to choosing the right materials to keep your customer's crops thriving. The effort in finding what's best to keep on your shelves should be a collaborative effort and done with fertilizer suppliers that you feel you can trust. Consider the following when choosing fertilizer distributors:

1. Identify with fertilizer wholesalers what the most commonly purchased products are as well as a few specialty products.

2. Discuss the option of selling organic materials with fertilizer distributors and pesticide suppliers.

3. Develop a relationship with a select few fertilizer and herbicide distributors to save money.

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Strategically choose products with help from your fertilizer distributor

Take advantage of the knowledge of the fertilizer and pesticide distributor. They are familiar with the best- and worst-selling products, as well as those products that many stores don't offer but may have good selling potential. Fertilizer distributors can help you to develop an inventory that is especially appealing to your customers and that will keep them coming back.

I recommend: Knox Fertilizer Company carries products for use at home and specializes in general turf health. Ehrlich Distribution distributes products for pest and vegetation control.

Decide with fertilizer and pesticide distributors if you should offer organic products

Many farmers and agriculturists are using organic fertilizers and pesticides more and more to avoid harmful chemicals. Although organics can be more expensive, you may have a market for them at your store. Evaluate this option with your fertilizer and pesticide distributors.

I recommend: BioFertilizer is an organic fertilizer distributor. Global Healing Center discusses the benefits of organic pesticides.

Develop a good working relationship with a few fertilizer and pesticide distributors

The more business you give to any one fertilizer distributor, the more likely they are to take an invested interest in your business. They can offer you deep discounts on wholesale fertilizer and alert you of new products before their other customers. Also, the more time a specific fertilizer distributor spends in your store the better they will get to you know and your customers and will be able to guide you even further to the optimal product lines for your store.

I recommend: The Fertilizer Institute can help you to learn some basic principles of selecting the right fertilizer with your distributor. National Pesticide Information Center will also help you to understand pesticides at a deeper level that will assist you in working with fertilizer and pesticide distributors.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Talk to you fertilizer and pesticide distributors about offering products that appeal to any of your customers' budgets. You can widen your client base if you are able to offer something for everyone.

Retail locations that offer products for farmers and gardeners must keep up with all of the products that are used to grow crops and plants They can accomplish this by partnering with fertilizer and pesticide distributors. There are a wide variety of products that will handle any problem, whether it be a particular bug that is eating fruits or vegetables, food that is not growing as well as it should or weeds that are choking out a farmer's crops.

Pesticide suppliers are expected to have solutions for these ongoing issues. These companies will need to:

1. Work with herbicide distributors to find out the best products to kill weeds and stop them from growing again.

2. Deal with pesticide distributors that sell chemicals that manage any type of pest that attack the crops or plants of farmers and gardeners.

3. Connect with fertilizer distributors that provide goods to enrich soil and encourage the growth of anything that has been planted.

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Establish an account with a fertilizer distributor

Fertilizer is a key component to the successful growth of most crops. Farmers all over the United States rely on agricultural retailers to keep plenty of this product in stock, especially during peak farming seasons. Businesses that sell fertilizer may work with a distributor that will help ensure there's always have enough product available to meet all of their customer's demands.

I recommend: Create a working relationship with The Sharp Ranch or AG Specialties for your fertilizer needs.

Hire a pesticide distributor

Wherever crops or plants are grown, insects will also be there looking for a free meal. They will feast on the food items as they grow and, if they are not attended to, they can destroy entire crops and ruin a farming season. Regardless of what kind of bug has besieged your customer's fields, it is important that you stock pesticides that will handle them all.

I recommend: Find any type of pesticide your client's will request at Southern Agricultural Insecticides, BioLogic, Certis U.S.A. and Dow AgroSciences.

Work with a herbicide distributor

Weeds are a major problem for people that grow food or plants. The weeds can take over a field quickly and they will continue to spread if they are not dealt with right away. Herbicides will destroy these nuisances and prevent them from returning.

I recommend: Obtain herbicides from Interstate Products, Future Supply and Monsanto.

Purchase wholesale fertilizer

Fertilizer is a necessary item for any farmer, so your business may wish to stock large amounts of it. Buying in bulk will usually earn a discount for the purchaser, so it is wise to deal with wholesalers that are able to fulfill large orders at a lower rate.

I recommend: Work with OBC Northwest or Debruce Grain when you are in need of fertilizer wholesalers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Order organic products from fertilizer and pesticide distributors to help preserve the environment and encourage increased production of organic goods.
• •  Familiarize all of your employees with the pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers you carry so they are able to answer any questions that your customers may have about a particular brand, or the best option for the problem they are dealing with.

Fertilizer and pesticide distributors education and training is very important before beginning a business such as this. Fertilizer and pesticide distributors handle many powerful chemicals that require knowledge of proper handling for the safety of humans, animals, and the environment. In addition to safe handling, distributors must also be aware of the various ways to administer fertilizers and pesticides. They must understand the exact amount and type of chemical that each crop requires.

Because applying fertilizer or pesticides to crops requires releasing chemicals into the environment, one must follow many restrictions and requirements to commercially distribute these products. When thinking about fertilizer and pesticide distributors education and training think about the following:

1. Are you aware of the restrictions placed on certain pesticide and fertilizers?

2. What requirements does your state have for pesticide distributors?

3. What types of equipment are needed for proper application by fertilizer distributors and pesticide distributors?

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Enroll in a safety program to obtain a fertilizer and pesticide distributors license

In most cases, a commercial distribution or application of fertilizer or pesticides requires a license. Check with your state for all regulations and requirements. Many programs are available that offer courses and licensing information for fertilizer, pesticide, and herbicide distributors.

I recommend: Enroll in programs such as PSU and OSU for safety courses and testing procedures for pesticide suppliers and fertilizer suppliers. Also check with higher educational programs in your area for courses pertaining to pesticide and fertilizer licenses.

Obtain manuals and other resources for pesticide distributors

Keep manuals and other resources available in your office for quick reference. When it comes to chemicals such as pesticides and fertilizers, one should always be cautious. Over time, one forgets information gained in safety programs. The purpose of renewing certification and continuously reading updated materials is to stay informed on safety measures and regulations.

I recommend: Check resources from Pesticides.org for important information. EPA also offers information on regulations and laws of pesticides and fertilizers that each pesticide distributor must follow.

Understand the proper procedures for applying pesticides and wholesale fertilizer

The proper application of these chemicals is very important. Even if your company does not directly apply the product, be informed to answer the questions of your customers.

I recommend: MDA offers a fact sheet on aerial application for pesticide suppliers. Consider the book "Pesticides to Crops" described by World Scientific Books as containing valuable information for a distributor of pesticides.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Lawsuits are a concern when using chemicals near homes and communities. Having warnings and proper application directions in writing is an appropriate way to keep customers informed. Always be certain to notify the consumer of any potential risks of pesticide or fertilizer use.

If you'd like to deal with fertilizer and pesticide distributors confidently, you need to understand as much as possible about the products in question and the governing organizations and processes. Many pesticides are considered to be hazardous chemicals and, in some cases, chemical fertilizers may require careful handling as well. Use this list of basic key terms as a starting point for your research and education about the workings of fertilizer and pesticide distributors.

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Exposure assessment

An exposure assessment is a process through which the Environmental Protection Agency and other monitoring organizations evaluate who and what--including people, animals and ecosystems--will be exposed to a given chemical or substance, including fertilizers and pesticides. In short, it's a way of looking at the long term distribution of fertilizers and pesticides throughout the ecosystem.

I recommend: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency details what an exposure assessment is and how an exposure assessment is conducted on chemicals such as pesticides.

Organic

While most of us tend to equate the word 'organic' with certain standards of food production, the word has a slightly different connotation when used in the world of fertilizer. A statement that a fertilizer is organic simply means that it's been processed little, if at all, and is made from plant and animal matter as opposed to synthetic sources.

I recommend: Rainy Side Gardeners explains both organic matter and organic fertilizer in its glossary of gardening and growing terms.

Pesticides

While most people associate the notion of pesticides with harsh chemicals, the true definition of a pesticide extends to anything that kills pests, of both plant and animal varieties. Some natural products make extremely effective pesticides and, in fact, an herbicide used to kill pest plants would be considered a pesticide, too.

I recommend: The Global Healing Center explains the benefits of organic pesticides and provides examples.

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium

Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the three most critical nutrients needed for plant growth and production. The ratio of these nutrients present is often noted on the label of commercially available fertilizers and is sometimes designated as NPK.

I recommend: The Fertilizer Institute gives examples of common fertilizer products that contain each of the critical NPK nutrients and the concentration of each nutrient as well.

IPCS INCHEM

The International Programme on Chemical Safety, or IPCS INCHEM, monitors and provides rapid access to, as stated on their website, 'internationally peer reviewed information on chemicals used throughout the world, which may also occur as contaminants in the environment and food.' These, of course, include pesticides.

I recommend: IPCS INCHEM offers collections of data sheets on the hazards of pesticides that may be in use around the world.

Soil pH

Soil pH determines how much of which nutrients are made available to plants. If soil is too acidic, pesticides will be held in the soil instead of absorbed, then released into the environment through runoff from the garden or fields.

I recommend: The Soil Science Education Home Page discusses how soil pH affects plant growth, fertilizer use and pesticide efficacy.