Start Here: Tell Us About This Harvest

• What is your primary crop for this harvest? Options: Corn, Soybeans, Wheat/Small grains, Sorghum/Milo, Mixed crops/Other
• Roughly how many acres will you be bringing to market this season? Options: Under 200 acres, 200–500 acres, 500–1,000 acres, 1,000–5,000 acres, Over 5,000 acres
• When do you expect your peak harvest window to begin and end (dates or week ranges)?
• How many combines and haul trucks/equipment will typically be operating during your peak days? Options: 1 combine, 2–3 combines, 4–6 combines, 7+ combines
• Are there fixed deadlines or contract delivery dates this harvest that we should know about? Options: Yes—contract deadlines, Yes—marketing advisor timelines, No fixed deadlines, Not sure yet

Is Waiting in Line Costing You the Season?

• If you could quantify it, how much would an extra hour of combine downtime during peak harvest cost you? Options: Under $100/hr, $100–$500/hr, $500–$1,000/hr, Over $1,000/hr
• What are your typical wait times at elevators during peak days right now? Options: Under 30 minutes, 30–60 minutes, 1–2 hours, Over 2 hours
• Tell us about the worst time you or someone on your crew waited in line—what happened and what did you lose (time, acres, money)?
• How often do long lines cause you to change your harvest plan (pause combines, move to a different field, switch elevators)? Options: Almost every peak day, Often, Occasionally, Rarely
• When choosing an elevator during harvest, how heavily does average turnaround time factor into your decision? Options: Primary factor, Important but not decisive, Somewhat important, Not important

How Wet Is Too Wet? Tell Us Your Moisture Reality

• Have you ever left acres unharvested because you couldn't get wet grain dried fast enough? Options: Yes, multiple times, Yes, once or twice, No, never
• What range does your corn/soybean typically test at when you bring it to market during harvest? Options: Corn: <15%, Corn: 15–22%, Corn: >22%, Soybeans: <13%, Soybeans: 13–18%, Soybeans: >18%
• What moisture level do you expect to be paid or accepted at without penalties (state a percent for each crop you deliver)?
• When wet grain is sold or stored, what drying or shrink outcomes have you seen (loss %, downgrade frequency, quality issues)?
• How important is guaranteed dryer capacity to your decision to deliver to a facility? Options: Somewhat important, Crucial—will only deliver if guaranteed, Very important, Not important

If Your Grain Could Talk: Quality, Storage, and Blending

• Do you trust your current on-farm storage or your usual elevator to retain grade and condition through the winter? Options: Yes, completely, Mostly, with occasional issues, Not reliably, I don’t have on-farm storage
• How long do you typically plan to store grain after harvest (short-term vs multi-month marketing)? Options: Unload/sell within days, Store 1–3 months, Store 3–6 months, Store 6+ months
• What storage concerns keep you up at night (mold, heating, moisture migration, pests, access to trucks)? Options: Moisture/mold, Heating/hot spots, Pests, Insufficient capacity, Access/logistics, Other
• How flexible are you about blending batches (mixing moist and dry loads) if it improves grade or marketing options? Options: Very flexible, Somewhat flexible, Prefer separate bins, Not flexible—need no blending
• Describe any past storage failures or surprises and how you addressed them.

Price Signals, Programs, and Your Appetite for Deferred Risk

• Are you leaving marketing decisions to a farm advisor, handling them yourself, or using the elevator’s programs? Options: Farm advisor, I make decisions, Elevator marketing programs, Combination
• Which marketing options do you prefer or have used: spot cash, forward contracts, deferred pricing, or warehouse/storage contracts? Options: Spot cash, Forward contract, Deferred pricing, Warehouse receipt/storage program, Hedge-to-arrive/options
• How important is the ability to store grain at the elevator and sell later without investing in your own bins? Options: Very important—major reason to deliver, Somewhat important, Neutral, Not important
• What settlement timing do you prefer after delivery—immediate cash, weekly settlements, or end-of-season reconciliation? Options: Immediate cash, Within 7 days, Within 30 days, End-of-season/contract settlement
• Have deferred-pricing or storage fees ever eroded the benefit for you? Tell us a concrete example.

Turnaround Time: What’s Acceptable—and What’s a Dealbreaker?

• If you had to pick one number, what's the maximum acceptable wait time per load before you consider a different facility? Options: Under 15 minutes, 15–30 minutes, 30–60 minutes, Over 60 minutes
• How accurate do your scale tickets and settlement records need to be for you to trust an elevator? Options: Exact—no errors tolerated, Mostly accurate—minor corrections OK, Occasional discrepancies acceptable, I don’t pay close attention
• What communication methods make a difference to you on peak days—real-time queue updates, app notifications, radio, or phone? Options: Mobile app/real-time, SMS/text, Call-in/phone, Signage at scale, On-site staff
• When turnaround slips below your expectation, what actions would you take (switch elevators, pause harvest, accept delays)? Options: Switch elevators, Pause harvest, Accept delays, Call elevator manager, Drive elsewhere
• What unload rate (bushels per hour or loads per hour) do you need to keep your combines moving?

Contingencies That Keep You Up at Night

• When equipment failures or extreme queues happen, who or what do you rely on to keep harvest moving? Options: Local elevator backup, Neighboring elevators, On-farm drying, Outside contractors/haulers, I have no backup
• How long can your operation tolerate a receiving outage or dryer downtime before you incur irreversible losses? Options: A few hours, A day, Several days, A week or more
• What contingency steps have you already taken or are willing to consider (pre-scheduled alternate unloads, split loads, mobile drying)? Options: Alternate elevator plan, Mobile drying rental, Rescheduling harvest windows, On-farm drying backup, No contingency
• How would you like an elevator to communicate about disruptions—proactive alerts, compensation offers, or simply transparent timelines? Options: Proactive alerts/real-time, Compensation/discounts, Transparent timelines and recovery plan, Minimal communication
• Tell us about a recent disruption: what went wrong, who helped, and what would have made it better?

Success Signals: How Will You Know We Did Right?

• If you had to pick one success metric that would make this season a win, which would it be? Options: Finish harvest on schedule, Minimize combine downtime, Realize higher net price, Maintain grade/quality, Quick, accurate settlements
• Which combination of KPIs should we track and share so you feel confident about our service? Options: Average wait time, Dryer throughput/available capacity, Grade retention %, Realized price vs local market, Scale-ticket accuracy, Settlement timing
• What thresholds would you set for those KPIs (e.g., max wait 30 minutes, grade retention >98%)?
• How often would you like a post-harvest review—weekly during harvest, end-of-season, or on-demand? Options: Weekly during harvest, Bi-weekly, End-of-season review, On-demand
• Who on your team should we include in outcome reviews and operational updates? Options: Owner/operator, Farm manager, Grain marketing advisor, Delivery drivers, Other

Next Steps: What Would Make You Confident to Commit?

• What would you need to see, hear, or have guaranteed before you’d deliver a meaningful portion of your harvest to a new elevator?
• Would a short-term trial (e.g., guaranteed receiving window or one-week priority) make you more likely to switch? Options: Yes—definitely, Maybe—depends on terms, No
• Which contractual or service elements are deal-breakers for you (dryer capacity guarantee, settlement timing, shrink limits, liability terms)? Options: Dryer capacity guarantee, Settlement timing, Shrink/allowances, Receiving rate guarantees, Liability/insurance terms, None—trust first
• How soon are you ready to finalize receiving slots and terms for this harvest? Options: Immediately, Within 1–2 weeks, Within the month, Unsure/need more info
• Best contact and communication preference for finalizing details (name, role, phone/email, preferred channel)?

• Harvest Context & Data Capture (Pre-Workshop)
• Receiving & Drying Throughput Simulation (Solution Experience)
• Blending, Quality Retention & Shrink Reduction Workshop
• Multi-Channel Marketing & Net-Price Modeling
• Operational Readiness & Validation Checklist Preview

• Prepare a Net-Price Comparison report for the customer showing modeled outcomes for chosen scenarios.
• Confirm dryer capacity eliminates projected harvest peak backlog under agreed assumptions.
• Obtain customer validation of simulation assumptions and results as the basis for operational planning.
• Refine the simulation with any corrected inputs or edge-case days provided by the customer.
• Produce and share a one-page Simulation Results summary translating outcomes to hours and $ impact.
• If sensitivity reveals risk, schedule follow-up to evaluate needed operational mitigations (overtime, temp storage).
• Recap of Agreed Future State KPI for Quality & Shrink
• Demonstrate expected shrink reduction and grade retention percentages under the agreed blending and drying approach.
• Agree on QA sampling points, scale-ticket verification steps, and responsibilities for quality disputes.
• Customer validates the drying targets and blending rules as operationally acceptable.
• Produce a Blending & Drying SOP outlining moisture targets, sampling protocol, and shrink charge triggers.
• Customer to provide examples of recent lots that experienced grade loss for traceability testing.
• Schedule a short pilot to validate shrink improvements on an initial set of loads.
• Confirm Marketing Objectives
• Quantify expected net-price improvement (cents/bushel) from multi-channel access versus local sale alternatives.
• Agree on a preliminary marketing program and settlement cadence that aligns with customer liquidity needs.
• Customer validates the pricing assumptions and program rules as the basis for mutual commitments.
• Introductions & Objectives
• Customer to indicate preferred mix of cash vs deferred positions for the initial harvest window.
• Elevator to provide full program terms and example settlements for customer review.
• Review Agreed KPIs & SLAs
• Mutual acceptance of the Validation Checklist and readiness criteria to judge pilot success.
• Agree on operational SOPs for drivers, scale-house, and QA that enable the simulated outcomes.
• Schedule pilot execution dates and assign owners for execution and validation.
• Distribute the final Validation Checklist and SOPs to all operational stakeholders.
• Schedule the pilot days and confirm elevator staffing and customer-side contact points.
• Assign responsibility for post-pilot review and KPI sign-off.
• Customer confirms a clear one-sentence current state describing receiving/drying/marketing constraints.
• Consequences are quantified in operational and financial terms for the upcoming Solution Experience.
• All required customer data and owners are identified and scheduled for delivery.
• Customer to provide harvest schedule, expected daily bushels, moisture distribution, truck arrival cadence, and historical wait times.
• Customer to share recent scale tickets, sample settlements, and details of current deferred-pricing/storage terms.
• Elevator team to prepare a one-sentence current-state and consequence summary for validation in the main experience.
• Re-state Problem & Target KPIs
• Demonstrate measurable reduction in truck turnaround time using customer-specific data.
• One-sentence Current State
• Simulation Inputs Review
• Scale-tickets, Settlement & Traceability Flow
• Channel Access & Historical Basis Proof
• Current Shrink/Grade Loss Baseline
• Blending Strategy Walkthrough
• Driver & Scale-house Procedures
• Net-Price Modeling — Immediate vs Deferred vs Storage
• Explicit Consequence Quantification
• Live Throughput Simulation — Baseline
• Live Throughput Simulation — Proposed Facility
• Validation Checklist Preview (Pilot Criteria)
• Define Future State Outcomes
• Tie Outcomes Back to Consequence & KPIs
• Dryer Control & Moisture Management Proof
• Compare Outcomes & Translate to Consequence
• QA, Sampling & Settlement Traceability
• Validation of Pricing Assumptions & Program Rules
• Contingency & Escalation Plan
• Data Inventory & Pre-work Assignment
• Assumption Validation & Sensitivity
• Next-step Marketing Plan Selection
• Validation & Responsibility Agreement
• Validation Checkpoint
• Mutual Commitments & Pilot Scheduling

• Receive and weigh inbound truck deliveries
• Dry high‑moisture corn at 1,200 bu/hr
• Issue accurate scale tickets and electronic receipts
• Provide same‑day cash settlement (wire or check)
• Operate deferred‑pricing storage accounts
• On‑site grain testing: moisture, test weight, grade, GMO
• Blend and segregate lots to target specifications
• Aeration and automated temperature/moisture control
• Fumigation and pest‑control treatments for stored grain
• Loadout to unit‑train, barge, and truck shipments
• Post daily cash bids via mobile app and signage
• Manage storage shrink and monthly storage invoicing

Receive and weigh inbound truck deliveries

• Do you require continuous (24/7) receiving or scheduled/limited receiving windows? Options: 24/7, Scheduled windows, Peak-season only
• What is your expected peak inbound trucks per hour during harvest? Options: 1-5, 6-10, 11-20, 20+
• Do you need integration of scale tickets with electronic receipts and customer portal? Options: Yes, No
• Do you require separate scale lanes for different vehicle types (e.g., grain trucks, trailers, hopper-bottom)? Options: Yes, No
• What turnaround time target do you expect per truck (minutes)? Options: <15 min, 15-30 min, 30-60 min, >60 min
• Are there special regulatory or weighment reporting requirements we should plan for (state audits, third-party verification)?
• Describe any preferred pre-booking or driver check-in workflows (mobile app, phone, on-site kiosk).

Dry high‑moisture corn at 1,200 bu/hr

• What maximum inbound corn moisture (%) must we be able to accept and dry? Options: <20%, 20-24%, 24-28%, >28%
• Do you require guaranteed dryer throughput (bu/hr) during peak windows? Options: Yes - guaranteed, Best-effort only, Not required
• What turnaround objective for drying (time between arrival and return-to-field) is acceptable to your customers? Options: <1 hour, 1-3 hours, 3-6 hours, Flexible
• Should priority drying be offered for contracted or high-value lots? Options: Yes, No
• What fees or surcharge structure for emergency or out-of-hours drying should be available? Options: Flat fee, Per-bu surcharge, Hourly rate, No surcharge
• What maximum acceptable shrink (moisture loss) target should drying operations aim for (bu or %)? Options: <0.5%, 0.5-1%, 1-2%, No preference
• Are there specification limits after drying (target moisture, test weight) that we must meet for marketing channels?

Issue accurate scale tickets and electronic receipts

• Do you require real-time electronic receipts to be delivered to producers (SMS, email, app)? Options: Yes, No
• What level of detail must appear on scale tickets (moisture, test weight, shrink applied, net bu, gross weight)? Options: Basic (net bu, moisture), Detailed (all metrics), Custom
• Is third-party verification or remote audit access to scale tickets required by any customers or programs? Options: Yes, No
• What tolerance for ticket accuracy discrepancies is acceptable before escalation is required? Options: ±0.1%, ±0.5%, ±1%, Other
• Do you want tickets integrated automatically with settlement and invoicing systems? Options: Yes, No
• Describe preferred ticket formats or export types (PDF, CSV, EDI). Options: PDF, CSV, EDI, Other
• Are paper tickets still required at the scalehouse in addition to electronic receipts? Options: Yes, No

Provide same‑day cash settlement (wire or check)

• Do you require guaranteed same-day funds availability or same-day payment initiation? Options: Guaranteed funds, Payment initiation same day, Standard settlement
• Which settlement methods should be supported? Options: Wire transfer, Check, ACH, Mobile payment
• Are there minimum documentation requirements for same-day settlement (ID, contract number)? Options: Yes, No
• What cutoff time for daily settlements should be enforced to guarantee same-day processing? Options: 10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, 2:00 PM, End of day
• Do you require integrated settlement notifications to customers (confirmation of payment)? Options: Yes, No
• Are there fee preferences for settlement methods (e.g., wire fee passed to customer)? Options: Pass fee to customer, Absorb fee, Customer chooses
• Please list any banking or vendor constraints that could affect settlement (e.g., ineligible banks, rural bank delays).

Operate deferred‑pricing storage accounts

• Will you offer deferred-pricing accounts that hold title with the producer or with the elevator? Options: Producer retains title, Elevator holds title, Flexible options
• What maximum storage duration should be available under deferred-pricing programs? Options: 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, Custom term
• What settlement options at time of sale under deferred pricing (cash at sale, wire on sale, settlement on delivery)? Options: Cash at sale, Wire on sale, Settlement on delivery, Other
• Do deferred-pricing accounts require minimum lot sizes or account minimum balances? Options: Yes, No
• What fee structure for deferred-pricing storage is preferred (monthly storage fee, seasonal flat fee, per-bu rate)? Options: Monthly per-bu, Seasonal flat, Per-lot, Other
• Are there margin or collateral requirements for deferred-pricing customers? Options: Yes, No
• Describe any contract terms or program rules that must be enforced (rollover rules, price triggers, settlement cadence).

On‑site grain testing: moisture, test weight, grade, GMO

• Which tests are mandatory at intake for your customers? Options: Moisture, Test weight, Grade, GMO, All of the above
• Do you require lab-certified testing or is on-site rapid testing acceptable? Options: Lab-certified only, On-site rapid acceptable, Both based on lot size
• What sample retention policy do you expect (days retained, stored samples)? Options: 0-7 days, 8-30 days, 31-90 days, Custom
• Are there specific GMO testing thresholds or certification standards required? Options: Yes, No
• Do you need test results integrated into electronic receipts and marketing systems automatically? Options: Yes, No
• What turnaround time for lab confirmation (if needed) is acceptable? Options: Same day, 24-48 hours, 3-5 business days
• Please list any special assays or customer-specific tests required (e.g., vomitoxin, foreign material).

Blend and segregate lots to target specifications

• Do you require permanent segregation of lots or temporary segregation until sale? Options: Permanent segregation, Temporary segregation, No segregation required
• What blending targets are commonly requested (moisture band, test weight min, specific protein)?
• Are there labeling or traceability requirements for segregated lots? Options: Yes, No
• Do blended lots need recorded blend recipes and audit trail for customers? Options: Yes, No
• What minimum and maximum lot sizes must be supported for blending and segregation? Options: <5,000 bu, 5,000-20,000 bu, 20,000+ bu
• Should blending be offered as a billable service (per-bu fee) or included in storage/handling fees? Options: Billable service, Included, Customer choice
• Describe any contractual buyer specifications we must be able to blend to (processor contracts, export specs).

Aeration and automated temperature/moisture control

• Do you expect automated aeration control across all stored lots or only for select accounts? Options: All lots, Select accounts only, Ad-hoc/manual
• What temperature/moisture alarm thresholds should trigger alerts or corrective action? Options: Custom thresholds, Standard presets, No automation
• Do you require remote monitoring and customer-accessible condition dashboards? Options: Yes, No
• Are automated aeration cycles charged separately or included in storage fees? Options: Separate fee, Included, Tiered service
• What response SLA for corrective interventions (e.g., manual aeration, fan repair) is required? Options: 2 hours, 24 hours, 48 hours, Custom
• Do any lots require climate-controlled storage (temperature-controlled silos)? Options: Yes, No
• Please specify any historic moisture or spoilage issues we should plan mitigation for.

Fumigation and pest‑control treatments for stored grain

• Do you require scheduled preventative fumigation or on-detection reactive treatments? Options: Scheduled preventative, On-detection reactive, Both, No fumigation
• Are there regulatory or customer restrictions on fumigants (organic, non-chemical requirements)? Options: Yes, No
• What turnaround time is required between fumigation and release for sale or shipment? Options: Same day, 24 hours, 72 hours, Depends on fumigant
• Should fumigation treatments be invoiced separately or included in storage/service fees? Options: Separate invoice, Included, Customer choice

• Statement of Work (SOW)
• Commercial Terms & Pricing
• Deferred-Pricing & Storage Program Rules
• Storage & Handling Agreement
• Receiving & Dryer Capacity Commitment
• Settlement & Payment Cadence
• Quality, Sampling & Liability
• Risk, Insurance & Credit Terms
• Operational Readiness & Mutual Obligations
• Escalation, Dispute Resolution & Termination
• Change Order & Amendment Process
• Signature & Execution

• Quarterly Outcomes Review — Harvest Performance vs Success Signals
• Post-Harvest Lessons Learned Workshop
• Weekly Support & Issue Triage
• Enhancement Prioritization & Roadmap Alignment
• 30-Day Customer Success Check-in (Post-Harvest)

• Define a customer communication plan tied to each roadmap commitment.
• Document customer-sourced enhancement requests for backlog consideration.
• Publish a prioritized pilot plan with owners, metrics, sample sizes, and evaluation dates.
• Log all enhancement requests from the workshop into the enhancement backlog with initial impact estimates.
• Schedule pilot kickoff meetings and necessary resource allocations (staff, drying schedules, signage changes).
• Roll Call & Open Ticket Snapshot
• Keep high-priority issues progressing with clear owners and near-term commitments.
• Ensure customers receive timely, factual updates about incident resolution and impact mitigation.
• Prevent recurrence by surfacing patterns that require systemic fixes.
• Update ticket statuses and commit to the next update timestamp for each high-priority item.
• Create a short customer-facing status note template for operations to send after each triage meeting.
• Escalate items requiring capital or staffing changes to leadership with a one-page impact brief.
• Review Backlog Summary and Scoring Criteria
• Prioritize enhancements that demonstrably improve turnaround time, grade retention, or realized prices per unit effort.
• Commit to a staged roadmap with owners and measurable acceptance criteria.
• Introductions & Meeting Objectives
• Publish the prioritized roadmap slice and notify affected customers with expected timelines and benefits.
• Create measurement plans for each committed enhancement including baseline KPIs and post-release check dates.
• Assign product/ops owners and secure necessary resources for the first two high-priority items.
• Opening & Purpose
• Confirm whether short-term remediations delivered the intended customer benefit within 30 days.
• Collect and log concise customer feedback and any new issues for the triage backlog.
• Define immediate small fixes and the next measurement checkpoint if larger actions are still in progress.
• Log customer feedback and any new issues into the triage board with a committed follow-up owner.
• If targets not met, schedule the appropriate deeper review (Quarterly Outcomes Review or Lessons Learned Workshop).
• Send a short summary email to the customer listing agreed micro-actions and the next check-in date.
• Ensure both parties share a single, data-backed current-state statement of harvest performance.
• Make the consequence of any gaps explicit in operational and financial terms.
• Agree on a validated future-state statement and 3–5 prioritized remediation actions with owners and dates.
• Capture customer confirmation that proposed changes will resolve their key pain points.
• Produce a one-page outcomes brief showing KPIs, sample tickets, and quantified consequences for customer sign-off.
• Create an action register with owners, deadlines, and success criteria for each remediation item.
• Schedule the follow-up measurement checkpoint to verify KPI movement after changes are implemented.
• Pre-work Review & Framing
• Surface root causes behind the most impactful harvest incidents with both qualitative stories and quantitative evidence.
• Generate prioritized, testable pilots that map directly to reduced waiting, improved grade retention, or better realized prices.
• Agree on acceptance criteria and validators for each pilot to ensure objective measurement of improvement.
• Top Candidates Presentation
• Current State Snapshot vs 30-day Targets
• Current State Summary (one-sentence)
• Incident Walkthroughs (customer stories + data)
• Critical Incident Deep Dives
• Customer Feedback & Incident Reporting
• Consequence Review
• Enhancement Requests Review
• Consequence Mapping
• Impact vs Effort Trade-off Discussion
• Quick Decisions: Immediate Actions
• Roadmap Decisions & Commitment
• Owner Commitments & Customer Communications
• Root-Cause Clustering
• KPI Deep Dive: Turnaround, Grade Retention, Realized Price
• Confirm Next Checkpoint
• Communication & Measurement Plan
• Solution Brainstorm & Rapid Validation
• Escalations & Resource Needs
• Root-Cause Alignment
• Proposed Remediations & Future State Statement
• Pilot Selection and Acceptance Criteria
• Validation & Customer Confirmation