Duluth, GA – AGCO, a global leader in the design, manufacture and distribution of agricultural machinery and precision ag technology, named Patrick Hoefling of Nutrien Ag Solutions and Odebolt, IA, the 2022 Operator of the Year at the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) Annual Conference & Expo in San Diego, CA, on Nov. 30.
The award recognizes the skills, dedication, and customer service demonstrated by application professionals to their local communities.
“AGCO is proud to be associated with operators like Patrick Hoefling and all of this year’s nominees,” said David Fickel, Fendt application senior marketing manager. “Application is an increasingly vital component of sustainable farming, and the services these professionals deliver increase farmers’ yields, strengthen the economies of farming communities, and help feed a growing world. Those values are what Operator of the Year honors and recognizes.”
Hoefling has served his community and its farmers since 1972, when his cousin, a local retailer manager, encouraged him to get into the business. Since then, he’s become well-known to area farmers who frequently request his services because they know he’ll treat their crops as if they were his own.
Hoefling is respected by colleagues at Nutrien for his mentoring that focuses on the practical aspect of application services and the value of taking pride in well-done jobs. He’s also respected for his care of the equipment he uses and the importance he places on timely maintenance and careful operation. Hoefling shares credit with the team back home in Odebolt, saying “No matter what the application is, we work together to get every job accomplished professionally and completely!”
Hoefling thoroughly enjoys his time both in and outside the fields. “It’s not work when you love your job every day,” he said. In his off-hours, Hoefling can often be found participating in community fundraisers, providing landscaping services in Odebolt’s city parks and green spaces, and spending time with his nine children and 28 grandchildren.
Kourtney Kaemming of The Jewell Grain Company and Defiance, OH, and Shane Twenter of MFA Inc. and Boonville, MO, were also finalists in the program and appeared at the ARA conference. “Kourtney and Shane are just as deserving of this award as I am and it’s an honor to be included with them,” said Hoefling. “They’re both such talented and knowledgeable professionals – and they’re young! The industry and our farmers will be in great hands with them.”
For more information about Operator of the Year or application equipment from AGCO, visit AGCOaward.com, ApplyLikeAPro.com and Fendt.com.