Dintelmann, a Belleville, Illinois native, comes to Brandt after two years as a Senior Research Associate at the University of Missouri. His extensive agronomic background, effective communication abilities, and customer service skills will be invaluable for Brandt’s customer base.

“Brian is an impressive agronomist that has a clear focus to help farmers succeed. He will be a tremendous asset to our Brandt team and our customers here in central Illinois,”

said Kyle McClelland, Brandt Seed, and Technical Agronomy Manager.

Brian holds a Masters of Science in Plant, Insect, and Microbial Sciences; Crop, Soil, and Pest Management/Weed Science from the University of Missouri. He moved to Columbia after earning a BS in Agriculture, Agronomy from Murray State University.

“Brandt puts a dedicated emphasis on agronomic recommendations as a differentiator in the retail space. It’s a key way they bring value to their customers. And they aren’t afraid to push the boundaries of production agriculture with new products and new techniques. That’s something exciting to be a part of,”

said Dintelmann.

Source: Brandt

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United Fresh Produce Association’s Q3 2020 issue of FreshFacts on Retail reports is now available, sponsored by Mucci Farms. Mucci Farms is a leading greenhouse grower, packer, shipper, and marketer of fresh fruits and vegetables with growing and distribution facilities in Canada and the United States.

The report explores consumer preferences for packaged and bulk produce. While growth in packaged produce continues to outpace bulk, this is due to retained produce buyers increasing consumption of packaged produce versus consumers shifting from bulk to packaged items.

“It may be easy to assume that the pandemic is the main driver for consumers to increase purchases of packaged produce. However, Nielsen’s data indicates that consumers are influenced by a variety of factors, such as size options, fridge-life perception, and convenience. What’s most important is that packaged produce seems to drive increased purchases and basket size.”

said Miriam Wolk, United Fresh’s Vice President of Member Services.

Q3 2020 data highlights include:

• Consumer perceptions on late summer prime seasonality drove trips and dollars for the fruit category, with a 7.8% increase in sales compared to this period last year.
• Vegetables continue to surge with a 14.4% increase in sales compared to this period last year, with corn, bell peppers, and mushrooms outperforming expectations.
• Packaged salad continues its reign as a top-selling organic produce commodity, while herbs and spices, as well as bananas and apples, showed growth in this continually growing category.
• Category spotlights explore peppers, cucumbers, and berries, with insights on how enclosed varieties are surging in popularity.
• Consumer response to value-added fruit rebounded, likely due to consumers looking for convenience solutions as schools reopened and meal preparation fatigue kicked in.

FreshFacts on Retail, produced in partnership with Nielsen Fresh and with direction from the United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board, measures retail price and sales trends for the top 10 fruit and vegetable commodities as well as other value-added produce categories.

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Ochsner comes to Claas North America with an extensive background in executive retail management. He has gained a reputation for developing effective strategic business and sales initiatives that have driven market share expansion and dealer profitability. He has spent the bulk of his career with companies such as RDO Equipment Company, Columbia Tractor Inc., Bushel Inc., and Titan Machinery Inc.

Magnusson explained:

“Over the last ten years, Claas has augmented our North American sales channel with a select number of company-owned, locally operated retail locations where a suitable dealership couldn’t be found. We’re very excited to have Mr. Ochsner overseeing the development and growth of such a critical part of our business.”

Ochsner holds a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration, with a minor in economics, from Northern State University, Aberdeen, South Dakota. His extensive experience, education, and background will be key assets in his new position and will serve him well as he joins the Claas of America Management Team.

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More than 20 retailers and foodservice companies have committed to participating, including Albertsons, Allegiance Retail Services, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Big Y Foods, Blue Apron, Costco, Danaco Solutions, Diversified Restaurant Systems, FreshPoint, Grocery Outlet, Harps, Hy-Vee, Kroger, McDonalds, Meijer, Rouses, SpartanNash, Sysco, Target Corporation, Tops Friendly Market, US Foods, Wegmans Food Markets, and Whole Foods Market.

A small number of openings are now available to suppliers due to rescheduling the event from San Diego in June. The cost to participate for suppliers is $5,000 and guarantees 10 meetings over the three-day period. In addition, supplier companies can invite these buyers to visit their United Fresh LIVE! 365 booths online, where the Partner X-Change meetings will be hosted. This provides companies an easy way to demonstrate products, share videos and additional content beyond the initial 15-minute meetings.

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