Running on Precision: How PRO Co-op Keeps Pace in a 90-Day Season

Meeting the Demands of a Short Season

PRO Co-op's Antelope location is surrounded by miles of open prairie where winters are long and unforgiving. “The ground will freeze in mid-November and it probably won't thaw out again until the 15th of April,” explains Jeannie Rude, an agronomist at PRO Co-op's Antelope location. “We probably have 45 days as spring work days, and then we'll do weed control for 45 days. Then it's harvest and that's the end of the season”

With such a short window to complete everything from seeding and fertilizing to spraying and harvesting, there is no margin for error. PRO Co-op manages a rotation that includes durum and spring wheat, lentils, peas, chickpeas, flax, canola, mustard, and over a dozen different forage crops. Each crop requires careful planning and execution, making efficiency critical to survival in this remote part of Montana.

Before adopting Agworld, operations depended on paper maps and filing cabinets. “We knew the world was changing away from paper maps and at that time, everything we did still involved a paper map,” recalls Jeannie. “We went through reams of paper, cases of printer ink. Every spreading job, the spreaders got paper maps every morning, soil testers got paper maps. We knew that had to change.”

From Paper to a Single Source of Truth

When PRO Co-op implemented Agworld in 2018, their goal was to make information accessible and consistent across all locations. With multiple agronomists, applicators, and soil testers working in overlapping areas, communication was often fragmented, and so Agworld became the shared hub.

“The first thing we use Agworld for is it's our source of truth for every field and every map,” Jeannie explains. “Whether we're spreading a job, spraying a job, soil testing a job, the name of that field, the acres, Agworld is the source of truth. Having one single source of truth made a lot of things better in the business. It makes billing better, it makes communication better.”

Dispatching also became dramatically simpler. “You start with the map, you put in the work you want done, everybody in the fertilizer plant can see it, all your spreader drivers can see it, your truckers can drive right to the field,” Jeannie says. “I would never have thought directions would've mattered that much, but our truckers use it a ton.”

Operator Buy-In and Staff Retention

One of the most telling signs of success came directly from PRO Co-op's applicators. “By the end of that first season, our spreader guys were like, if you get rid of Agworld, I'm not coming back. I'm not doing this with maps anymore. Ever again,” Jeannie recalls.

Mistakes, once a common and costly occurrence, were virtually eliminated. “We have not spread the wrong field since we started using Agworld,” she adds. “Before, there was more than one field a year where the product got put on the wrong field because a guy just misread a map or went in the wrong gate. That doesn't happen anymore.” The same is true for soil testing. New staff members who never had to use paper maps say they wouldn't do the job without digital tools. “I'm pretty sure if I started giving them stacks of maps, I'd be looking for new people to do soil testing,” Jeannie laughs.

For a co-op operating in a region with limited labor availability, retaining skilled seasonal staff is critical. By making work easier, Agworld has become a retention tool as much as an operational one.

Better Grower Relationships

While growers themselves don't always see the technology behind the scenes, they notice the results. “They love that our process now is so smooth,” Jeannie says. “They don't have to bring us a map. If we've ever done work for them before on a field, we already know exactly where it is. I can send an intern to do a tissue test and it comes back named correctly all the way through”

This accuracy builds confidence and strengthens relationships. The process of setting up digital field maps for new growers can be time-consuming, but Jeannie sees it as an investment. “It's such a great relationship builder with the customer. You learn so much about their business, and you'll only ever have to do it once. After that, the field they call North Quarter will always be North Quarter, and that makes every interaction more efficient”

Support and Future Growth

Beyond the software itself, PRO Co-op values Agworld's responsive support. “If anything comes up, we don't have an Agworld team, we have an Adam,” Jeannie laughs, referencing her customer success manager. “He answers our questions, helps us with anything we need, and makes it work smoother. The support has been really remarkable.”

Looking ahead, Jeannie sees new opportunities in precision application. “Application technology is changing really fast right now,” she says. “Our field size is enormous and margins are tight. Making the best use of the grower's resources, putting that where the best soil is, that really matters. We'd like to do a lot more variable rate.”

But she also remains cautious. “The last thing I want to do is jump too far and waste people's time instead of adding value. Stuff has to work here. With such a short season, nothing is more frustrating than doing a variable rate map and it won't load. That's my biggest fear with technology.”

For PRO Co-op, technology isn't about chasing the latest trends, it's about solving real problems. “Agworld solves a real problem. It's super easy to use. The amount of training required to get most of our applicators using it is very minimal,” Jeannie says. “If you're not solving a real problem, if you're not making somebody's business more efficient, then that's not the right choice. But for us, Agworld does” .

By adopting Agworld, PRO Co-op has modernized its operations, reduced mistakes, strengthened grower trust, and made jobs easier for its staff. In a business where every hour counts and the season is painfully short, Agworld has become the backbone that allows this independent, grower-owned co-op to thrive on the edge of Montana's prairies.