Agricultural Byproduct Sales Representative

SUMMARY: The Agricultural Byproduct Sales Representative is responsible for proactively developing markets and moving company-generated and excess manure in a timely, compliant, and cost-effective manner. This role builds and maintains relationships with growers, dairies, farms, brokers, haulers, and other industry partners; identifies new sales and placement opportunities; negotiates competitive pricing and transportation terms; and coordinates closely with internal operations, logistics, and site teams. The position requires strong planning, follow-through, commercial judgment, and the ability to use in-house equipment, labor, transportation, storage, and other available resources whenever practical to achieve the best overall net return and minimize handling, storage, and disposal costs.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The following reflects essential duties and responsibilities but is not all-inclusive. Management reserves the right to assign or reassign tasks as necessary:

Sales Development & Product Movement

• Proactively identify, develop, and close opportunities to sell or place company-generated and excess manure with qualified growers, farms, dairies, brokers, and other approved customers.
• Build and maintain a reliable book of business and an active network of industry contacts capable of purchasing, receiving, transporting, processing, or referring manure opportunities.
• Maintain a consistent prospecting schedule through calls, site visits, referrals, industry events, and follow-up with current and prospective customers.
• Match available manure volumes, characteristics, location, timing, and customer requirements to practical sales or placement options.
• Develop contingency outlets and backup customer options to reduce excess inventory, avoid operational disruption, and support seasonal demand changes.

Pricing, Planning & Cost-Effective Logistics

• Create weekly, monthly, and seasonal movement plans based on projected manure generation, available inventory, storage capacity, customer demand, field access, weather, and transportation availability.
• Evaluate the full delivered economics of each opportunity, including sales price, loading, hauling, fuel, labor, equipment, handling, storage, and any third-party charges, to secure the best overall net return.
• Use available in-house trucks, equipment, labor, loading capacity, storage, and scheduling resources whenever practical and cost-effective; obtain and compare outside freight or service quotes when additional capacity is needed.
• Negotiate pricing, freight terms, pickup or delivery schedules, volumes, and service expectations within approved authority and margin guidelines.
• Coordinate orders, dispatch, loading, delivery, and customer receipt with Operations, Transportation, Finance, and site personnel to minimize delays, empty miles, double handling, and avoidable costs.

Customer Service, Compliance & Performance Reporting

• Develop long-term customer relationships through dependable communication, accurate commitments, problem resolution, and consistent follow-through.
• Clearly communicate product characteristics, availability, loading requirements, transportation considerations, and approved use information; coordinate technical support or training when needed.
• Ensure transactions and movement activities follow company procedures and applicable environmental, transportation, site-access, safety, documentation, and customer requirements.
• Maintain accurate records of prospects, contacts, quotes, commitments, contracts, volumes, pricing, freight, delivery status, customer issues, and next steps.
• Provide timely forecasts and reports on available inventory, committed and moved tons, sales revenue, net return, transportation cost per ton, aging inventory, pipeline activity, and risks to the movement plan.
• Share market intelligence regarding customer demand, competitor activity, pricing, freight capacity, seasonal conditions, and new outlets with leadership and internal partners.
• Travel to customer, farm, dairy, and company locations as needed and perform other duties assigned by the manager.

Required

• High school diploma or equivalent; bachelor’s degree in Agriculture, Agribusiness, Business, Sales, Logistics, or 3 years in a related field preferred.
• Three or more years of successful sales, business development, commodity, agricultural byproduct, manure, fertilizer, feed, trucking, or related industry experience.
• Established contacts or demonstrated ability to build relationships within the manure, dairy, farming, fertilizer, hauling, or agricultural services industries.
• Demonstrated ability to proactively prospect, negotiate, close sales, and move product against volume, timing, revenue, margin, and cost objectives.
• Working knowledge of transportation planning, freight rates, routing, scheduling, loading considerations, and delivered-cost analysis.
• Strong planning, organization, follow-through, problem-solving, and relationship-management skills.
• Ability to analyze pricing and cost information, compare alternatives, and make commercially sound recommendations using Excel, CRM, ERP, or related business systems.
• Ability to learn and accurately communicate product characteristics, operational constraints, and applicable company, safety, transportation, and environmental requirements.
• Valid driver’s license, acceptable driving record, and ability to travel regularly to company sites and customer locations.
• Support our mission, vision, and values by embracing our G.R.E.A.T. principles: Always Growing, Relentless Solutions, Excellence with Empathy, Ambitious Adaptability, and Trustworthy Team spirit.

Preferred

• Direct experience selling, brokering, transporting, or placing manure or other agricultural residuals and byproducts.
• Existing relationships with growers, dairies, farms, fertilizer companies, brokers, custom applicators, or agricultural haulers.
• Understanding of manure nutrient value, sampling or analysis reports, seasonal land-application practices, storage constraints, and customer acceptance requirements.
• Experience coordinating company-owned and third-party transportation resources and negotiating competitive freight rates.
• Bilingual English/Spanish a plus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT and PHYSICAL/MENTAL REQUIREMENTS:

The working conditions described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Work is performed in office settings and at company facilities, dairies, farms, fields, loading areas, transportation yards, and customer sites.
• Regular regional travel and driving are required to develop accounts, inspect logistics conditions, coordinate product movement, and support customers; occasional overnight travel may be required.
• Regular outdoor work may involve heat, cold, sun, wind, rain, uneven terrain, dust, odors, manure, agricultural materials, and areas where trucks and heavy equipment are operating.
• Required to follow all company and site safety rules and use appropriate personal protective equipment when applicable.
• Physical demands may include standing and walking for extended periods, climbing in and out of vehicles, bending or stooping, and traversing farms, fields, yards, and loading areas.
• Must be able to operate a computer, laptop, phone, tablet, and other mobile devices for extended periods and communicate reliably while traveling.
• May occasionally lift and carry samples, safety equipment, or sales materials weighing up to 25 lbs.