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Fertilizer sales field tough, competitive

By RICHARD T. ESTRADA
BEE STAFF WRITER

Selling fertilizer would appear to be an easy job in the San Joaquin Valley, where agriculture is the No. 1 industry.
But Scott Peterson faces a challenge every day he goes to work, trying to beat the odds in a lucrative, yet competitive, field.

He is the California-Arizona sales representative for Tradecorp, a Spanish company that produces fertilizer and sells it around the world. He works the wholesale end, marketing Tradecorp products to retailers.

Peterson is one of hundreds of chemical salespeople -- hawking everything from ammonia to zinc -- fighting for a slice of the valley's $15 billion agriculture industry.

"We're bombarded by salesmen with new products or products they say work better than what we're using," said Gary Layne of Simplot Soil Builders in Hughson. "A lot of times they're just blowing smoke, but they sound very convincing. That comes with this business."

It helps to have an armor-plated ego, valley chemical dealers say, because rejection is routine.

"There are sales guys for every chemical company out there, trying to make the same deals with the same customers," said Doug Doty, manager of the Western Farm Service outlet in Modesto. "There's a lot of competition."

Not only does Peterson have to try to outperform the competition each day, dealers say, he must do it with more expensive products. He markets premium fertilizers and minerals, including acids, iron, boron and other materials that are applied periodically to protect the valley's crops and help generate plentiful harvests.

Peterson's job is to spread Tradecorp's name through the ag community and get its products into the hands of farmers.

The company exports to 30 countries but has little presence in California. Few dealers carry the products, and those that do not said they have shown little interest in adding them.

Tradecorp's products target the horticulture, fruit tree and citrus segments, and its top markets include South Africa, France, Chile and Turkey.

One of the selling points used by Peterson is that the company's solid fertilizers break down quickly in water, allowing them to be carried to plants via drip and microirrigation systems.

While his ultimate customer is the farmer, Peterson spends more time in his car and in offices than he does on farms.

His role is to convince fertilizer dealers that they need to carry the products.

He has encountered some difficulty, dealers said, because many of his products are more expensive than available alternatives.

Tradecorp products cost 15 percent to 25 percent more than the average retail price for similar products, according to dealers.

He sells premium goods, dealers agree, but in this tight farm economy it is a challenge convincing farmers to spend more than they must.

Tradecorp backs Peterson

Traditional -- and cheaper -- materials might be slightly less effective, but dealers say that rarely is enough to justify a grower paying the higher price.

Tradecorp did not answer The Bee's requests for information about Peterson's performance. However, it appears that Peterson still is working for the company.

Eric Van Innis, Tradecorp executive director, visited Peterson in Modesto on Jan. 21 and said the company supports Peterson "100 percent."

Chemical dealers who previously were in contact with Peterson said they had not heard from him since his wife's disappearance Christmas Eve.

Peterson did not respond to requests to discuss his job.

Many dealers who have bought products from Peterson, or had been approached by him, declined to be identified for this story.

"It's a tragic story that no one wants to be linked to," one dealer said. "I've already taken calls about this, and I don't want to spend any more time with it."

But that does not mean that those in the industry do not talk about it.

"He's been a topic of conversation since we found out he's a fertilizer salesman," Doty said. "He's never come to our store to sell, but I've lost count of the people who asked me if I met him."

Bee staff writer Richard T. Estrada can be reached at 578-2316 or restrada@modbee.com.