Hi !

Hay-to-Go
Don Applegate is a farmer/rancher who has invented a new concept for buying and handling hay. I met Don last spring in Wellington, KS. HAY-TO-GO is a 1/3 sized small square bale weighing between 11 to 18 pounds. Packages are string-tied, then shrink-wrapped with a single strap handle for easy carrying. The weather-resistant covering provides the additional benefit of keeping your clothes, vehicles and storage areas free from hay, dust or dirt, a consumer's dream when buying hay. Bales are shipped in single packages or in pallets of 36. With four varieties offered: alfalfa, prairie hay, brome and straw, you may mix and match your selections. His website is www.hay-to-go.com.

Hay has probably been sold for hundreds of years, but until now the emphasis was on how to get bales bigger, not smaller. Hay-To-Go is being sold in lumber, farm/livestock and convenience stores throughout the Midwest. Soon, Hay-To-Go will be available in HY-VEE grocery stores. Here is someone who is looking at a traditional market in a completely new way. His focus is upon convenience and cleanliness rather than bulk and price. I love how entrepreneurs can find niches like this and develop innovative products for them. Are you encouraging your entrepreneurs to look at their products and services differently?

The same principle applies to towns. Some are able to differentiate themselves and excel. Others do the same thing over and over, the same thing they've done for years, and wonder why nothing changes. Which type town do you think most people want to live in? What are you doing to keep your community out of the repeat rut?

On the Road Again
In addition to my travel blog I'll list my upcoming engagements in each issue of The Agurban. Come see me when I'm in your neighborhood!