Rob Ayers Regional Sales Manager Corning, New York McLanahan Corporation

What are your new responsibilities?
At McLanahan I assist dairy producers to bed their herd with sand. Sand is often referred to as the gold standard for many reasons, but without the right tools sand can become a headache fast. That’s where I come in.

I spend my days traveling throughout my territory to work with these guys in getting them the machinery necessary to reclaim that sand, thus keeping it from filling up manure lagoons and wearing out equipment as well as allowing them to reclaim it for reuse.

What territory will you cover?
My territory is the Northeastern U.S., including New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey.

Please describe your agricultural background.
I grew up on a 200 cow dairy farm in upstate New York and have previously worked for Dairylea’s and DFA’s Agri-Services Agency.

What education are you bringing with you to this position?
I earned a bachelor’s degree at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania and a master’s at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania.

What previous positions have you held?
This is my first position held with McLanahan. I left Agri-Services Agency to come here.

How will you be of most help to producers in your region or area of expertise?
My greatest asset to producers will be that I can offer them solutions to use sand bedding without so many of the drawbacks. Many farms sacrifice cow comfort because of the difficulty of dealing with the used sand.

I can offer them the tools to achieve higher milk production while saving them the money of lost sand and the time it requires to clean used sand out of lagoons because now we can mechanically reclaim it from the manure.

These guys are the salt of the earth yet in addition to battling the weather and uncertainty, they often are further encumbered by increasing regulations and low prices. It seems that we should be doing what we can to help these guys out and I feel like we’re doing that.

Why did you choose this company?
I first approached McLanahan because they had a product that makes sense to me. I enjoy working with and selling something that just doesn’t seem to have any drawbacks. However, realized that this is where I wanted to make my career because of the values of the company.

A company’s values are important, because I have to know that I won’t have to compromise my own to do my job. McLanahan has been family owned since 1835, so for 178 years, and the values of family and faith are central to the company from the top down.

What goals would you like to accomplish while in this position?
As far as goals are concerned, I’d simply like to help as many producers as I can effectively move over to sand bedding.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
In five years, I see myself being all the more familiar with the industry and how our sand solutions play a role in it. I really enjoy what I am doing and see myself continuing to enjoy it five years from now. PD