Cattle Feed Sales Consultant

Cooperative Farmers Elevator; Marcus (IA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Cooperative Farmers Elevator is seeking a Cattle Feed Sales Consultant to grow profitable cattle feed business in an assigned US territory by building trusted producer relationships and coordinating practical nutrition, forage, service, and technology solutions that improve customer performance.

You will develop territory plans, maintain a qualified pipeline, and lead discovery, proposals, negotiations, and closing conversations to enhance retention and share of wallet.

Qualifications

• Degree or equivalent experience in a relevant field (animal science, livestock production, agricultural business, sales).
• Proven ability to build trusted relationships, prospect, grow accounts, negotiate, and follow through.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a territory plan focused on retention, share-of-wallet growth, feed volume, gross margin, and complete nutrition programs.
• Understand customer production systems and decision processes before recommending solutions.
• Maintain focused account plans and conduct regular business reviews.
• Partner with nutritionists and product leaders on feeding programs aligned with customer goals and economics.
• Prepare for calls, document next steps, and maintain accurate customer, pipeline, and activity data.

Skills

Relationship building

Prospecting

Negotiation

Problem solving

Cattle nutrition knowledge

Education

Animal science / livestock production / agricultural business / sales

Tools

Microsoft 365

Sales systems

Job description

Description The Cattle Feed Sales Consultant grows profitable cattle feed business in an assigned territory by building trusted producer relationships and coordinating practical nutrition, forage, service, and technology solutions that improve customer performance.

Requirements

Position Responsibilities

Territory Profitable Growth

• Develop and execute a territory plan focused on retention, share-of-wallet growth, targeted prospects, feed volume, gross margin, and complete nutrition programs.
• Maintain a qualified pipeline, accurate forecasts, disciplined prospecting, and clear account priorities.

Consultative Selling & Customer Economics

• Understand each customer's production system, goals, economics, risks, and decision process before recommending solutions.
• Connect CFE recommendations to measurable outcomes and lead effective discovery, proposal, negotiation, and closing conversations.

Strategic Account Management & Customer Retention

• Maintain focused account plans, conduct regular business reviews, identify risks early, and coordinate prompt issue resolution.
• Strengthen retention through reliable follow-through and relevant One CFE opportunities.

Nutrition Program & Technical Execution

• Partner with CFE nutritionists and product leaders on feeding programs aligned with customer goals, cattle, forage, facilities, management, and economics.
• Communicate approved directions accurately, capture reliable performance information, and involve qualified resources for formulation, animal-health, or technical decisions.

Sales Process, Systems & Professional Development

• Prepare for calls, document next steps, and maintain accurate customer, pipeline, activity, and follow-up information in CFE systems.
• Participate in coaching and training while strengthening cattle, nutrition, financial, selling, technology, and competitive knowledge.

Cross-Functional Service & Execution

• Coordinate with nutrition, operations, dispatch, procurement, credit, finance, marketing, and customer service before making significant commitments.
• Provide timely demand, delivery, inventory, account, and risk information; own customer communication and follow-through.

Pricing, Credit, Safety, & Compliance

• Follow approved pricing, contracting, credit, product-use, safety, quality, confidentiality, and regulatory requirements; obtain approval for exceptions.
• Promptly escape material customer, margin, quality, animal-performance, legal, safety, or operational risks.

Safety & Compliance

• Uphold all cooperative, safety, and regulatory policies across feed operations
• Attend all employee safety meetings, etc. held as required or scheduled in conjunction with Safety Director or location

Measures of Success

• Profitable Growth: Volume, gross margin, revenue quality, retention, new accounts, share of wallet, and program adoption.
• Sales Execution: Pipeline quality, prospecting, conversion, forecast accuracy, account plans, system use, and follow-through.
• Customer Value: Documented performance, economics, service reliability, issue resolution, and customer trust.
• Commercial Discipline: Pricing and credit compliance, account profitability, sound commitments, collaboration, and professional growth.

Decision Rights & Role Boundaries

• Manage territory and account activity within approved goals and authority; recommend priorities, pricing actions, service solutions, and investments.
• Defer formulation, veterinary, legal, regulatory, credit-exception, and unapproved-pricing decisions to the appropriate authority.
• Escalate material risks promptly while remaining accountable for customer communication and follow-through.

Other Duties

Perform Other Duties As Assigned By Management

• Represent the role professionally in meetings by staying actively engaged, contributing to discussions, and providing thoughtful feedback and support to the feed team
• Professionally represent CFE at external meetings and industry events by building strategic relationships, fostering collaboration, expanding networks, and promoting CFE's brand and business objectives
• Maintain a professional image that reflects company values while promoting teamwork through positive attitude, communication, and conduct

Basic Qualifications

• Degree in animal science, livestock production, agricultural business, sales, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships, prospect, grow accounts, negotiate, solve problems, and follow through.
• Working knowledge of cattle production, nutrition, forage systems, and producer economics, or the ability to learn quickly.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and sales systems; valid driver’s license and regular travel required.

This field-based role requires regular travel and safe work in office, vehicle, farm, feedlot, and feed-manufacturing environments, including the use of required personal protective equipment. The employee may occasionally handle and lift up to 50 pounds of feed, mineral, equipment, or samples. Reasonable accommodations may be made for qualified individuals. This description summarizes the position’s primary responsibilities and is not intended to list every duty. Responsibilities may change as business needs evolve. Employment remains subject to CFE policies and applicable law.