Reliable Partner of Farmers
Interview with Jürgen Ströde, Managing Director of Friedländer Landhandels- und Dienste GmbH
In rural areas, he is almost indispensable – a reliable partner who provides various services, including for example the delivery of fertilizers and pesticides. This and various other services comprise the portfolio of Friedländer Landhandels- und Dienste GmbH. For many decades, the company from Friedland in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has been a trustworthy and reliable partner for local farmers.
Among the many services of Friedländer Landhandels- und Dienste GmbH – storage and transport of solid and liquid fertilizers, pest control and fertilization, grain storage, services for the construction industry, sale of small quantities as well as workshop service, road and winter service, and handling of sugar beets at the second location Ducherow – fertilizers occupy the largest space.
"Our core competence is the handling of solid and liquid fertilizers on behalf of SKW-Piesteritz and K+S," explains Jürgen Ströde, managing director of Friedländer Landhandel- und Dienste GmbH. "We have storage capacities for 25,000 t of solid fertilizer and 12,000 t of liquid fertilizer. We distribute four types of solid fertilizer from SKW Stickstoffwerke Priesteritz – including Piamon 33 and Piagran Pro – as well as three types of liquid fertilizer. Many fertilizer dealers are significantly larger than us. Nonetheless, farmers choose us because of our expertise and the personal relationships that have developed over many years. In Friedland, we are the only ones with a central warehouse for SKW. The fact that we distribute the fertilizer centrally is unique in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania."
Well developed after the turning point
The Friedländer Landhandels- und Dienste GmbH was formed after the turning point from a former GDR company. As the management with eleven agricultural enterprises as owners proved difficult, the former employees Jürgen Ströde and Manfred Scharff swiftly took over the company in 1993.
"Because we had the necessary expertise, we bought the shares of the owners gradually and financed by credit," recalls Jürgen Ströde. With the introduction of modern organizational structures and innovative plant protection technology, the company evolved into a modern service provider.
"Year by year we have continued to grow and are currently handling 60,000 tons of fertilizer annually," says the managing director. "We have taken a positive development, are growing continuously and the location has become more and more beautiful." Currently, the company employs 40 workers, generating annual revenues of between eight and ten million EUR.
Why the former GDR company has developed into a healthy and efficient company after the reunification is clear for Jürgen Ströde: "We were hard-working people with expertise and well-educated. Manfred Scharff as a technician and I responsible for fertilizer and plant protection knew what it was about. We worked well together in difficult times. 'Impossible' did not exist and we achieved a lot with good people from the old company."
Prices have risen sharply
For Friedländer Landhandels- und Dienste GmbH, digitalization and sustainability are also of great importance. Jürgen Ströde: "We can track the location of our vehicles at any time. In the transport sector, it is very important to know where vehicles and products are located."
In terms of sustainability, the company meets all regulations and monitors their compliance meticulously. 'In addition, SKW conducts intensive research to further optimize fertilizers,' knows the managing director. 'Thus, at the experimental station near Leipzig, research is conducted into new possibilities, such as using Alzon neo N as a long-term fertilizer.'
Jürgen Ströde is concerned about the enormous price increases in fertilizers: 'Today, we put much more effort into organizing the business. Previously, a ton of fertilizer cost 300 EUR, now it is 1,000.' Therefore, for 2022, the managing director's agenda includes consolidating collaboration with farmers and adjusting structures to changed conditions, as well as his commitment to the rehabilitation of the railway line to Friedland: 'If the track does not come, the location will have no future. I will use all my strength again for this. Then we can also continue to handle lime and materials for the construction industry (as a full train up to 2,000 t).'