Faces of Farming

From the Marines to MFA, Joseph Woods has been continually honing his leadership skills, whether it’s learning from mentors or empowering his own team members to grow in their careers. 

Since joining MFA in 2020, Woods has successfully led operations and helped deploy technological advances at Agri Services locations in Macon and Milan, Mo., where he currently serves as manager.

Those efforts have helped Woods earn a “Rising Star” award from the Agricultural Retailers Association, which recognizes emerging leaders in the industry. Woods and other 2024 Rising Stars will be honored Dec. 4 at the annual ARA Conference in Houston, Texas.

“It’s a great honor to be a recipient of this award, but I couldn’t do it without the Milan MFA crew,” Woods said. “They are second to none, and I appreciate everything they do to help me and this company be successful.”

As part of the nomination process, MFA Communications produced a video interview with Woods. You can view his video and others online at aradc.org/rising-stars. Here are some of the comments Woods shared with us.  

What is your role as Agri Services manager? 
I’m responsible for many things and wear many different hats. I work with customers to fill their fertilizer, feed and chemical needs. Occasionally, I drive tender trucks, load fertilizer, dispatch and operate spreaders or sprayers. Managers are also responsible for ensuring team members are doing their part to make sure progress is happening. One of the most important aspects of running a successful location is empowering leadership within my employees. The way I do this with my team is delegating tasks and allowing them to decide what it takes to get their job done. This provides them the opportunity to grow professionally by thinking about time management, teamwork and using company resources wisely. As a leader, I feel like it’s my job to push them to be better leaders as well.

What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in this role? 
Being a young leader has been challenging at times. One of the ways I overcome this is by observing and learning from other leaders and adding their best practices to my leadership “toolbox.” I also learn from mistakes and adjust as needed. The way I look at it, you are always a student learning trade and leadership skills.

What are some of the successes you’ve achieved?
I’d say one of the biggest successes was implementing the AgSync program, now FieldAlytics. A couple of other managers and myself got the opportunity to work with the program early on and figure out ways we could use it to make us more efficient in the field or at the plant. If we can be more efficient at work and in the field, that, in turn, makes the farmer more efficient and makes MFA more profitable. We get more done at the end of the day, and, ultimately, we get more time with our families.

How would you describe your philosophy as a leader?
As we increase efficiencies, everything speeds up. That means a leader has to be decisive and forward-thinking. At the same time, I believe it’s important to stay humble and make sure to treat people how I want to be treated. Whether you’re a manager or an employee, you’re never too big, and you’re never too small.

What would you say to people about MFA as a career path?
I would tell them that retail agriculture is one of the most rewarding professions because you get to provide products and services to farmers that directly impact their success. Partnering with them and watching their crop grow from start to finish, year after year, is one of the most rewarding feelings you will ever have. I’ve always been a driven, self-motivated person, and MFA gives us the tools and the opportunity to be as driven as you want to be. The sky’s the limit, really. We have good equipment. We have good employees. I guess it sounds cliché, but I feel like we really can take on the world.    

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