Jay-Mar, Inc.

What started as a potato packaging plant that carried everything from the plastic and mesh sacks to the closure ties, Jay-Mar, Inc. has become a solid competitor in the agriculture market. Located on the northern edge of the Golden Sands, Jay-Mar, Inc. was founded by Jay and Marilyn Warner in 1970. Their son, David remains active in running the business today.

For many years, Jay-Mar sold agriculture products from a warehouse located behind their existing location. Often times, farmers would stop by the warehouse to ask questions regarding what crops to plant to the different fertilizers needed to produce higher yields. These conversations could take several hours or more, depending on the needs of the farmer.

At the same time, customers would stop by the warehouse to purchase dog food in bulk. The warehouse was nothing fancy and heavy coats, mittens and winter gear were recommended when stopping by during the chilly months. As spring appeared and farmers were preparing to hit the fields, those wanting to purchase bulk dog food found their wait to be lengthy as Jay-Mar employees spent much of their time working with the farmers. Most dog food buyers understood this and shopped elsewhere until the growing season was over returning to the warehouse when the farmers' needs slowed down.

In 1980 Jay-Mar purchased a formulation facility located one mile from their warehouse location. With most of their business coming from agriculture, it seemed like a natural fit. With access to railcars running next to the facility, it’s easy for incoming product to be received and unloaded. Warehouse shelves are stocked with a complete line of micronutrients available as straight products or blended to create the right mix for farmers on an individual basis. The facility is equipped with four stations to weigh and load dry and liquid fertilizers. This allows Jay-Mar to fill the farmer's request and deliver the product in a short amount of time.

With planting schedules set by the canning companies, Jay-Mar is extremely busy between April 1 and July 20 meeting farmers' requests during planting season. With the limited growing season in this area of Wisconsin, corn and potatoes are single season crops. However, peas can be planted and harvested in 60 days followed by a planting of beans harvested in 60 days.

Seven years ago, Jay-Mar opened the retail store adjoining the business offices. Based on her love of birds, Marilyn Warner was instrumental in launching the popular “bird seed sale.” This event continues on an annual basis and became the springboard for the launch of the Jay-Mar, Inc. retail store. The store is filled with lawn and garden seeds, food and supplies for dogs, cats, horses and small animals. They also stock a full line of poultry feed, wildlife feed, wild bird feeders and mixes. On the lawn and garden side, Jay-Mar carries lawn and garden seeds, fertilizer and a variety of pest control products. A unique selection of gifts and garden accents are available as well.

The main ingredient to the success of Jay-Mar’s business is their excellent customer service. Their employees are educated, experienced individuals who know the agriculture business well and enjoy the business relationships they develop over the years.

In the retail store, employees talk with customers to determine their needs before making a recommendation. They will guide customers to the products, help them with their selection and carry the heavy loads out to their cars. With the addition of the organic pet food line, customers have an even greater selection to choose from.

So how are local crops shaping up for this year? While the season started off with cool temps followed by a considerable amount of rain, things are looking good for the harvest. The increase in commodity prices along with the increase in sales and profit margins has the agriculture economy in as good of shape as it’s been in a long time.