Farmers feed the world. From sunrise to sunset, they care for the land, tend to animals, and work hard to maintain what they steward. Pressures can mount when you consider what providing food for the planet means. From readying crops for harvest and keeping livestock healthy to looming drought and wringing hands over commodity prices at the market, these concerns barely scratch the surface of what growers and producers face every day. Is it any wonder that those responsibilities can feel, at times, like carrying 100 yards of pipe alone?

Recently, ASTM International announced that F3390 is the new standard for 3 through 24-inch lined, flexible, corrugated pipe used for land drainage applications. This specification covers all requirements and test methods. The importance of our products exceeding expectations and regulations is forefront in our minds. That’s why FlexCorr has always exceeded this standard. The requirements are intended for all manufacturers to provide non-pressure, or gravity flow, lined flexible annular corrugated polyethylene pipe for subsurface land drainage systems. This news is of great benefit to contractors and customers in the agriculture and construction industries.

We are the caretakers of our natural resources; they’re essential for survival. The two at the very top of the list are soil and water. Let’s talk about soil for a moment. It’s what we move to install pipe, enrich it to grow food, and soil also holds within its layers the foundation of the places we call home. We also source materials from the ground to generate energy. Without it? Well, oxygen, heat, and water in our ecosystem would alter and drastically tailspin the world as we know it. Speaking of water, that lands at the number one spot of significant, all-natural resources. Life wouldn’t exist without it. We drink it, utilize it to grow food, and we’re also depleting it faster than it’s being replenished.

In a world where the conservation of resources is becoming increasingly important, supporting the mission of experts is going to be the key to ecosystem productivity, wildlife survival, environmental biodiversity and, in the drainage realm, farming success. The Agricultural Drainage Management Coalition (ADMC) was established to promote this exact mission, and Fratco is proud to be an active member in supporting this important cause.

Constantly striving for innovation involves more than developing new products on the market. It also means frequently reviewing current processes and analyzing what improvements should be made in all areas of business. For Fratco, the most recent update comes in the form of streamlined communication with customers.

Coronavirus, shifts in climate, and trade disruptions have not steered Fratco drainage systems provide uniform field conditions across your farm earlier in the year. you can get in, plant and get out before winter takes over. Research suggests proper drainage can get you in the field a month ahead of schedule.

As concerns regarding environmental well-being continue to rise, industry standards are changing and consumers are demanding that adjustments be made to the products they buy and the investments they make. To fulfill customer desires and project requirements, many companies have sought ways to provide the same products and services they are known for but with a lower carbon footprint. With R-Series, Fratco customers now have this option, too.

Promising high-quality products and an unwavering commitment to customers seems like it should be the bare minimum for companies to uphold. Unfortunately, that promise is not one that is always kept—especially as companies expand and grow. They may lose sight of what has brought them success in the first place.

Driving through the streets of Monticello, Indiana, you may stumble upon Woodlawn Elementary School—a seemingly unsuspecting building that is bursting with soul. While it no longer functions as an elementary school, that has not stopped little feet from galloping through the halls. The space is used as a local food pantry, but more prominently, serves as a home to the Boys and Girls Club of White County.

As a family-owned company, Fratco strives to make employees, customers and other contacts feel like a part of the family. And while family members play many roles throughout a person’s life, Fratco feels one of the most important responsibilities comes in the form of supporting your brothers and sisters during times of need. This very idea was the basis of how Fratco’s Employee Support Fund came to be.

Few people are fortunate enough to find success in a self-made business right out of high school and still genuinely enjoy what they do decades later, but Phil Tribby has managed to do just that. Phil Tribby and his wife, Sue Tribby, run Tribby Inc., a drainage and excavation company in Kansas, Illinois. Phil Tribby and his brother first founded Tribby Brothers Tiling in 1979. The two grew up gaining experience in the industry through their father’s bulldozing and excavation business and saw a chance to rectify a shortcoming in the area.