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Iowa farmer lands on Forbes “30 Under 30” list

Iowa farmer lands on Forbes “30 Under 30” list

Brad McDonald created an online marketplace for farmers to use to buy and sell inputs

By Diego Flammini
News Reporter
Farms.com

A 29-year-old hog farmer from Ryan, IA has been named to the 2018 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for retail and ecommerce.

In 2016, Brad McDonald created Agroy Inc., an online platform that allows farmers to buy and sell seed, fertilizer and other items. He likens the platform to Amazon but geared towards farmers.

Nearly 15,000 applicants try to get onto the Forbes list. The fact McDonald was chosen is more of a victory for agriculture than anything else, he said.

“It’s a great honor for me personally,” he told Farms.com yesterday. “But, beyond that, it’s great for the industry. What I’ve found, living in New York and Chicago, is that agriculture is overlooked in the big cities. For Forbes to recognize something special about what we’re doing in agriculture is quite humbling.”

Agroy functions like a regular farmer’s co-op but moves the marketplace online. Instead of simply buying products with other farmers in their local communities, producers can collaborate with their peers around the country in the hopes of getting lower prices on their inputs.



 

Producers can create an Agroy account for free and can compare prices of different products and manufacturers. It’s a simple enough process but one that agriculture hadn’t considered viable yet, according to McDonald.

"If we can buy everything from appliances to toys to diapers for cheap online, why can't we buy seed and fertilizer at wholesale prices online? For us, that's the niche we are looking to fill,” he said.

As the number of farmers and acres registered on Agroy increase, the input prices could decrease. Farmers with 10,000-plus acres are offered incentives if they’re willing to work with other producers in the network. Having that strength in numbers can go a long way in negotiating with manufacturers, McDonald said.

“If we have a large number of farmers on our network, we can talk to the large companies and say we have a certain number of acres to fill and negotiate a better price,” he said. “We’re hoping it eventually becomes an automatic process where (the company) knows we can move the product and they automatically give us the best price.”

McDonald’s long-term goal is to grow Agroy to be a company that’s able to help farmers around the globe. But it’s all about baby steps at this point, he said.

“Remember when Amazon just sold books? That’s where we are right now.”

Top photo: Brad McDonald/Supplied


Trending Video

The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

Video: The FCDC and AgSmart Bring Plant Breeding to a Wider Audience

In the vast prairies of Alberta, Olds College’s Field Crop Development Centre (FCDC) stands as a beacon of innovation and research in the agricultural world. The institution has become a key player in advancing agricultural technologies and practices. The FCDC’s commitment to applied research has driven them to seek effective means of disseminating their findings and creating a positive impact on the farming community.

One such avenue that aligns with their mission is AgSmart, an event dedicated to showcasing cutting-edge agricultural technologies. The coming together of the FCDC’s annual Field Day and Ag Smart has proved to be a natural fit, fostering a synergy that benefits both parties and propels the agriculture industry forward. The FCDC Field Day took part in conjunction with AgSmart for the first time this week on Aug. 1-2 in Olds, Alta. FCDC Program Director Kofi Agblor and Olds College VP of Development Todd Ormann sat down for an interview with Marc Zienkiewicz to discuss the significance of the two events taking part together and what the future holds.

The Intersection of Research and Technology The essence of the FCDC lies in its dedication to plant breeding and new seed varieties, particularly barley and triticale. While conducting research is essential, it becomes meaningful when its benefits are shared with the wider community. This is where AgSmart steps in, providing a key venue for the FCDC to showcase their research. This union between research and technology creates a holistic and enriching experience for farmers, ranchers, and industry professionals, the pair said.

Seeds as Technology For the FCDC, the partnership with AgSmart goes beyond mere event collaboration. It is about creating an environment that bridges the gap between seeds and smart technology, Ormann said. The college believes that for technology to truly revolutionize agriculture, it must begin with a strong foundation — high-quality seeds. As the saying goes, “it all starts with a seed.” To demonstrate this critical aspect, the collaboration aims to showcase the seed value chain as an integral part of the smartphone.

The Birth of a Powerful Alliance The idea of joining forces emerged when staff realized the potential synergy between AgSmart and the FCDC Field Day. With just a few days separating the two events, a proposal was put forward to merge them. The marketing and communications teams from both sides worked seamlessly to ensure the essence of both events remained intact, creating a powerful alliance that leverages the strengths of each, Agblor said.

Driving Advancements in Breeding For Agblor, the partnership with AgSmart has tremendous potential to drive advancements in breeding and other technology. With technologies like drones and imaging becoming integral to phenotyping, breeding is no longer confined to vast fields to assess thousands of plants manually. Instead, it benefits from the data-rich insights brought about by smart technologies. These advancements make breeding more efficient, precise, and instrumental in shaping the future of agriculture.

Overcoming Challenges Together While the partnership between Olds College and Ag Smart has been a resounding success, there are challenges on the horizon. Securing stable funding for long-term breeding initiatives is crucial to sustain progress. The college is committed to navigating these challenges and investing in agriculture’s future sustainably, Agblor said.

 

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