Agriculture has always been an industry rooted in science, but more and more it seems the advancement of technology is exploding in the number of applications that improve the way we grow food and fiber today. Leading this technological movement is the Farmers Business Network. Established only two years ago, it is the fastest growing company in agriculture right now. RON’s Associate Farm Director Carson Horn had the chance to speak with FBN Co-Founder and Vice President of Products Charles Baron who says FBN can save farmers tens of thousands of dollars on their inputs and significantly increase their bottom line.
“Farmers Business Network is a network of farms and it allows farmers to share information with each other about agronomics - all anonymous, using hard data coming off precision equipment and also we do online buying,” Baron said. “So, basically, farmers can participate with thousands of other growers in an online commerce system.”
FBN can save participating farmers upwards of 50 percent on major inputs, simply by working directly with manufacturers for products including agrochemicals, seed treatments and even fertilizers and ships the product directly to the buyer. The online community built through FBN essentially creates a national price system so a producer in Oklahoma can expect to pay the same price as a grower in Illinois or North Dakota for whatever product they buy.
Also, by participating in the network, farmers have access to local information derived directly from the farmers in their area. This creates real understanding of what tillage or fertilizer practices or what seeds are working best in the region where you farm. With this knowledge, you will know exactly how to plan for the inputs you need to buy, regardless of what the retailer may be saying. FBN is extremely user friendly, too. If you can send an email, says Baron, you can use FBN’s analytic tools.
“We want to be able to bring more savings back to the grower right now because this is a very, very tough year,” Baron said, “and that’s what we’re focused on - finding people ways to save money.”
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