Attached at the hip (going mobile).

Not so long ago a farmer's handiest tool was the pair of pliers in the leather holster attached to his belt. Now the tool hanging on his belt is no longer his pliers but the latest cell phone.

With more uses than bailing wire, the cell phone provides users with instant access to information and functionality that goes well beyond a standard phone call.

Cell phone usage among farmers is common place these days. This is especially evident at most any farm show or small town coffee shop. A survey by the American Farm Bureau Federation conducted in March 2006 found that cell phone usage by younger farmers had grown to 92%. Farmers young and old find the utility of the cell phone an essential component of their daily lives.

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APPLICATIONS

Like most new technology innovations, the list of cell phone applications is growing faster than corn on a hot July day. The latest cell phones are equipped with megapixel cameras, Web browsers, e-mail applications, text messaging, calendars, GPS navigation and even mobile television. These smart phones are becoming common place and nearly every phone being produced today can text, browse and take pictures.

More and more agribusinesses are finding the way to reach the farmer on the go is to take the message to them. The mobility requirement of farming lends itself particularly well to the portability of the cell phone.

Market advisory services, as well as other agribusinesses, have found the cell phone to be a reliable delivery vehicle to reach their farmer customers.

Using voice broadcast and text-messaging to deliver a timely message helps keep Leist Mercantile customers on top of the markets. Leist Mercantile's Doug Tenney, Circleville, OH, says "Our customers have embraced the use of mobile communications to augment our services. Its acceptance and our success with iNet Solution Group's FarmCentric Notify system are beyond our wildest expectations."

His customers like to know Tenney will reach them if something major happens in the market.

Likewise, Jeff McWard with Western Illinois Commodities, Carlinville, IL, has been using voice broadcast technology for several years and reports "with the FarmCentric voice broadcast system, all of our clients get the same message within just a few minutes. In our business, timing is critical."

MARKETING OPPORTUNITY

Although most agribusinesses have Web sites today, it is my observation that the majority do not include a mobile site or text-messaging that can be easily viewed using a Web-enabled phone. Many agribusinesses assume that most of their customers don't have Web-enabled phones. The growth of cell phones with Internet access and new smart phones (such as the Blackberry, iPhone, etc.) is occurring rapidly. According to a recent Pew Research article, 25% of Internet users say they have a cell phone that connects to the Internet and upwards to 70% have text-messaging.

Now is the time to establish that mobile presence. With wide spread usage of the cell phone already at hand, the natural progression will be to utilize the cell phone for more purposes. In a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive, it was discovered that "over the next three years, 57% of mobile phone owners anticipate using their phones for more than just making and receiving phone calls".

Farm Progress Companies recently added mobile technology and text-messaging to their 18 magazine sites. "The FarmCentric mobile product has allowed us to reach out to growers across the country--anytime, anywhere-keeping our brand top-of-mind." commented Willie Vogt of Farm Progress.

Branding isn't the only advantage to a mobile presence. Josh St. Peters with Farm Week magazine, Bloomington, IL, has found that providing a mobile solution increases their reach and enhances their publication. He reports, "The FarmCentric mobile product helped us take our member publication to the next level. With FarmWeek Mobile, we're able to reach out to a new segment of our membership seeking more information on-demand. The weather, markets and customizable news content is highly valuable to the farmers we work with, and it's easy to use, too!"

Providing both text-messaging and mobile services allow those producers who are already Web-enabled with the opportunity to "opt-in" to valuable services, many of which are free. Seeing the availability and functionality of these services should prompt more producers to embrace the technology and take advantage of the growing trend.

With nearly every producer carrying a cell phone today, mobile marketing in the agriculture market place should be poised to explode. It is just a matter of time before an ag producer riding his GPS guided tractor gets a video presentation from his farm equipment dealer sponsored by his local bank on his new Web-enabled cell phone.

by Chet Slump, President/Founder, iNet Solution Group