E-BUSINESS NEWS.

AgriClick, Kansas City, Mo., has formed an alliance with MachineryLink, Kansas City, enabling AgriClick to connect its users directly to MachineryLink's e-commerce resources. The two sites will share strategic data as well as some advertising. AgriClick is one of the vertical online communities under the umbrella of IndustryClick, Primedia's business-to-business Internet subsidiary. Primedia will also promote MachineryLink through its business-to-business agricultural publications and Web sites. AgriClick has made an equity investment in MachineryLink. MachineryLink is an independent online resource for agricultural equipment cost management. The alliance is scheduled to take effect immediately.

John Deere Credit, Johnston, Iowa, and CoBank, Denver, have announced iVesta Financial Solutions LLC, a joint venture to develop and manage a new service that will enable customers to execute secure financial transactions with companies selling goods or services in an e-business environment. Ag customers will be able to use the service -- called Isis -- to select from a choice of network lenders when purchasing a product or seeking financing and complete entire loan transactions online, iVesta will be headquartered at John Deere Credit, in Johnston.

onExchange, Inc., Waltham, Mass., provider of comprehensive trading capabilities for electronic markets, has announced a strategic alliance with Sparks Companies, Inc., Memphis, a leader in agricultural and commodity market research, analysis and consulting. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will collaborate on consulting services to help agricultural buyers and suppliers design and implement electronic derivatives trading capabilities.

Verdisys Inc. is the new name of the company formerly known as TheAgZone Inc., Fresno, Calif., which remains as a division. The company has launched a new Web site, www.verdisys.com, featuring a selection of new technology services. In addition to providing ag-related Web content as before, Verdisys now provides a buyers guide syndicated for ag trade associations and Web sites ... Verdisys has obtained marketing rights to two new services of Planalytics Inc. that give growers and their suppliers forecasts of growing season conditions and crop yields. CropPlanner combines long-range weather forecasting and digital satellite remote sensing to identify, forecast and compare to last year the planting week, moisture and precipitation for the growing season, and the length of the season by Crop Reporting District in all major wheat, corn- and soybean-growing states. YieldPlanner is a crop marketing tool that combines digital satellite remote sensing and proprietary crop modeling to forecast wheat, corn and soybean yields 30 days in advance of USDA initial estimates.

Rooster.com, Bloomington, Minn., has selected Engage, Inc., a full-service business-to-business online advertising network, as its representative to sell advertising space on the company's Web site. Engage Business Media's product line offers business-to-business Web publishers the opportunity to increase their revenues while providing marketers with the best advertising inventory to reach their most important prospects through B2B Web advertising, e-mail newsletters, sponsorships and direct e-mail lists. "Agriculture has proven to be one of our strongest industry offerings, and now leading agriculture companies finally have the ability to reach their targeted customers online," says Jennifer Krane, vice president of business media, Engage Media Services.