FARMERS WANT WIRELESS INTERNET TECHNOLOGY.

A recent survey of ag Internet site visitors found strong demand for wireless Internet services. The survey was conducted in late July by AgWeb.com using Greenfield Online's QuickTake methodology. Results showed that nearly three of every four respondents were interested in using wireless Internet technology for their farming operation.

"This is clearly the next big thing in the agricultural information arena, and the opportunities to meet this unmet need are there for the taking," said Brin Bell of Greenfield Online.

The survey, which consisted of 257 AgWeb.com visitors, found a consistent level of interest in using the Web across categories of farmers with varied needs. "It really doesn't seem to matter whether a producer is more interested in weather, markets or Web personalization," says Bell. "The interest in wireless service is high everywhere in production agriculture."

This survey draws attention to the unmet needs of the "grower-on-the-move" who spends limited time at a desk. "Not only do wireless applications fit producers' lifestyles, they also offer a new dimension of management tools not previously provided," says Bell.

These results are in sharp contrast to past research by AgWeb.com that showed only one in 20 producers use pagers. "A fit for this type of service has clearly developed now," he says. "It probably could not have been accomplished even a year ago, but with the emerging technologies and related services, the time is ripe for addressing the developing needs for information on the move."

QuickTake, a business unit of Greenfield Online, is an application service provider of online instantaneous, realtime queries. QuickTake applied their technology to the AgWeb.com site to intercept visitors for the survey. Greenfield Online and AgWeb.com are online research partners for the agribusiness community.

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Contact Robert Hill for additional details at [e-mail] or Gail Janensch at [e-mail].