Young producers are the main target of a pilot program between the Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation (MASC) and connectivity platform AGVisorPro.
On April 19, AGVisorPRO announced that lending experts from MASC would be joining the list of professionals it offers access to through its digital service.
AGVisorPRO says adding MASC to its list of quickly connectable experts will help make trusted advice available for new farmers looking for financing.
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In particular, founder and CEO Robert Saik said, the pilot would focus on providing an avenue for young producers to connect with advisers for MASC’s starter loan program and who are looking for financing alternatives to buy their own land or expand their farms.
“It’s kind of a good fit, because all of the younger farmers are all ‘screen-agers,’ and they’ve all been born with a screen in their hand, so they’re all very, very comfortable working in the digital environment,” he said.
The company has built its brand as a hub connecting farmers with a wide range of experts for any given agriculture-related question. Experts on tap through the platform range from livestock nutrition and feedlot management to agronomy, farm HR, spraying, grain or livestock marketing, equipment, financial planning and tree pest management, among others.
“When you ask a question, this question gets sent out anonymously to hundreds of experts… and then that farmer gets answers back from all of these different experts,” Patrick Walther, the company’s co-founder and chief operating officer, said.
It is therefore, he argued, different than social media or a forum where a producer might otherwise turn for advice.
From there, Walther said, the producer decides which expert or experts he or she would like to engage with.
“AGVisorPRO basically uses technology to connect those who have questions with experts who can provide answers,” Saik said. “So by having Manitoba Ag Services Corporation on the platform, we enhance or create another channel for people to quickly connect with their (MASC) advisers.”
The pilot is currently up and running, Saik said.
David Van Deynze, chief product officer with MASC, said they plan to start promoting the pilot in the near future.
“We know farmers are using technology for a lot of their decision-making and this is another engagement tool for us to explore,” he said.
MASC became the second publicly owned entity to join up with AGVisorPRO, behind Saskatchewan’s Ministry of Agriculture. The government department began offering connection to its extension staff through the service last year.
AGVisorPRO’s early service has been based largely on independent consultants and private ag companies, which may ask for payment for their advice, although access to the platform itself, and the ability to pitch a question within the app, is free.
Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation (AFSC) was expected to add its own experts to the list soon after the MASC pilot launch.
“When you think about government agencies, they have limited resources, and what we’re trying to do is take those resources and make them available in a new way,” Saik said.
Saik noted that the current pilot is not the only service his company would like to pursue in co-operation with MASC. The platform could, for example, be used as a means to streamline adjustment services or to document weather or wildlife damage. He stressed, however, that any of those discussions are still in their early days.
