| TWIN FALLS -- Clicking "send" and placing a
$100,000 order online is enough to make one Buhl seed dealer's heart beat
fast.
Even though the webpage where he places his seed order is as easy to
use, it's still a challenge for Leonard Crismor. In the old days of
ordering seed by phone or fax, there was always a person to double check
if he really wanted that many bags of that variety. Now he just clicks how
much of each variety and size he wants -- and hopes he hasn't made a
mistake.
As a dealer Crismor places his order online, but for his own farm he
prefers to use the Internet to learn more about a chemical or a variety
and then go to a local dealer to make his purchases. He hasn't seen his
customers rush to the Internet either. In four years, he's only had one
customer who's found him through the Internet.
"Most of us need the expertise of our seed dealers or chemical
dealers," Crismor said. "We know we're going to pay a little
more, but if we don't keep our local communities going we're not going to
have them."
Buhl farmer and inventor Glen Gier has been using the Internet since
the beginning. But except for purchasing some polyacrylamide online, he
restricts his use to information gathering, banking and shipping his
product, The Applicator.
"I can't believe how much leg work and phone calling it's saved
me," Gier said. "The Internet doesn't answer all the questions,
but it really speeds things up."
Studies have shown that up to 75 percent of farmers use the Internet
regularly, said David Downey, director of Purdue's Center for Agricultural
Business. This tech-savvy has created a more informed consumer and changed
the role of salespeople. Agribusiness salespeople used to call on farmers
and ask them what they needed to buy.
"Now the farmers say, 'Don't ask me what you can do for me, tell
me what kind of ideas you have that might be able to help me,'"
Downey explained.
Dan Pinther, manager of Simplot in Twin Falls, has seen his customers
become more knowledgeable. Some come in with ideas they've gotten off the
Internet about agronomic practices and want to know if Pinther thinks the
technique would work in the Magic Valley. Others are product shopping and
want to know if Pinther can match a price they found on the Internet.
That's not always possible. For one thing, Pinther isn't sure how old
the product is with the cheap price or where it's coming from. Low prices
often come with a volume requirement. For example, one Internet site is
listing glyphosate for $25 a gallon, but the farmer has to purchase a
30-gallon drum. Most of Pinther's customers buy 2.5 to 5 gallons of
glyphosate at a time.
"Most of our customers still want some service, they still want us
on the farm," Pinther says.
Equipment dealers see the same thing with their customers. While the
Internet has provided new avenues for buying and selling used equipment --
especially antique tractors -- purchasing new equipment still seems to
come down to service.
Burks Tractor in Twin Falls has gotten calls from all over the country
about parts -- mostly oddball things -- listed on the company's webpage.
As farmers become more sophisticated about using the Internet, Rod Burks
expects to see more and more parts purchased online.
But having a local connection will remain critical. Burks can't imagine
a day when a farmer will have a breakdown during harvest, drive to the
house, boot up the computer, check on a part and then order it online. On
the other hand, he is hoping to develop a system that encourages farmers
to order replacement or maintenance parts online so that the order is
ready to be picked up at a specified time and date.
"It's so important to sell to a local customer," he said.
"If a customer's combine breaks down at the same time as a combine
bought out of the area, I can tell you which one we're going to
first."
Agri-Service in Twin Falls also uses its website to reach customers.
All of the company's used equipment is on the Internet, and customers are
directed to the company's website for more information and pictures of
newspaper ads and sales staff. Owner Cleve Buttars describes the website
as a mobile brochure, but says sales still come down to the staff.
"It's still a people business," Buttars says. "The local
dealership still gets the first and last chance."
He estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Agri-Service's customers shop
online, but he expects that number to increase. Five years ago no one
predicted the Internet would be so pervasive, and no one can anticipate
how it will change sales in the next five years. All Buttars knows for
sure is that the Internet is an important sales too, and he is exploring
ways to keep the site fresh and interesting to customers.
"We love to have farmers get online and shop around for 15
minutes," Buttars said. "We hope something will hit them." |