FBN Joins Ag Retailers Association As A Member

Today more options are available for farmers to buy crop inputs online, and more farmers are seeking out those options. One entity is Farmers Business Network (FBN), and their FBN Direct e-commerce offering.

This past fall, FBN co-founder Amol Deshpande was part of a panel discussion at the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) annual conference to talk about changing business models.

This month FBN became a member of ARA.

“FBN has applied for membership, and they’ve met the qualifications by our bylaws,” says Daren Coppock, CEO and President of ARA. “The industry has seen a proliferation of several online platforms as everyone is thinking about their own approach to change their business models.”

FBN Direct is a service only available to FBN members.

“The industry is consolidating, and the industry is dominated by a small number of companies,” says Amol Deshpande, CEO of FBN. “Consolidation brings issues to the forefront, giving large companies, who tend to have the highest prices, the power. FBN is focused on driving farmer profitability.”

FBN Direct is a service only available to FBN members. According to Deshpande about 35% of its growing membership base used FBN Direct for a purchase in 2017.

Deshpande challenges that in today’s ag industry what it means to be a retailer and serve farmer customers in the 21st century is not the same as what it meant in the 20th.

“The supply chain of agriculture is going to change and that will create opportunity for everyone involved, but business models will change,” he says.

As a member of ARA and with other engagements in the industry, the company continues to seek partnerships.

“We are excited to support the efforts of ARA and its members. We look forward to collaborating to bring value to American Farmers,” Deshpande says.