No one plans or welcomes a pandemic, but Rob Saik says in this unexpected time of isolation and social distancing, a new service he launched in 2019 can help farmers connect with a diverse network of agricultural expertise either online or by phone, at a time when face-to-face personal contact is being discouraged.
Saik, well known in the agriculture industry as founder of the long-operating Agri-Trend crop consulting service, is now at the helm as CEO of a new service he founded last year — AGvisorPro. Co-piloting the venture is co-founder and general manager, Patrick Walther.
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Saik and Walther didn’t have a health pandemic in mind when they developed the service, “but it is an example of how technology can help us to connect with people under adverse circumstances,” says Saik.
How it works: Accessed through a free app on your smartphone or tablet, AGvisorPro is a technology that connects producers with a large network of specialists covering most aspects of crop and livestock production and management.
Accessed through a free app on your smartphone or tablet, AGvisorPro is technology that, in many cases, can almost instantaneously connect a producer with a large network of specialists covering just about every aspect of crop and livestock production and management. AGvisorPro is designed to match producers with the right person to answer their questions in all aspects of production and farm management.
By entering a few key words into the AGvisorPro search field, a producer will be presented with at least one, and often more, specialists from across Canada or perhaps the world, with availability to answer a question.
It’s a fee-per-call service, so a farmer isn’t using AGvisorPro just for a chat, but if they have a specific, technical or perhaps time-sensitive question, being able to reach a specialist now can be a valuable tool, says Saik. It could be a question about fixing equipment, for example, or a crop pest, or livestock ailment, or a farmer may be considering a marketing or other farm management decision and wants to bounce the idea off an expert in the field.
Have a problem, find an expert
“If a farmer has a question about sprayer calibration, they can enter ‘canola spraying’ and be matched up with a specialist like Tom Wolf,” says Saik. “Or if it’s a crop production question they can type in ‘canola agronomy’ and be connected with a specialist like Elston Solberg or a question on a canola insect pest can connect them with an entomologist like Scott Meers.” Wolf, Solberg and Meers are all well-known private consultants and experts in their respective fields.
The AGvisorPro app has built in GPS and GIS co-ordinates which, where applicable, can help connect farmers with specialists with local or regional expertise.
Since the service was launched in July 2019, it has recruited more than 140 advisors across several disciplines that include crops, livestock, machinery, grain markets, business management and health and wellness. “Those are the key areas, but we have advisors available in just about every area of agriculture, including many specialty areas such as beekeeping and sheep production,” says Saik.
Once a farmer downloads the AGvisorPro app, they are asked to register and create a profile of their farming operation, as well as provide credit card payment information. As they use the service, they enter a few words describing the key topic or problem they need information about. The AGvisorPro software searches its network of experts and matches the farmer with the name or names of specialists most likely able to help with the topic area.
The AGvisor network of experts includes independent consultants, equipment specialists, technologists, researchers, industry professionals and even other farmers. More specialists and experts are regularly joining the network. Recently added to AGvisor is a Tech Direct feature, which can connect a farmer directly to the technical staff within a company, without having to use a sometimes cumbersome general 1-800 number mailbox.
The farmer can select a specialist and receive a message that they are immediately available, or it might say the specialist will be available in 10 minutes or in an hour, for example, and will provide a call back. Once the farmer makes connection with the specialist they can talk over the phone, or have a face-to-face video call, to explain the problem or question. If applicable, a farmer can attach a photo or video to further demonstrate the problem.
10 minutes covers a lot of ground
“Each call with the AGvisor is charged in 10-minute increments,” says Saik. “But it is amazing how much ground can be covered and how much information can be exchanged in 10 minutes.” Fees for AGvisorPro range from $35 to $60 for 10 minutes worth of consulting services, with more time available as needed.
Saik refers to AGvisorPro as the “uberization of knowledge and wisdom,” referring to the very successful Uber car-for-hire service that pools the resources of privately-owned vehicles to be rented by individuals as a taxi service. Similarly, AGvisorPro pools the resources of some of the top agronomic, farm management, livestock production and ag mechanical expertise to be a phone call away from producers.
“These experts and specialists are out there with a great deal of knowledge and experience, and they are glad to share it with producers,” says Saik. “They are glad to have someone pick their brains, but they also know that knowledge and experience has a value.”
Each session between a farmer and AGvisor is recorded and archived so the farmer can revisit the advice later on as needed.
Saik says the AGvisorPro service is not just a one-way street with farmers reaching out to specialists. It can also be used as a conduit for specialists, technologists and advisors to connect with each other and also reach out to producers.
For more details on the AGvisorPro service, visit the company website at agvisorpro.com.
