ADM Grain’s new Internet-based farmer services tools and the company’s range of products and services were featured this year at the 58th Annual Farm Progress Show, held Aug. 30-Sept. 1 in Decatur, Illinois.

In ADM’s 28,800-square-foot tent, colleagues helped visitors learn about the company’s commitment to the farm community and environment, represented by ADM’s Oilseeds Processing, Corn Processing, Grain, Crop Risk Services, Alliance Nutrition, ADM Investor Services (ADMIS), Research and Development, Diversity, and e-ADM.

“People are familiar with ADM’s global image, but we wanted to demonstrate the diversity of who we are,” said Ray Day, vice president, ADM Grain.  “The show gives industry people a good chance to meet ADM employees and hear firsthand how our goals align with U.S. agriculture. We also get to show our new technology. It’s a combination of the old traditions and new opportunities, and that’s what the Farm Progress Show is all about.”

The Farm Progress Show is the largest outdoor farm show in the United States, which rotates its location biennially between Decatur and Boone, Iowa. The show features state-of-the-art information and technology available for agricultural producers. The country’s agribusinesses, plus regional and local manufacturers and suppliers, are regular exhibitors at the show. This year, more than 100,000 industry people attended, including producers of corn, soybeans and livestock whose businesses operate in the Midwest region of the United States.

“For ADM, it was really about educating customers about the breadth and depth of the Oilseeds group,” said Courtney Kingery, Marketing and Customer Development manager for Oilseeds in North America. “When we say we connect the harvest to the home, ADM really is that link between the growers and food manufacturers.” Inside the ADM tent, Oilseeds and Corn Processing featured ingredient and product displays, videos and kiosks, which helped share these business units’ stories with visitors. Displays featured beans, pellets and oils, as well as everyday products containing ADM-processed ingredients consumers find in local grocery stores. Kingery added: “Despite the show’s Midwest presence, we saw people from Latin America, South America and Germany. It’s become much more international.”

Showcasing Grain’s New Tools
At the show, ADM Grain debuted its new Farmer Services website on adm.com and new FarmerView mobile access tool, as well as showcased its Twitter presence.

The new Farmer Services website, located on adm.com, houses all the services ADM offers to farmers in one convenient location, including Grain Marketing Services, Crop Risk Services, ADM Investor Services (ADMIS), and Transportation and Logistics. These services are offered through several different ADM divisions, so this new website was created as a one-stop shop for all the services to make it easier for farmers to access.

The FarmerView site, located on e-ADM.com, provides farmers information they need to do business every day, such as current weather and market prices. At the show, ADM unveiled its new mobile application of FarmerView, which enables farmers to access this information via their mobile devices, including iPhones, BlackBerrys or other smart phones.

“These tools are designed to generate brand affinity with farmers because when price and proximity are equal, services such as FarmerView give ADM the advantage,” said Casey Harlin, ADM Product manager-Online Services. “In a fast-paced environment, farmers need the ability to quickly and effectively access information that impacts their businesses, and FarmerView gives them that ability.”

Harlin added: “We knew that once they saw the services in action, they would love them. We had colleagues at the e-ADM and Grain booths on iPads or iPhones to demonstrate the mobile site. We also had a 65-inch display demonstrating the features of FarmerView and a touch-screen kiosk where farmers could try the features themselves.”

“We have many younger generations coming to the farm and they want to see up-to-the-minute information—that’s why we wanted a presence on Twitter,” said Jen Hogan, ADM Grain Marketing manager. “We prefer the personal touch, but our customers are embracing and demanding this new technology, so we need to be there, too. We want to be as mobile as possible because we want to be able to do business with them wherever they are.”

In August, ADM Grain’s regional Commodity Merchandisers began tweeting to their customers with handles such as @ADMgrainCIL (Central Illinois) and @ADMgrainKY (Kentucky)—keeping customers updated on everything from crop prices to customer appreciation events.

Added ADM.com Product Manager Eric Catron, whose team tweeted about ADM’s presence to attendees during Farm Progress:  “There’s this misconception that farmers aren’t connected to technology, but that is not true. They’re closely engaged —they carry smart phones and stay connected with e-mails, texts and social media. It was important to show we were on it, so people could begin connecting with us after the show.”