New agricultural sites are cropping up on the Internet like weeds. Some only offer rehashes of information already available on other sites. Others provide answers to perplexing questions or cost-saving e-commerce opportunities. Here are some good ones.
www.theequator.com — This site lists agricultural land for sale. Search by state or country to find land anywhere from India to Iowa and Pennsylvania to Pakistan. Lots of contact information is given for each listing; many have photos and some have topographical maps.
www.icorn.com — The nation's first Internet-only full-service seed company has no sales pressure or seed dealers. Its matching system recommends hybrids based on region, soil type, tillage practices and pest challenges. The site features an “igronomist” available to answer questions via e-mail, phone or on-farm, and a monthly e-newsletter with agronomy-related topics.
www.lgseeds.com — An interactive seed guide allows you to choose your state, county and desired relative maturity. It comes back with extensive information about LG hybrids or varieties appropriate for your area. Other site features include a local calendar of events that you can add to and FarmTalk, a farmer forum.
www.machinerylink.com — This site offers tools to help producers buy and sell used equipment or establish equipment-sharing relationships. A cost calculator helps users get information on machinery that best fits their needs. The site also has links to equipment-related research by university scientists.
www.pioneer.com — Pioneer's GrowingPoint features weather, market and product information. The company also touts advanced features to help growers plan, produce and market more profitably. Some are available to all, some only to Pioneer customers.
www.prinsco.com — Wonder whether or not adding farm drainage will be profitable for you? Prinsco aims to give you the answer with the Prinsco Profitability Analysis. This Web-based tool calculates the number of years it will take for a farmer to get a full return on his investment of tile and installation.
www.ethanolrfa.com — This site, from the Renewable Fuels Association, supplies the latest information on ethanol. It features pending legislation, articles that have appeared in publications and the latest press releases on developments in the ethanol industry. To test your knowledge, take the ethanol quiz.
www.soygrowers.com — The American Soybean Association's new interactive site is designed to be a functioning online association. It features discussion boards and polling questions in addition to the ever-important market, weather and event information.
www.theagzone.com — Commodity information, including news, features, market prices and commentary, educational resources and links to helpful ag Web sites. They're all featured on this site.