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Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization,
representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean and wheat farmers.
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Ontario Grain Farmer Magazine

Grain Farmers of Ontario launches SellSmart

GUELPH, ON (December 16, 2010) – Today, Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) launched its first mobile application, SellSmart, for BlackBerry® smartphones. Providing local price information, head-to-head price comparisons, and price alerts, this mobile application will change the way Ontario farmers do business.

SellSmart is a custom application designed to put local price information at farmers’ fingertips. The price data for corn, soybeans, and wheat from the Chicago Board of Trade is adjusted with basis information from local elevators across the province and provided on a ten minute delay. To streamline the data, the application is personalized by the user to only display their elevators and commodities of interest.

“We expect this application, SellSmart, will be a game-changer for our members by providing them with near
real-time updates on market prices, giving them a stronger negotiating position,” says Erin Fletcher, Manager of Public Affairs and Communications, Grain Farmers of Ontario.

The application also incorporates an alert feature for each crop and elevator. The user is able to set a target price they want to sell at and be notified by their BlackBerry® when the price is achieved. “This functionality provides farmers with the confidence that they’re not going to miss out on a favourable elevator bid,” says Fletcher.

Realizing the opportunity, GFO teamed up with FloatPoint Media Inc., a BlackBerry® Select Alliance Member, to design SellSmart. FloatPoint specializes in custom mobile application development and understands the value of mobile technology to modern agriculture.

GFO also partnered with AML Communications, a Rogers authorized dealer, to provide a BlackBerry® Torch smartphone to one prize winning farmer and together they are working on a member discount package to help all Ontario grain farmers gain access to the application through cost effective mobile connectivity using BlackBerry® technology and the Rogers Network. 

SellSmart can be downloaded to any BlackBerry® OS 5.0+ device, free of charge, at www.gfo.ca/SellSmart or through BlackBerry® App World. Although it was designed with farmers in mind, the application will also be useful for grain elevators, buyers, and users.  SellSmart is exclusively available for BlackBerry® smartphones at this time, however, GFO has plans to extend the application to other platforms in the New Year. Questions can be directed to info@gfo.ca.

Grain Farmers of Ontario

Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 corn, soybean and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $2.5 billion in farm gate receipts, result in over $9 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 40,000 jobs in the province.

Contact:

Barry Senft, CEO – 1-800-265-0550; bsenft@gfo.ca

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Grain Farmers of Ontario
Grain Farmers of Ontario is the province’s largest commodity organization, representing Ontario’s 28,000 barley, corn, oat, soybean, and wheat farmers. The crops they grow cover over 6 million acres of farm land across the province, generate over $4.1 billion in production value, result in over $27 billion in economic output and are responsible for over 90,000 jobs in the province.