THE FUTURE AS SEEN THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

One of the least known hardships of being a farmer is the paperwork. Today's farmers face a dizzying array of forms, including settlement sheets, loan forms and government documents required to ensure entitlements are properly paid.

“It's astronomical,” said Tom Jennings, chief of staff at the Illinois Department of Agriculture. Farmers have to turn in warehouse receipts, in addition to other paperwork, at local U.S. Department of Agriculture offices, he said. “Time delays associated with that paperwork cost farmers.”

That wasted time and money is a big reason why the Illinois Department of Agriculture teamed with AT&T to applaud an initiative from Archer Daniels Midland, the Decatur, Ill.-based agribusiness giant. Called E-ADM, the secure Web-based portal allows farmers, grain dealers and co-ops, transportation companies and other business partners to have access to “any type of information that they would need to do business with ADM, including accounting information, logistics info and inventory info,” said Kelly Elliott, product manager for E-ADM. “Our goal is to make it as easy as possible to do business with us.”

Combining that secure portal with AT&T's global network, running over a multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) IP backbone, enables farmers in even remote locations to have access to information and to quickly file necessary reports electronically, thus speeding up their own payment process. The AT&T network integrates more than 500 locations, including 250 processing plants in 60 countries, providing voice, data and business continuity.

“Traditionally, documents that would be created by an ADM location would be printed out there, stuffed in an envelope and mailed to the business partner,” Elliott said. “Now we have the ability to transmit documents electronically. The client has immediate access to that document on E-ADM and doesn't have to wait for two to three days. They can save an electronic file versus paper in a file cabinet. It's really streamlined some processes.”

“ADM has been our customer for some time, and we spent some time with them trying to determine how we can better reach these farmers,” said Philip Ross, AT&T's regional vice president. “We wanted to provide connections into the rural areas and give them access to networks around the world. We have taken their traditional frame service, IP-enabled it and provided a global network that runs over an MPLS IP backbone. It did not require them to make a wholesale upgrade or transformation of their network. They could do it, location-by-location, as it made sense.”

For ADM, the E-ADM initiative helps them compete more effectively in a business where profit margins can be squeezed.

“We position E-ADM to provide the company with a competitive advantage,” Elliott said. “We can provide information to our clients in a quicker and more convenient format. While ADM is in many different aspects of the agricultural industry, we are in the relationship business — and this is one of those tools that help us build and maintain relationships.”

ADM's initial focus has been on the North American market, but it is spreading its wings globally, Elliott added, and plans to capitalize on AT&T's global reach.