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Agristar Now Networked in 23 Farm States
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CHICAGO, Nov.
13, 2002 – Farmers and ranchers in 23 states now are accessing
the Internet with high-speed, two-way satellite connectivity provided
by Agristar Global Networks.
Agristar, a leading agricultural information and services provider,
joined forces last year with Hughes Network Systems, the world’s
largest broadband satellite company, to develop the ultra high-speed
network for global agriculture. In addition to Agristar’s always-on
connection which provides instant access to the Internet’s vast
spectrum of electronic information and service providers, Agristar
subscriber-members also will be able to access proprietary services
ranging from premium market and weather information to value-added
commodity opportunities that are customized to an individual farm
or ranch.
“The responses we’re getting to Agristar Powered by DIRECWAY
from throughout the country are outstanding,” said Cliff Ganschow,
chairman of Agristar, “especially considering these comments
are coming from some of the top producers in American agriculture.”
The biggest attraction is that Internet download times are 20 times
faster than rural telephone connections in most areas, Ganschow said.
Other features farmers like are being able to access the Internet
without tying up their phone lines, Agristar’s always-on system,
and that it is available anywhere in the continental U.S. Unlike one-way
satellite systems that only allow you to receive television programs
or limited market and weather information, Agristar’s two-way
channel also lets you send as well as receive information. Another
popular feature, he said, is high-speed satellite’s smooth streamed
audio and video delivery.
Tim Hume, a large Colorado grain producer and past president of the
National Corn Growers Association, says, “We are using the Internet
a lot more than we ever did before but are spending much less time
because of the high-speed, two-way delivery. Our wait time for downloading
material with Agristar Global Networks has been reduced so dramatically compared to
our telephone dial-up that it is almost unbelievable.
“We’re able to do more farm business on the Internet than
we could do before because it doesn’t take anywhere near as much
personal time,” Hume said. “I can check out auctions, compare
new equipment and access a wide range of ag information sites that
I just didn’t have time to do with our dial-up system. We’re
also able to find more meaningful price comparisons before purchasing
merchandise, and we’re visiting a lot of sites we never looked
at before because there is no waiting to view them.”
Hume’s wife, Leslie, is an active partner in their farm business.
She says, “Agristar’s speed is incredible. I can’t
imagine going back to our old telephone connection. It also has been
a big help in doing non-farm family things over the Internet. I have
my Christmas shopping almost completed as a result of the super access
speed.”
Vernon Jenewein, a Michigan wine grape specialist, says he and his
wife used to share Internet connectivity at home through a local area
network and telephone dial-up connection. “It was so slow with
both of us sharing the connection that neither of us did much with
the Internet. With Agristar, we hardly impact each other. We now get
frequent business updates that we used to skip because of the slow
download times, and it’s easier to share large files with colleagues
since the upload time also is lessened.”
For more information about Agristar, visit www.agristar.com.
About Agristar Global Networks
Agristar Global Networks, Ltd. is a satellite-based communications
company established to bridge the large connectivity gap between the
world’s commercial farm and ranch operators and their primary
trade partners throughout the global food and fiber chain. Agristar
will integrate leading commercial farms and ranches, agribusinesses
and food companies into a single two-way, high-speed independent satellite
network system. Agristar Global Networks has a 50-year history through its forerunner
entities of developing pioneering communications and business advisory
programs for the agricultural industry. These include the Top Farmers
of America Association in the 1960’s, the first organization
to provide business services for leading farm operations; Farm Futures
in the 1970’s, the industry’s first risk management publication;
AgriData Resources in the 1980’s, the first national computer
network linking top farms; and American Land Resources in the 1990’s,
the first investment banking entity to utilize national farmland databases
to assemble investment-grade agricultural land funds. Agristar Global Networks is
headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its operations center located
in St. Paul, Minnesota. For more information on Agristar Global Networks,
please visit www.agristar.com.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, Inc. (HNS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes
Electronics Corporation (HUGHES), is the world's leading provider
of broadband satellite network solutions for businesses and consumers,
with more than 500,000 systems ordered or shipped to customers in
85 countries. HNS pioneered the development of high-speed satellite
Internet access services, which it markets globally under the DIRECWAY®
brand – the world's leading broadband by satellite service for
consumer, small business and enterprise markets. In addition, HNS
is a leading manufacturer of DIRECTV® satellite television receivers,
having shipped more than 9 million systems to date. Headquartered
in Germantown, Maryland, HNS maintains sales and support offices worldwide.
The earnings of HUGHES, a unit of General Motors Corp., are used to
calculate the earnings attributable to the General Motors Class H
common stock (NYSE: GMH). To learn more about HNS, please visit www.hns.com.
Media Contact
Warren E. Clark
847-836-5100
warren.clark@ccimarketing.com
Agristar Contact
Kip Pendleton
President
kip.pendleton@agristar.com
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