Investing in Tech
THE FUTURE OF AGTECH; A PAPERLESS FUTURE
As technology evolves, paper is becoming a thing of the past. What was once just an app for growers, is now a powerful digital platform. There are many steps in the grain supply chain that rely on paper. Paper contracts, paper checks, paper scale tickets, etc. Bushel’s goal is to take paper out of the equation. Bushel Mobile, Trade and Web are platforms provided for customers to streamline information to their growers simultaneously.
With the integration of eSign and electronic scale tickets in our mobile and web features, there is no longer a need for a paper trail. Electronic scale tickets remove the risk of growers potentially losing their ticket and needing a new one. Growers can now go in and view their scale tickets, past or present, at any time of the day.
The painful process of mailing and waiting for a contract to be signed and returned is tedious, and may take days or even weeks. In some cases, people may even have to take the time to drive to their elevator to sign the contract. This is why Bushel implemented eSign. eSign gives the elevator the ability to send contracts via Bushel Web or Mobile, a platform where growers can sign and return the contract within minutes of receiving it. Growers also have the ability to view their contracts at any time of the day. Therefore, removing the hassle of transporting the contract, turnover time, and the possibility of either parties forgetting contract terms.
“We had people driving 20 miles from their farm to sign things. It’s [Bushel eSign] pretty much eliminated all of that because everybody carries a phone with them, and most everybody can write their name on it.“
– Brian Smith, Manager of Software at Riceland Foods
Taking phone calls with growers asking questions such as “What are the bids today?”, and “What’s my commodity balance?” can be time consuming for an elevator of any size. Depending on the number of growers, that is however many conversations to remember and people to relay information to, etc… All these questions can be answered by Bushel Trade within the Bushel Mobile app and Bushel Web. The mobile app and website are there to aid your growers in any questions they may have around bids, hedges and balances. Additionally, lowering the amount of calls makes more time for elevators to spend strengthening their relationships with their growers through more meaningful conversations.
The hassle of paper checks is a thing of the past as Bushel recently announced the launch of Bushel Wallet and Payments. This allows grain facilities to electronically transact with their growers. Funds can then be transferred to their linked bank account or immediately accessed through the use of their Bushel Debit Card. The use of electronic payments eliminates the risk of growers losing and needing a replacement check, as well as elevators having outstanding checks.
RELATIONSHIP DRIVEN
Bushel understands that many phone calls a day are important to elevators when it comes to their relationship with their growers. Our goal is not to stop those phone calls, but to make them more intentional. To provide the information so that both parties are more educated. We value the relationship we have with our customers just as much as we value their relationship with their customers. Which is why our products are white labeled for our customers. This way their growers see their grain facilities label and know they are in the right place.
“We have been very happy with the information that our customers are able to get. We are now able to have more meaningful conversations with our customers,”
– Bryan Choutka, VP of Grain at Frontier Cooperative.
Bushel’s goal is to help elevators in their day to day practices. When a sale is close, our job is not done. Each customer is given a marketing kit to assist in gaining high adoption rates. Additionally, each customer is assigned a customer success manager that meets regularly with their customer. Allowing for time to go over any potential problems, and milestones. We are here to help you!