University of Missouri Extension has developed a free online platform to help beginning and established producers start or grow their agriculture ventures. 

"Intel for Ag is a free toolbox that makes management concepts accessible and allows users to better determine what agricultural products might be most suitable and sustainable for their individual success," sayd Mallory Rahe, MU Extension associate professor and Intel for Ag contributor. 

Intel for Ag guides users through land, marketing and management considerations as they evaluate agricultural products that could be well-suited for operators, Rahe says. 

"When working with those interested in starting or scaling up an agricultural business, we often hear many ideas shared with passion," she says. "Evaluating the feasibility of these ideas can increase the potential for long-term success. With Intel for Ag, users can self-evaluate their land's suitability for specific products as well as their own management capabilities and marketing opportunities."

Intel for Ag offers interactive tools to inform decision-making. Features include:

• Sustainable enterprise product quizzes to determine how well select agricultural products might align with the user’s agronomic, marketing, financial and management resources.
• Land suitability maps to gauge the user’s land in its ability to support a crop or animal product.
• Market intelligence reports to explore potential marketing opportunities, consumer preferences and product demand estimates for the user’s area.
• Business startup resources to help users develop a startup checklist and calculate a break-even point for their product pricing.

Rahe notes that a little less than half of new farm businesses close within five years, but those with direct-to-consumer sales are more likely to stay in business beyond that milestone. “We’ve developed Intel for Ag to help users go beyond simply identifying agricultural products that might be a fit for their operation but to also evaluate marketing opportunities in their community and areas where they can grow their management capabilities.”

Rahe says Intel for Ag offers insights that can help operations of all sizes make management decisions for long-term success.

“Agriculture is Missouri’s top economic driver, and we want to see agricultural businesses and farms thrive,” Rahe says.

Learn more about Intel for Ag and explore decision-support tools at http://intelforag.org. Rahe encourages users to connect with the Missouri Agriculture, Food and Forestry Innovation Center at https://MissouriAgInnovation.com to discuss Intel for Ag’s tools and how to leverage the platform’s insights.