Agristar Global Networks has unveiled a greatly expanded information website, www.agristar.com, to serve its rapidly growing nationwide customer base of leading farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses.  The satellite broadband communications company’s primary focus is providing agricultural business information services and high-speed Internet connectivity to the food and agriculture industry.  Broadband service also is provided to a large secondary rural market of non-farm residences and businesses.

"Agristar.com was redesigned and expanded five-fold over the past several months to provide what we feel is the most comprehensive satellite broadband information site for rural America," said Tim Ganschow, Vice President of Strategic Development, who headed the expansion program.  "Satellite high-speed internet connectivity is available everywhere in the continental U.S., but many people still mistakenly believe that if they do not have access to cable or DSL they can't have broadband. Our goal was to develop a sophisticated, user-friendly information resource where farm families and agribusinesses can quickly and easily learn about the overall benefits of satellite broadband as well as the specific values of  Agristar Global Networks. Agristar.com explains in an easy‑to-understand manner how satellite broadband works and the many ways it can improve daily home and business life in rural America.” 

The new website describes the company's various satellite connectivity systems, and organizes them according to the size of a farm business or rural household.  In addition to individual subscriber information, Agristar.com provides overviews on corporate products and services, such as high-resolution multicast video streaming, multimedia presentation delivery, private business networks, customized market communications programs and retail transaction solutions.  The site also describes the variety of ag information services that Agristar Global Networks delivers over its high‑speed connection, at no additional cost, which were developed at the request of farm operators, ag businesses and industry organizations.

Agristar.com's home page features a colorful photo montage that graphically represents the rural spectrum of Agristar Global Networks' subscribers, ranging from farm families to multi‑national agribusinesses.  Beneath the graphic are menu bar links to the site's main sections, providing quick access to detailed information.  Corporate background information also is accessible, including profiles of its management team, global partners, and the company's forerunner entities' half-century track record working with the top levels of U.S. and global agriculture.  Another home page feature involves four large graphics that provide easy one-click access to satellite systems and plans geared for home and farm office use, large farm and business use, and multi-site corporate network use, with a link to a Decision Guide with helpful criteria in determining the best satellite system for a particular need.

The new site also provides viewers with a straightforward way to interface with Agristar Global Networks' customer service representatives.   “We incorporated a call-back request form on each page so those who would like a customer service representative to call them at a later more convenient time can have that option," Ganschow said.  "This feature is particularly helpful since many users visiting Agristar.com are rural users connecting via a slow dial-up phone line and don’t have a second phone line with which to call out.  The call-back request enables them to continue their research without interruption.   We can then call back at the time requested with answers to their questions."

Prominent throughout the site are a number of informational boxes which highlight different benefits of Agristar Global Networks' broadband service, including how its ultra-fast connectivity speed compares with rural dial-up, e-mail capabilities and multimedia programming opportunities.  Also new is the “Partner Code” section on the home page, which accepts promotional codes assigned to companies, cooperatives and farmer organizations that have established discount affinity programs with Agristar Global Networks.  Each group's customers or members can simply enter an easy-to-remember code that immediately brings up a page customized to that group and its specific offer. 

Agristar Global Networks, Ltd. is a satellite-based communications company established to bridge the large connectivity gap between farm and ranch operators and their primary trade partners throughout the global food and fiber chain. The company partnered with Hughes Network Systems to develop “Agristar Powered by Direcway” to integrate farms and ranches, agribusinesses and food companies into a two-way, high-speed independent satellite network system. Broadband service also is provided to a large secondary rural market of non-farm residences and businesses.  Agristar Global Networks has a 50-year history through its forerunner entities of developing market-defining communications and business advisory programs for the agricultural industry. These include the Top Farmers of America Association, the first organization to provide business services for leading farm operations in the 1960's; Farm Futures, the industry’s first risk management publication in the 1970’s; AgriData Resources, the first national computer network linking top farms in the 1980’s; and developmental work which began in the late 1990’s on LandX, the first farmland exchange to utilize nationwide farmland databases enabling buyers, sellers and operators to interface electronically. Agristar Global Networks is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, with its national operations center located in St. Paul, Minnesota.