Our farm has been in our family for more than 100 years, and during that time our family has been a member and strong supporters of the Farm Bureau. Now, we will have the opportunity to work with other Farm Bureau members in a way that we trust will benefit everyone.'' Faculty members at the College of Agriculture at California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo have helped to develop and to test the site. Ralph Friend and Diane Friend are both Cal Poly alumni. This is an innovation that will change the marketplace, and it is so promising because it comes from the real world. We are looking forward to a long-term relationship with Horsepower because we think it provides educational and career opportunities for our students,'' Shelton added.
Interested parties respond via e-mail, and confidential negotiations begin.
Horsepower will charge a nominal fee for each offer posted and for each completed deal. Ralph and Diane Friend started Horsepower after selling 175 tons of hay to a trader, only to see it resold to a neighbor 4 miles from their farm. This tool is intended to make the ag and food chain far more efficient than it is today. Farmers are smart, progressive people who readily adapt to new technology and better ways of doing business. Ralph Friend said.