It is not very often that one associates traditional farms and agriculture with the world of advanced technology and Internet marketing. Farming is one of the last sectors of our economy that does not rely on a cellphone, blackberry, or a number of other high-tech gadgets that are supposed to increase the efficiency of business. That is not to say that agriculture has resisted some of the advantages of technology. In fact, for one area student, farms and the Internet are a perfect match to increase business, and promote the natural products that only farms can produce. 

Robin Turner, a student at the University of British Columbia, has recently been accepted into the Summer Company program with Enterprise Renfrew County. Robin is an agricultural sciences student, and he specializes in sustainable agriculture. He is very interested in promoting farms and farming in Renfrew County, and to that end he hopes to help farmers and other small businesses market their wares through the World Wide Web. Robin has already built a direct marketing website for area farmer Bob Dobson. It has already brought several new customers to the Dobson farm looking for chemical-free, grass-fed beef and other natural products. Aside from web pages, Robin also designed the brochure and other marketing materials that the Dobsons use in their farmers’ market initiative. 

As Robin points out, “my goal is to build my business while helping the farmers and small businesses in Renfrew County build up theirs. Times have been hard lately for farmers, but there is a new opportunity in selling locally grown and produced food or crafts. I can help people find those markets.”