Dear (first name),

I hope this email finds you doing well!  I wanted to share with you information about an industry organization called AgGateway.  I know our company is seeing more reasons than ever to focus on increasing electronic connections with trading partners, so we can be as efficient and cost-effective as possible, and better serve customers along the supply chain. AgGateway has made that happen for us. 

I don't know about your company, but the complexity of managing more and more data can be overwhelming and time consuming.  AgGateway has helped us reduce the effort it takes to manage that data, so that we can spend more time dealing with our customers and utilizing the data to make quicker and better business decisions.

I’m not sure how much you may know about AgGateway, so I wanted to provide some basic information, and would like to discuss with you some of the particular benefits our company has gained, and why we believe we need to continue to participate in AgGateway to help design the future of eAgriculture.  AgGateway is its members, so when I refer to "we" or "our" below, I am referring to the members of AgGateway.

AgGateway's Mission:  To promote, enable and expand eBusiness in agriculture

What AgGateway is:

• A non-profit, collaborative, membership driven association
• Focused on helping growers, retailers and their supply chain partners reduce the cost and frustration of managing complex data
• With broad representation across many ag segments

Who’s involved?:

• More than 200 member companies  (Click here to find out which companies are members)
• Members include ag retailers, manufacturers of ag inputs and outputs (e.g., seed, crop nutrition, crop protection, feed, grain, and precision ag), as well as service providers, specialty chemical, crop insurance, transportation, software and data service providers
• Both business and information technology (IT) professionals from these member companies collaborate on AgGateway activities to solve business issues involving technology
• Companies work together to develop and implement common industry standards and tools to be more efficient in the way they do business

Why does AgGateway exist?

To enable the entire agriculture community and specialty chemicals to use eBusiness to exchange information to:

• Improve business processes and standard messages
• Improve end user/farmer/producer productivity
• Streamline the supply chain
• Reduce pain points/issues in doing business
• Enhance traceability and food safety
• Support sustainable agricultural practices

How is AgGateway structured?

AgGateway is governed by a strategic board and an operational management board.  The work of AgGateway is determined by 8 active councils that work collaboratively in some areas and autonomously in other areas.  Those councils represent the following segments/sectors:

• Ag Retail
• Allied Providers (any company that provides services to the industry, such as crop insurance, hardware, software, warehousing, transportation, etc.)
• Crop Protection
• Crop Nutrition (fertilizer)
• Grain & Feed
• Precision Ag
• Seed
• Specialty Chemical

Our Focus:

AgGateway is Focused on Implementation of eBusiness – Making eBusiness a Reality in the Ag Industry!

• By developing and collaborating on industry standards, guidelines and other means to enable eBusiness
• And implementing those standards and tools

Invitation:

I’m sure your schedule is very busy, but if you could provide 2-3 day/times opportunities in the next few weeks, that you might be available for 30-45 minutes to discuss AgGateway and eBusiness would be appreciated.   If you would like others within your company to participate in the call, please let me know.   I can set up a web-call for us (and your group) along with AgGateway's Director of Member Relations, Marilyn Hunter.  In addition, I would like to invite you to our upcoming face-to-face meetings.  Each of these meetings would provide you (and/or any others from your company) the opportunity to experience AgGateway activities and its networking opportunities.  The projects that AgGateway works on, are collaborative in nature and provides great networking and trading partner interaction.  Here’s some information about our two face-to-face meetings this year:

 Mid-Year Meeting:

• June 12-15, 2017
• Prairie Meadow Casino - Altoona, IA
• Website link for agenda, hotel, etc.

Annual Conference:

• November 6-9, 2017
• Hilton Resort & Spa - San Diego, CA
• Webpage link

If you would like to see what our membership dues are and how to join AgGateway, our By-Laws, etc., you can go to our website:  http://www.aggateway.org/JoinUs/JoinAgGateway.aspx

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you soon.