OMAHA, Neb.—Inside a packed arena last December, 2,700 farmers sipped coffee from paper cups and listened to remarks on the Midwestern economy: incomes down, costs up and bankruptcies rising.
The speaker wasn’t a politician or an academic. He was Charles Baron, co-founder of Farmers Business Network, or FBN, a Silicon Valley startup that is trying to build an Amazon-like online marketplace for agricultural supplies.
Mr. Baron, pacing the stage in a black-and-green flannel shirt, warned the audience that big companies often sell seeds and herbicide sprays at inflated prices, protecting their profits. FBN, he said, allows users to compare prices across products and suppliers, helping farmers negotiate.
“It is critical that you have control,” said Mr. Baron.
FBN doesn’t have a lot right now. Some of the world’s biggest farm suppliers, including Bayer AG, Corteva Inc. and Syngenta AG have refused to sell their brand-name seeds and crop sprays to the startup. Executives say traditional stores remain central to their business.
