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Abstract
Electronic commerce in agriculture is creating a dilemma for community lenders - at least for the short term. The recent Ag Lending Technology Conference, sponsored by ECI/Farm Equity Manager, made clear that the Internet is creating a new form of competition in a business environment where loyalty does not mean the same thing that it used to, says Mark Mosbarger of Central Trust and Savings Bank (Genesco, Illinois). The banks want producer customers to make sound decisions, which means encouraging them to at least consider going online to explore pricing options and new marketing techniques. However, this may mean taking business away from other bank customers - suppliers and grain elevators.