Final testing of an Internet training program that simulates agricultural retail management is underway. Pat O'Rourke, Illinois State University (ISU) agricultural economist, reports that two Illinois firms, Evergreen FS and Growmark, are beta-testing the program called ProStar Professional Training for Agricultural Retailers.

The program simulates actual marketing conditions of a retail outlet. A “player's manual” gives the history of a fictional dealership including profit and loss statements, balance sheets, inventory and equipment utilization reports, sales histories of ag chem, fertilizer materials and lime and 13 different services, ranging from variable rate application to mapping and soil testing.

In O'Rourke's ISU classes, four teams of five students, located on and off campus, set prices, decide when to borrow and pay off loans, how much product to order to meet projected demand, the number of people to hire and fire, the number of part-time vs. full-time employees, and how much to spend on promotion and training. They also manage nine types of equipment, ranging from a variable rate application truck to anhydrous ammonia nurse tanks. Off site students interface with O'Rourke and discuss marketing decisions among themselves via the Internet.

“If beta testing shows the ProStar simulation program is useful for general managers and custom applicators in Illinois, we hope it might soon become available commercially. With the power of the Internet, a company can simultaneously train management personnel at any number of satellite locations,” O'Rourke says.

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