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Agriculture · head to head

Farmers Business Network (FBN) vs WiseConn DropControl

Farmers Business Network (FBN) logo

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

Agriculture

Farmer-to-farmer network and marketplace

From
$700/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WiseConn DropControl logo

WiseConn DropControl

Agriculture

Wireless irrigation automation for permanent crops, built around solar radio nodes rather than trenched cable

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Farmers Business Network (FBN) the Internet Archive's capture of Farmers Business Network's homepage on 2 January 2021 stated core FBN membership is free, with fees applying only to add-on services such as FBN Direct input purchases, crop marketing advisory, brokerage, financing and insurance, each offered by separately licensed FBN subsidiary entities.; WiseConn DropControl the platform runs on WiseConn’s own radio nodes, so the cost is set by how many valves and sensors you want covered and expanding monitoring later means buying more proprietary hardware rather than any third-party sensor.
  • They diverge on capability: Farmers Business Network (FBN) covers Seed performance analytics, WiseConn DropControl covers Solar wireless nodes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Farmers Business Network (FBN) and WiseConn DropControl actually diverge.

Attributes where Farmers Business Network (FBN) and WiseConn DropControl differ
AttributeFarmers Business Network (FBN)WiseConn DropControl
Starting price$700/yearOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Founded2014Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Farmers Business Network (FBN)

  • Seed performance analytics
  • Input price transparency
  • Direct input purchasing
  • Yield analytics
  • Crop marketing tools
  • Farm financing
  • Agronomic insights
  • Farmer network access

Only in WiseConn DropControl

  • Solar wireless nodes
  • Valve control
  • Soil moisture monitoring
  • Flow and pressure monitoring
  • Fertigation control
  • Digital twin view
  • Alerts
  • Water use reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

  • Input purchasingnot WiseConn DropControl
  • Seed selectionnot WiseConn DropControl
  • Price comparisonnot WiseConn DropControl
  • Farm financingnot WiseConn DropControl
  • Market insightsnot WiseConn DropControl

WiseConn DropControl

  • A mature almond block where trenching a two-wire path between rows would cut through established rootsnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
  • A table grape operation in a water-scarce district that must report applied volume per blocknot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
  • A grower whose filter station blocks repeatedly and who needs flow deviation alerts before pressure reaches the emittersnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)
  • A multi-ranch operation consolidating irrigation control across sites that were automated by different contractorsnot Farmers Business Network (FBN)

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

  • The Internet Archive's capture of Farmers Business Network's homepage on 2 January 2021 stated core FBN membership is free, with fees applying only to add-on services such as FBN Direct input purchases, crop marketing advisory, brokerage, financing and insurance, each offered by separately licensed FBN subsidiary entities.

WiseConn DropControl

  • The platform runs on WiseConn’s own radio nodes, so the cost is set by how many valves and sensors you want covered and expanding monitoring later means buying more proprietary hardware rather than any third-party sensor.
  • No pricing is published in any market, and quotes are produced from a site design, so a grower cannot compare the platform against alternatives without commissioning two designs.
  • Solar nodes need light and battery health management: dense canopy, dusty conditions and long winters degrade reporting, and a node that stops charging is a block you are no longer controlling.
  • It is a private mid-sized company competing against Netafim, Toro and Lindsay, so a grower buying for the fifteen-year life of a permanent planting is taking on more supplier continuity risk than with the larger incumbents.
  • Support quality is uneven across its newer markets: it is well established in Chile and California but only entered Australia in 2021 and Europe in 2022, so buyers in those regions get a thinner installer and spares network.

Pricing, plan by plan

Farmers Business Network (FBN)

$700/year
  • FBN Membership$700/year
    • Access to FBN Analytics
    • Seed performance data
    • Chemical price transparency
  • FBN DirectFree
    • Transparent input pricing
    • Direct-to-farm delivery
    • Seed & crop protection

WiseConn DropControl

On request
  • DropControl$undefined/year
    • Priced by node count, sensor count and controlled points
    • Solar radio nodes required at every controlled or monitored point
    • Cloud platform subscription bundled into the system quote

Which should you pick?

Choose Farmers Business Network (FBN) if

  • You need seed performance analytics.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android.
  • You also want input price transparency.
Farmers Business Network (FBN) review

Choose WiseConn DropControl if

  • You need solar wireless nodes.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want valve control.
WiseConn DropControl review

Questions people ask

Is Farmers Business Network (FBN) or WiseConn DropControl better?
Neither clearly leads. Farmers Business Network (FBN) starts at $700/year and WiseConn DropControl at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Farmers Business Network (FBN) or WiseConn DropControl?
Farmers Business Network (FBN) starts at $700/year and WiseConn DropControl at On request.
Does Farmers Business Network (FBN) or WiseConn DropControl run on more platforms?
Farmers Business Network (FBN) runs on Web, Ios, Android. WiseConn DropControl runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is Farmers Business Network (FBN) best used for?
Farmers Business Network (FBN) is most often used for input purchasing, seed selection, price comparison, farm financing. Of those, input purchasing and seed selection are not what WiseConn DropControl is typically brought in for.
What can Farmers Business Network (FBN) do that WiseConn DropControl cannot?
Farmers Business Network (FBN) covers Seed performance analytics, Input price transparency, Direct input purchasing, Yield analytics. WiseConn DropControl covers Solar wireless nodes, Valve control, Soil moisture monitoring, Flow and pressure monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

WiseConn DropControl: Does DropControl need wires run to every valve?

No, that is the point of it. Nodes are solar powered and radio linked, which is why it suits retrofits on established orchards.

WiseConn DropControl: Can I use third-party sensors?

Some probes and weather stations are supported, but the control and communication layer is WiseConn hardware, so the node network is a lock-in.

WiseConn DropControl: What does it cost?

WiseConn does not publish pricing. Quotes come from a site design based on the number of controlled and monitored points.

WiseConn DropControl: Where is it best supported?

Chile and California are the strongest markets. Australia and Europe are recent additions with thinner installer networks.

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