TECHNOLOGY AIDS FARMERS WITH FARM SUPPLIES
A growing proportion of farmers are using mobile telecommunications to make their lives easier.
From ordering farm supplies over the phone to weather forecasting, from predicting yields to pesticide records, from fertiliser data to buying hose fittings, mobile technology (ie tablets, mobile phones, iPads etc) is making the lives of the farmers simpler, easier, more convenient and importantly, more productive.
The website Agriculture.com reports that research conducted by Successful Farming magazine shows that farmers are quickly adopting smartphone technology – and are using their mobile devices less for entertainment and more as a working tool. The report says that over 70% of survey respondents said they accessed ag-related information and services on their phones, with around a third saying they used their phones to access the internet daily.
Whether it’s an ordering service for farm supplies or an email to a neighbour, the simple truth is that farmers are benefiting from mobile technology in ways they never dreamt about.
Consider this…a farmer in the Australian outback sees that he needs to replace several hose fittings (and remember, that he could be hundreds of miles from the farmhouse because some farms down under are bigger than some European countries !). You know you must order more when you get back to civilisation. Later in the day, you notice your diesel tank is in need of repair and you need to order more brass fittings….another mental reminder. The list will probably grow as the day goes on…which means more to remember – and more to forget!.
That’s where mobile technology has changed everything. From ordering farming supplies to buying those new hose fittings, from receiving emails to connecting on social media, from browsing the web to downloading relevant agricultural applications – it’s no wonder that so many farmers are embracing mobile technology to improve productivity.
