Home-made technology gifts for the farm

Dec 19, 2014

Teenagers can combine their love of technology and the gift of time to create the perfect home-made gift

Farmers have a number of precious resources that they cherish: water, sun, soil, people; but one of the most precious resources may be their time. What farmer wouldn’t love to have a few more hours in a day during planting season or harvest season? So, wouldn’t it be great if you could give the gift of time to the busy farmers in your life this holiday season? Teenagers may be able to do just that.

We all know moms and dads say they prefer home-made gifts, but we know teenagers may be reluctant to do so. But teenagers can combine their love of technology and the gift of time to create the perfect home-made gift for the farm parents or grandparents in their life.

“As a member of the over-forty crowd I can assure you that what often stops me from adopting a helpful new technology, is the time it takes to understand it, and input the information that would make it relevant to me,” says Farms.com President Graham Dyer. “That’s where teenagers can come to the rescue, because they can set up the technology and then demonstrate how to use it with real data they have taken the time to input in the device or application.”

Here are some suggestions of home-made technology gifts from Farms.com:

Farm Apps

There are a number of farm apps – download the ones that would be best suited to the farmers in question. View an up-to-date list of available farm apps. But teenagers shouldn’t just stop there, they should set the configurations etc. to what they think will be most useful to the “elders” in their life.

Electronic Newsletters and Alerts

There are a number of free farm newsletters – sign them up to receive the electronic newsletter that is best suited to them. (View the list of Farms.com free newsletters.)

Social Media

Mom and dad may already have a twitter account (set up by you), but set up their account to follow a number of ag news or ag information sites – or weather alerts. Sign them up to YouTube channels in agriculture. If the farm is an agribusinesss, ensure their LinkedIn or Google Plus account is set up to maximize their business exposure. Use whatever social media parents/grandparents may already be members of.

Classifieds

Teenagers can also set up online classifieds to help sell the family hay. Mom and dad may have a sign out in front of the barn, but an online sign may drive more customers. (Post a free classified.)

Contacts

Even something as simple as setting up local, or frequently used, ag contacts in mom or dad’s phone can be handy.

You have the time and the expertise, combine them to make the perfect home-made technology gift for mom and dad.

Video: Dr. David Rosero: Fat Quality in Swine Diets

In this episode of The Swine Nutrition Blackbelt Podcast, Dr. David Rosero from Iowa State University explores the critical aspects of fat quality and oxidation in swine diets. He discusses how different types of lipids affect pig performance and provides actionable insights on managing lipid oxidation in feed mills. Don’t miss this episode—available on all major platforms.

Highlight quote: "Increasing levels of oxidized fats in swine diets reduced the efficiency of feed utilization, increased mortality, and led to more pigs being classified as culls, reducing the number of full-value pigs entering the finishing barns."

Meet the guest: Dr. David Rosero / davidrosero is an assistant professor of animal science at Iowa State University. His research program focuses on conducting applied research on swine nutrition and the practical application of smart farming. He previously served as the technical officer for The Hanor Company, overseeing nutrition, research, and innovation efforts.