Mobile apps for the mobile farmer

Apr 20, 2015

Latest innovations aim to make farmer’s lives easier

More and more industries are going away from traditional pen and paper and adopting the inevitable digital takeover to make their operations run more efficiently and increase profitability.

Farming and agriculture is no exception.

With all the information farmers need to have on hand at all times, mobile apps are quickly becoming just important a tool as a tractor or sprayer.

Here are a few of the newer apps either currently available or in production that could be helpful to farmers.

Smiley-Farmer
The app acts like an online data base that can provide the farmer with information and advice based on their location. It uses text messages to send and receive information such as crop diseases and solutions.

This app was part of the 2015 Space Apps Challenge – a global, two-day event where entrepreneurs and other enthusiasts show off their technological skills by designing and presenting mobile applications where it was Global Nominee #2.

Blueprint
This app is designed for anyone with a hog operation. It will provide users with research, new production methods, veterinarian input and more to ensure the hogs and the operation is healthy. It is currently available for Apple and Android devices.

For anyone else with agriculture and technology on the brain, the Silicon Valley AgTech Conference is scheduled for Monday, May 11, 2015.

The show will feature speakers including Glenda Humiston from the United States Department of Agriculture, Kiersten Stead representing Monsanto Growth Ventures and Bob Whitaker from Produce Marketing Association.

Join the conversation and tell us if you’ll be attending the AgTech Conference or if you’re interested in any of the apps mentioned above.

Be sure to check out the Farms.com apps page for more apps to help your farm be as successful as it can.

Farmer using a tablet

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.