Mobile – RealAgriculture: Recent Episodes
Mobile – RealAgriculture
On the surface, it doesn’t seem like doctors and farmers have all that much in common. When you dig a little deeper, however, there is at least one major similarity: up until about five to 10 years ago doctors worked almost exclusively with paper records. Farmers largely still do. But Telus, with its recent purchase... Read More
Perhaps a somewhat surprising candidate for enhancing telecommunications, John Deere is currently running a prototype in Brazil that is giving remote and rural farmers the opportunity to use equipment and technology to its fullest. “This is a first try to get real, good connectivity, and 5G technology, and with broadband,” says Johannes Bosch, in the... Read More
Not all concepts exhibited at Agritechnica make it to commercialization. Instead of moving an individual piece of equipment forward, it’s usually a concept that clicks, is picked up by engineers, and moves forward. For Wes Lefroy, agricultural analyst with RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness — Australia and New Zealand, one of the most interesting aspects of... Read More
Nutrien Ag Solutions’ digital portal gives its customers everything they need — from agronomic data and support to account data — to make timely decisions throughout the growing season at the touch of a finger. In this interview at the recent Farm Progress Show at Decatur, Illinois, Nutrien’s digital vice president Sol Goldfarb explains new... Read More
Ag Growth International Inc. is making a minority equity investment of US$15 million in Farmobile, Inc. Farmobile, headquartered in Leawood, Kansas, is an independent agriculture technology company, providing hardware and software services for the real-time collection, organization, analysis, and storage of farm data. The Farmobile device collects and streams real-time, geo-tagged agronomic and machine data... Read More
Within a month of announcing its collaboration with the University of Saskatchewan, Canadian tech startup Transport Genie Ltd., is set to conduct field trials of its smart sensors in Switzerland. The company announced this week that it is working with Swiss-based integrated poultry company Prodavi SA. Starting in June, Transport Genie sensors will be installed... Read More
Nobody likes counting soybean plants to determine whether a field needs to be replanted. It’s never fun, but it’s now easier thanks to the Bean Cam phone app. On this episode of the RealAgriculture Soybean School, University of Wisconsin-Madison soybean extension specialist Shawn Conley explains how growers can use the app to do quick and... Read More
Temperature can tell you many things about an animal — if it’s beginning to fall ill, if it’s about to calve, or if it’s coming into heat. The technology to track temperature and movement of cattle comes in many forms, and a western Canadian company is offering a wireless communication rumen bolus that won’t get... Read More
What will agronomy look like five or ten years from now? Will drones and automation have replaced agronomists and field walks? There’s no denying that technology definitely plays a larger role in his job than it used to, says Shane Thomas, agronomist with Yara Canada. From field mapping software, to variable rate capabilities, NDVI readings,... Read More
Farmers who use Trimble have a new option to connect their farm. The company announced its new entry-level software dubbed Farmer Core, which enables farmers to connect to all aspects of the farm operation by computer or phone. The program uses the company’s new AutoSync that automatically syncs guidance lines, field names, boundaries, landmarks, and... Read More
During TechTourLIVE this year, the audience got a special treat when the tour stopped at Regina, Sask. RCMP Supt. Kevin Kunetzki was a featured guest at the event and on RealAg Radio to talk about rural crime and the new safety network program being piloted in southern Saskatchewan. According to Kunetzki, there has been an increase... Read More
Producers’ growing frustration over giving away valuable electronic production data has led a Guelph-based company to try to stop the bleeding with a new technology called mPowered. The technology is a blockchain-driven platform that lead developer Joel Sotomayor says will let farmers put crop, livestock, and environmental data in what he calls an “online vault”... Read More
Viterra wants to make sure producers don’t miss another opportunity to market their grain when they want to – even if you’re at the lake, and the lake is in Arizona. The company is launching its suite of online contracting options through its portal “myViterra.” According to the news release, customers can use their accounts... Read More
When we think about cyber hacking, things like election tampering or credit card theft likely come to mind. A recent U.S. Department of Homeland Security report, however, focused on the very real threat of breaches and hacking of precision agriculture data. As tough as it has been for some to even conceptualize what data being... Read More
What if you could just point your phone at a weed and the phone would tell you what you were looking at? At one time it was a huge breakthrough to be able to take a picture of a weed and send a text message to an agronomist. It still is in fact, but sometimes... Read More
Using technology from a sensor made by Fliegl, Austrian farm machinery company Pöttinger has debuted a GPS beacon designed to track the location of pulled farm implements, detect whether or not they are working, and even save maps of their progress. The technology in the PötPro Guide is surprisingly basic. GPS and 3D sensors inside the small... Read More
Farmers invest a lot to produce a crop, from before the seed hits the ground through to the harvest. With all the investment and technology that goes into producing a crop, why stop short when the grain hits the bin? Some of the most successful farmers are using technology to ensure they have the information they... Read More
Farm & Food Care has launched several new virtual tours, with all-new 360 degree views and even a virtual reality component. Using 360-degree cameras and virtual reality technology, the new FarmFood360° website gives Canadians the chance to tour real, working farms and food processing plants, all without putting on boots or leaving the comfort of... Read More
Dairy Quality Inc. and its mobile milk testing device was the big winner at Ontario’s 10th annual Premier’s Awards for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence. Premier Kathleen Wynne presented the Premier’s award – the province’s highest honour for outstanding contributions in innovation to the agri-food sector – to the Newmarket-based company. Its mobile testing device helps dairy farmers... Read More
Farmers and ranchers have always been interested in technology, especially if it enhances profitability. The rate of change of products and services coming to market is extremely fast. Silicon Valley and traditional agriculture businesses such as John Deere and Bayer are all trying to establish their footholds in the future of digital farming. At the... Read More
Mobile phones have become an essential piece of equipment on most North American farms. A study just completed by Ipsos underlines what we’ve seen here at Real Agriculture — how farmers have fallen in love with and come to rely on their smartphones, even more than the general public. The research firm found over 80... Read More
I’ve got two big things to announce today. First, we redesigned our website back in March (more at the end)…you probably noticed. I apologize for not writing about it sooner, but I’ve been working to get our new iOS (iPhone, iPad, etc) and Android apps launched (which is the second announcement). New App is Customized... Read More
Yield history, soil type, fertility, drainage, irrigation potential, and cropping options — those have traditionally been some of the main factors considered when assessing the value or rental rate for a parcel of farmland. But with telematics and data collection capabilities of farm equipment expanding rapidly, there’s another field characteristic that should probably be considered:... Read More
The line between what’s a traditional clunky tractor monitor and a user-friendly household tablet is disappearing, as evidenced by Trimble’s latest version of its TMX-2050 display. On the market for two years, Trimble introduced several upgrades to the Android-based 12-inch touch screen unit earlier this year, explains TJ Schulte in the video below, filmed at... Read More
Farm management software startup Farm At Hand is merging with grain marketing firm FarmLink Marketing Solutions. Launched in 2012, the free Farm At Hand app helps producers maintain field records while tracking equipment, grain inventory and sales. The app and Farm At Hand brand will be maintained and available for free to any user, says Kim... Read More
AGCO Corporation has announced its AgCommand API (Application Programming Interface) is now open to approved third party developers and service providers of farming applications, including management dashboards and mobile apps. This new capability will enable AGCO customers to access their machine data through their other farm and fleet management tools, the company says. The AgCommand... Read More
Want to spot an uber-Apple lover? Check wrists. The Apple watch began shipping about two weeks ago, and for those willing to part with a starting price of $500 (CDN), the status symbol offers wearers the ability to send everything from a simple text message to their heart beat, from their wrist (apparently provided there are... Read More
In March of 2014, Agrimatics announced the availability of a new product — the Agrimatics Libra. It’s a cloud-based system that sends weigh scale data from grain carts to a smartphone or tablet. All the operator needs is a small battery-operated device from Agrimatics and the free mobile app. With those two ingredients, any iPhone 4S (or... Read More
We’re in the midst of a smartphone app era, some as trivial as games of pursuit, others as significant as financial management. In agriculture, we’ve seen the use of apps truly grow, from a few simple calculators to tablet displays. But, some apps seem to make the mainstream market before spreading their roots into agriculture. That’s... Read More
Hello! If you visit this site regularly you’ll be very familiar with me, because my work is everywhere. If for some reason you haven’t heard of me, my name is Rhett Soveran and I joined the RealAg team at the beginning of the year as the Product Manager. I handle all the technical stuff that... Read More
I frequently travel to “friendly Manitoba” for business. Manitoba is the proud home of the Winnipeg Jets (after a brief hiatus), a brand new Human Rights Museum, and some of the most productive farmland in Canada. Some of my best friends and business clients proudly call Manitoba home. Manitobans carry a provincial pride that rivals any... Read More
Cargill’s AgHorizons farm customers now have the ability to sign a grain delivery contract online, the company announced today. Cargill is the first line grain company in Canada to offer the service. Fran Burr, assistant vice-president of marketing for Cargill Limited says, “..What we’re hearing right now is that (farmers) want simplified solutions when it... Read More
Apps continue to grow and evolve in all aspects of agriculture, with crop commodities eons ahead of their livestock counterparts. Discussions are no longer bound by the confines of a physical community, with information being shared on Twitter, Google+ (check out #cattle and the Cattle Community for a taste of each), Facebook, Instagram and others. If you’re reading... Read More
There’s incredible effort and expense put in to growing a crop. Once it’s in the bin, however, the job is only mostly done. Storing grain safely, especially over the long term, means keeping tabs on bin conditions. Bin monitors and sensors are the first step — how you track and monitor what those sensors are... Read More
In 2012, the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program supported the Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association in the development of apps designed for prairie farmers. Those apps are very near completion, and in our first discussion with Tom Wolf, spray application specialist, we spoke of one that will help producers determine the spray quality of various nozzles, an obviously important... Read More
While many of us industry types were getting back into routine this week, the bad weather hangover in Ontario was still raging. Our own Shaun Haney got hung up in Las Vegas while trying to get to the Southwest Agricultural Conference (SWAC), and even Bern Tobin, our Ontario field editor missed the first day do... Read More
For many years people thought of farmers as being less intelligent than the general population. How many times did we see the picture of the farmer with the straw hat and dirty overalls, such poor fashion sense that he couldn’t be as intelligent as the more sophisticated urban folk. Today’s farmer is proving everyone wrong... Read More
What does NHL hockey, the weather, German apps and fanny packs have to do with mobile technology? Come, let me show you. In this edition of the always informative but rarely serious AgNerds, Shaun Haney is joined by someone other that the elusive Peter Gredig. Yes, it’s true, Rick Taillieu, Winnipeg Jets fan number 1... Read More
Having trouble deciding whether or not to spray for soybean aphids? Well, you’re in luck: there’s an app for that! In this episode of Soybean School, Tracey Baute, emtomologist with Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, introduces The Aphid Advisor App, which uses pest and beneficial insect data collected by the user, in addition... Read More
At RealAgriculture.com we are always trying to keep farmers abreast with the latest in gadgets. That was one of the reasons Shaun Haney started the AgNerds series in the first place. Farmers love technology. Frequently we receive requests on what apps farmers should download. Recently Syngenta Canada released a new mobile site that can be found at... Read More
What’s your technology mix? Phone and a laptop, phone, tablet and a laptop, or desktop, phone and a tablet? Or something else entirely? It’s an expensive trial, this getting the right mix of useful gadgets, so certified AgNerds Shaun Haney and Peter Gredig decided to tackle the question. Inspired by Shaun’s adoption of the lamely-named... Read More
Agri-Trend’s latest business offering is the Agri-Data Solution, a web-based application that stores all the farm data you may need. Once inputted, the Agri-Data interface can be accessed by several members of the farm team from any computer, tablet or smartphone by a user name and password. Shaun Haney caught up with Kevin Pattison of... Read More
Keeping track of what has been done on which field, at what rate and when tends to get rather complicated when field numbers start to rise or you end up with several helpers at seeding or spraying. Add rented bin yards, contracts with several companies and the tendency to lose the piece of paper you... Read More
The release of the iPhone 5 came, as usual, with a lot of fanfare and then a wake of criticism following behind it. The biggest criticism legitimately targeted Apple’s new mapping system which has been buggy from the word go. The backlash even coaxed a very rare apology out of Apple CEO Tim Cook. The... Read More
Whether you are a fan of QR Codes or not, you have to admit that this is very cool. Kraay Family Farm has officially been informed by the Guinness Book of World Records that they have created the world’s largest QR Code. Based in Lacombe, Alberta, Kraay Family Farm created the QR code to cover a record 309,570 square... Read More
If you work on a ranch or feedyard, you know that you are constantly on the move. Whether its checking pens or pulling calves, the days can be long and hectic. Having said that, you need to still stay on top of the cattle markets and ensure you are making the right marketing decisions... Read More
This past week Apple won a patent case against Samsung and was awarded one billion dollars for its troubles. This battle is not over and there will be months and maybe years of appeals, countersuits and more intellectual property lawyers getting filthy rich. In this episode of the AgNerds, Shaun Haney and Peter Gredig discuss... Read More
In a diversified operation, things can get very busy. Balancing harvest with the regular duties that accompany any other business that’s an ongoing concern is tough. It’s during those particularly busy seasons that jobs requiring regular follow up tend to be pushed back or forgotten entirely. Bin monitoring is one of those duties that starts... Read More
Processors are becoming smaller and faster all the time. Its those attributes that have given rise to the flurry of powerful mobile devices we see today. Todays phone or tablet is faster than most desktops or laptops that existed even 5 years ago and just as powerful or as useful as a great deal that... Read More
Winter is almost over, and with that, so goes the season full of trade-shows, meetings and seminars. As busy as it is for all those involved, it serves it’s purpose well. Farmers and ag-industry folks alike gather together to talk and share ideas and issues that are important to them. The feedback that comes from... Read More
Through the January farm show season I continued to run into people that said to me that they were getting a Blackberry Playbook or had just bought one. Whether its the $200 price point or the the increased interest in tablets, it seems to me that the Blackberry Playbook finally has some appeal. It would... Read More
The Aphid Advisor app is a decision-making tool to help determine whether a control action is warranted for Soybean Aphids (Aphis glycines) on soybeans in the province of Ontario, Canada. This app uses aphid and natural enemy numbers, as well as expected population growth rates, to indicate whether there are enough natural enemies to keep... Read More
The 2011 Farm Forum Event was all about the integration of man and machine for the benefit of agriculture. The tablet device fits right into that category. More and more agri-businesses and producers are making a tablet standard issue in their business or on their farm. Their portability and processing power make them easier to... Read More
The price of the Blackberry Playbook continues to drop with Rogers employees being able to acquire them for as little as $250 Canadian. Whether or not that discount will be seen by consumers is anyones guess, but with horrific sales of only 200,000 units last quarter, any move to get more playbooks into the hands... Read More
This time of year can be exhausting. Long hours in the cab are a regular part of harvest time everywhere and farmers find themselves looking for anything to keep their minds engaged through the monotony of the tractor cab. Radio is a great option, but you find yourself at some point sick of the repetitive... Read More
Do you have any idea what this funky white and black cube is above? You will probably see it in a lot of advertising this fall. What do you do with it? How do you scan it? Why would you scan it? It is an arguably under-utilized tool that has a lot of untapped potential.... Read More
In this episode, the AgNerds talk about Google’s acquisition of Motorola and what that marriage may mean for the future of the Droid phone as well as what it means for other developers using the Android system. Also covered is the growing popularity of the Droid in Canada and the majority presence it has... Read More
Yesterday I was at a ag-retailer crop tour in Vulcan, Alberta with Dupont. While Dupont was discussing some of their new products like fungicides and seed treatments, I decided to talk to some of the ag-retail attendees and find out some more about them. In this weeks episode of Talking to Farmers (but in this... Read More
By Ken Coles, FarmingSmarter.com In July I attended the Precision Ag Conference in Springfield, Illinois. I though in my first blog post I would cover my thoughts and observations at the conference. Day 1 Last week Brent Nicol and I attended the infoag, precision ag conference in Springfield, Illinois. (www.infoag.org). Not being a seasoned... Read More
While giving a presentation this week at the Canadian Seed Growers meeting in Hamilton I talked about the critical role that mobile plays in the deployment of social media on the farm. A very bright young seed grower friend of mine asked some very interesting questions during the panel discussion. Eric’s thoughts were, “Every time... Read More
The Blackberry Playbook was delayed in coming to the market but the challenges have not ended there. What is interesting is that the Playbook seems to be garnering the either “love it” or “hate it” feelings. Some of the mainstream tech media has reported that it was released to quickly but from some of the... Read More
The business world has gone mobile. From the smartphone to the rise of the tablet and the advent of the cloud server, people want, and can get their information anywhere and anytime. Agriculture is no different. Long hours in the tractor can now be ( fortunately or unfortunately ) long hours at the office. Every... Read More