Digital Technology and Farming

farming with digital technology

Overview

Farming remains a profitable economic endeavor in the US. To state the obvious, everybody needs food in order to survive. People are now more conscious and more sensitive to health and lifestyle. In connection to this, you will see people looking for food from farms rather than taking processed food or junk. As a farmer, the prospects have never been better for you.

However, it is vulnerable to a number of challenges. These include the high cost of farming expenses, lack of labor, and the need for capital for highly-intensive projects. In such a situation, it becomes very difficult for one to run a successful farming business through over-coming such challenges. The question becomes how one can do farming in a viable and sustainable way.

One of the most viable and sustainable ways on how farmers can remain in business is through employing digital technology tools in their endeavor. This article will guide you on the importance of farming technology and how farmers can use digital technology in order to achieve optimal performance.

Importance of Digital Technology in Farming

There are several ways through which farmers can leverage on the availability of technology in their profession. To start with, farmers can use technology in order to learn about the various professional opportunities available in the US or abroad. When one is seeking a farming opportunity, one must be sure to evaluate if the project is going to bring in returns, and high returns for that matter.

Factors to consider when choosing a farming project include the capital required, the size of the farm required, the availability of labor, and the market. This can be an intensive thing to search about and it may require time. Therefore, instead of doing such a search on your own, consider the use of digital technology or a mobile app. Such an app is going to ensure that there is comprehensive comparison of the farming opportunities. With such farming technology platforms, you are going to make optimal choices through a rational decision making model.

Digital technologies can help the farmers to learn about the market and evaluate how the market is performing. Through this, they are going to understand the market prices, and how the market is performing. Whereas in some areas, the market is not difficult to find, it may be difficult in other areas.

What the use of farming technology does in seeking the market is eliminating the middlemen in the agricultural supply chain. For many years, American farmers have cried foul over the negative impact the middlemen have in theory professional lives. Then, in such a case, the best thing to do is to cut off the middlemen through using digital apps.

Every farmer understands the nightmare that comes with lack of a ready market for farming produce. This is due to the fact that farming produce, in many cases, is a perishable good. Through the use of digital technology, one is going to identify the market opportunities early enough.

Farmers do understand the importance of monitoring the weather when making farm decisions. The most important things to consider about weather include the temperatures and the rains. If the farmer is aware of the weather outside, he or she is not going to send employees to the farm to work in heavy rains.

Long term weather monitoring helps a farmer to know when to plant and when to harvest. For example, when the yields tasks too long in the rains, heavy rains may destroy an entire harvest. Similarly, specialized weather monitoring helps one to know which crops can grow in a certain area. In such cases, it is always advisable to seek the services of a professional.

The day to day expenses in the farm can be very high. The use of farming technology can help you to reduce the farming expenses. For example, instead of manual processes in handling farm records, an automated system is far much better, more accurate, and more efficient. An increasing number of farmers are appreciating the benefit of using technology in data management.

Some farmers, though not many, have decided to take part in research and development that is related to agriculture. The government and some private companies are in need of raw data and new information which they can use in improving farming practices in their jurisdiction. As a farmer, you can make use of digital technology in order to contribute to research and development. Whereas you may not be paid for such actions, you will be contributing to a better America and a better world which uses better farming practices that are more efficient.

Lastly, farming technology ensures that you have more time at your disposal. In addition to that, you are going to enjoy farming because it is not going to be tedious. Through farming technology, you can have fun in farming.

What digital technology can farmers to be more profitable and efficient

Totheshelf

Available in English and Greek, Totheshelf links the farmer with the market. It is not restricted to the US, but rather, it offers a platform where global professionals can interact and one can identify a potential market. Through Totheshelf, one is able to make a geo-targeted search within 200 km within where one is located. The following are the main information that is captured through Totheshelf:

-Description of a farming product

-The system used in the production

-Quantity of produce

-The company

-The brand

-Full names of the buyer or seller

-The price

MachineryGuide 

MachineryGuide was discovered in Budapest, Hungary, and it started commanding international attention in 2014. MachineryGuide is a precision agricultural tool. It is commonly used in small as well as medium-sized businesses, and is easy to use. It can be used in the smartphone or tablet as a precision GPS tractor system. It was one of the pioneer guidance software programs.

The features of the MachineryGuide include the following:

-A cloud service which can help in connecting the devices and applications

-BlueTooth which helps in receiving signals

-Visual section control

-It helps in farming tasks such as fertilization, spraying, and manure application

Tractor Zoom

Farmers do understand that buying new equipment can be a very expensive endeavor. Therefore, there is a need to save as much money as possible. Rather than buying of new equipment, farmers can buy old equipment. Unfortunately, the market is awash with sub-standard secondhand good, goods that are not of good quality, but the owners want to dispose them anyway.

In such a case, the best thing is to choose an app which can give you correct information on the availability of second-hand equipment. One of such options is tractor zoom. The following are the main features of tractor zoom:

-You can choose the equipment that you want based on model and function

-You will be able to know when auctioneers are having events and how you can benefit from such events

-You can get alerts on new information that you may be interested

-There is an option for the state (that means you can choose an option near you)

-Its blog will help you learn a lot about equipment and how to use them in an optimal way

-You can interact with others through the platform

AgWorld

Based in South Africa, AgWorld serves the global clientele and is similar to the layout of ISNetworld. It helps the farmers to manage their crops in an effective and professional way. Through AgWorld, you will be able to cover an entire cycle when you are growing your crops. In order to offer an efficient digital platform, AgWorld has partnered with other companies and organization such as Satamap. Its main products are AgWorld basics, planning, scheduling, and precision.

AgWorld can help you in the following ways:

-Planting of crops in selected fields

-Sharing of data with the agricultural experts who in turn offer the necessary intervention

-Creation of work orders who help in the right farming tasks

-Avoid in over-lapping of duties

-Tracking of records such as the spray records

-Helps in keeping and retracting of historical records

-Capturing data and information on important events in your farm

Climate CoLab

Farming activities have a great bearing on climate change. At the same time, when there is climate change, the farmers are one of the most affected groups of people. As a farmer, it is a noble choice and a responsibility to help in the mitigation of climate change.

Climate CoLab helps farmers to work hand in hand with the rest of the world in setting and meeting goals related to the issue of climate change. The mobile app realizes that the society is faced with complex problems which can be very detrimental to the issue of climate change. It is an open problem-solving platform where climate change experts and related professionals can exchange ideas on the best thing to do concerning climate change.

As a farmer, you can use Climate CoLab in order to carry out an action or a project that is going to help in the mitigation of climate change. You can seek to refine your proposal and seek input from fellow members. Through Climate CoLab, you can participate in various contests such as the change maker challenge.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Farming Technology

There are several factors that you should consider when choosing farming technology. To start with, you should ensure that you are going to choose a technology that you can afford. Farming expenses are already high, and you do not want to choose a technology that you cannot afford. Remember, the cost of the technology should include the cost of maintenance and not just the initial technology.

You should choose a technology platform which offers a comprehensive and absolute support. Evaluate if it will take you long to seek IT support services. At the same time, be sure to know if, in the case you need emergency services, if assistance will be provided. IT is advisable that you seek an option which is going to offer reliable support.

When choosing a technology, ensure that you choose a flexible platform. This is a platform which can be customized by the users. Each farm is going to have its unique needs, and therefore, you should choose a technology which can be adopted to your needs.

Lastly, do not choose a technology which you think might become obsolete fast. This is going to be expensive in the long-run. Instead, choose a technology which might be used for a number of years in the future.

Towards the Future

Demand of agricultural products and services is going to grow in the near future. This is due to the growth in the population of the US (through birth and immigration), and the fact that many people shy away from farming. Therefore, if you have not been using digital technology for your future, then this is the time to do so. You need to prepare yourself for the future by employing the right digital tools.

The trend in technology is that it tends to be cheaper as new technology enters the market. In almost all the cases in farming, using farming technology is going to be cheaper than the use of manual systems of agriculture. Therefore, you do not have any reason not to use farming technology.

Farming is one of the few professionals which cannot be declared redundant. Some professions in the world are facing very stiff competition, and some are going to be rendered redundant. In such a case, then, it is prudent that you invest in a profession that is going to stand the test of time.

Conclusion

As you can see from the discussion above, the importance of digital technology in farming cannot be under-estimated. By choosing to use technology, you will attain a competitive edge and you are going to stand out among your peers. Most importantly, you will do farming in a professional and efficient way. Therefore, you need to renew your commitment in the use of farming technology.