Innovative Technology Changing Life Back On The Ranch and Farm
Posted by William Vander Plaats on Thu, Nov 10, 2011 @ 10:35 AM
Over a year ago, we noted here how farmers and ranchers were embracing the latest communication technology in their normal work day. Thanks to the ever expanding digital world that we live in, agriculture technology has come a long way since that time.
Smart Phones and Mobile Apps On The Farm
It’s no secret that smartphone usage is on the rise. According to one Nielsen report, as of July 2011, 40% of mobile phone usage was with smartphones, and mobile data traffic has doubled in the last 12 months. Another stunning report shows that in the first six months of 2011 alone, Americans sent and received 1.138 trillion text messages. For farmers and ranchers, development of mobile applications running on these smart phones is also on the increase. Today there is a wide variety of mobile phone "apps" to choose from, including: seed selection tools, irrigation management, news and weather. Many more may be on the way, as recent trends indicate 2011 may end with 8 billion Android app downloads and 6 billion for the Apple Iphone. The two combined for 4 billion downloads in 2010. The modern farmer can carry all this technology around conveniently in his pocket. Together with Global Positioning Systems (GPS), this technology is changing the way farming is done.
For many in rural areas, utilizing the web through smartphones, tablets, and laptops is faster, cheaper, and more convenient than more traditional methods of communication. In the last 10 years, Internet access on farms has grown nearly 20%.
Cattle Ranchers Also Doing Things Differently
Technology is also changing life on the ranch -- and today's modern cattleman does things quite differently than Ben, Hoss, and the other Cartwrights did years ago (watch a rerun of Bonanza if you don't recognize those names). For instance, radio frequency identification (RFID) chips inserted into cattle ear tags help track their movements and determines how often they have been to a feeding area or other areas on the ranch. Electronic Identifcation readers (EID) mounted on posts and other locations read the tags as the cattle pass by (much like a bar code wand can read a bar code in a physical goods inventory). Other pedometry tools measure cow leg activity as a predictor of preferred breeding times.
One family-run dairy farm that has been in operation since 1783 recently installed fiber optics lines, web cams, and wireless internet throughout their new, state-of-the-art barn. Now they can remotely keep an eye on a pregnant cow, or even know when one in the herd might be sick. Computers track the milk production of each cow, and when averages are low, it can indicate an illness.
Other Innovative Agricultural Products
Innovation is not limited to improved communication devices, but includes other products used on the farm as well. Many farms and ranches rely on wells for fresh water to feed crops and cattle, and with that can come unwanted sand and contaminants in the water supply. Sand can clog or damage the impellers and bearings in submersible and turbine pumps. Filtration solutions can prevent this from occuring. As an alternative to filtering the sand before the water leaves a well, solutions also exist to deal with sand as it enters a residence. A new filtration combination can be the answer to dirty water problems at homes and on farms and ranches throughout the world.
One family in Arizona was facing a severe sand problem in their residential water supply. They found the answer to their water dilemma in a powerful centrifugal separator and sediment filter. They installed a LAKOS SandMaster Plus alongside a TwistIIClean sediment filter, with each handling a different part of the problem. Together that combination saved countless dollars by preventing sand damage to home appliances and other equipment repairs.
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