Today, CNN.com published a story by John D. Sutter on the growing use of smartphones and social networking programs by farmers. For story, click here. The story points out
farmers are using Internet-enabled phones to gain a foothold on online social networks -- both for business and personal reasons.
Steve Tucker, a farmer from Brandon, Nebraska, posts dozens of Twitter messages throughout the day. According to the story, he is
commenting on everything from the weather to the state of his crops to his son's first tractor ride and even last night's cheeseburger.Andy Kleinschmidt, an extension educator with Ohio State University, blogger, and a farmer explained that
[t]he growth of smartphones on farms is important because many people don't think about where their food comes from, much less associate a specific farmer with that process.He went on to say,
"[w]hen you can put a name or personality with someone who's actually raising corn and soybeans or actually milking cows, that's the most important thing that's come about in my opinion[.]"On the same note, according to Tucker
“[p]eople out in the cities aren't familiar with agriculture like it used to be 100 years ago. They may not have an appreciation or an understanding of what goes on out in the rural side of things," he said. "I just try to be an information source for whoever may be listening.”Farmers are not the only ones realizing the importance of smartphones to their businesses by using notepad applications to track important details. Developers of smartphone applications are also catching on. Apple has an iPhone application called PureSense that
helps techie farmers in drought-stricken places monitor how much water is in their soil at various locations and in real time.For story on application, click here for NPR story.
To view a weekly Twitter live chat among farmers on Tuesday from 8 to 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, click here.
Posted: 07/02/09
