Smartphones for Smart Farming

Twenty-five years ago CB radios were all the rage when it came to communicating from the cab of a tractor to the home base. Then there were mobile phones which made communications from anywhere on the farm possible. So now that there are smartphones doesn't it make sense to use this technology to improve farming? I'm not talking about just using the phone to call home, I'm talking about monitoring and controlling farm equipment all with the touch of a button on your smartphone or even a tablet.

Imagine you have a 500 acre farm with many different types of crops all of which need to be sprayed with different pesticides, need to be irrigated in warmer climates, etc. You can be certain that keeping track of which fields have been sprayed and irrigated at all times would be no easy task and doing all of this work manually would be an ordeal that could be avoided. Also taking time off for the likes of a holiday isn't really a possibility and reluctance to take a break from the farming grind would be at an all time high. 

Seems like a bleak reality but what if you could leave the farm but still have control? Why not relax in the sunshine while still being able to water your crops? Well Tim Schmeeckle, a corn and soybean farmer from Gothenberg, Nebraska, can do just that. Tim can now start or stop any of the 11 Center Pivot irrigation systems he operates on his 2,000-plus acre farm with his smartphone. In an interview Tim recalled how before he used his smartphone he "might have to go out in the rain at 2 a.m. to turn off a center pivot or check to make sure it was operating", however now that he can turn a pivot on or off with his smartphone he can go anywhere. Tim also said "I even started one while we were 300 miles away on vacation this summer, and it was still running when I got home", which shows that not only has the smartphone app improved Tim's farm but also his quality of life. [1]

One such smartphone app that allows for irrigation management is the BaseStation3 app from Valley. Valley would be considered a leader in precision irrigation and they not only developed an app for irrigation control but also make Center Pivot irrigation systems. The app is straight forward and gives farmers full control of the irrigation systems and allows farmers to have a better quality of life.

Valley Irrigation - BaseStation3

Valley Irrigation not only gives the farmer a better life but improves efficiency on the farm. However it is not just irrigation that can be controlled with a smartphone. Monitoring and managing all aspects of the farm is possible using a smartphone or tablet with the right apps. Farmers like Joe Hossle, shown in the video below, are able to remotely mange, view, and control everything on his farm from controlling the temperature in grain bins to watering his crops using a smartphone. Joe adopted this this technology to improve the efficiency of his farm. In farming, and in many other industries, efficiency is key.

Smart Farm Technology

by Thomas Murphy

[1] Smartphone Irrigation Control Example