Scythe & Spade Blog

Technology and Farming

By Lori Evans

People outside of the agricultural community typically have a narrow view of the everyday farmer. Growing up, when I told people my dad was a farmer, they would assume that meant he was not highly educated nor was he current on today’s technology, but they were wrong. My father has shown me how the average farmer is highly educated and has become extremely technologically advanced, harnessing today’s technology to ease some of the daily stress of farming. I have been repeatedly surprised by how much technology has become integrated into the farming community. No longer is the farmer reliant on having to just drive the tractor, but the tractor almost drives itself with GPS guidance systems. In a recent article in the Delta Farm Press, I read that John Deere has developed a baler-mounted hay moisture tester to inform the farmer whether the hay is too dry or too wet. In a recent edition of the Capital Ag Press, I read how farmers are now utilizing smart phones TO manage irrigation on their farms. They no longer have to drive from field to field, starting or stopping a pivot, changing the rate of flow or the speed of the pivot. He can do it all from the comfort of his tractor seat with his smartphone.

Here at Scythe and Spade Co., we are up on technology and down to Earth.

Children & Technology

by Chas Bonner

We all worry about our kids and grand-kids, which is normal for any generation, but probably even more normal for our generation simply because the world and our nation is becoming increasingly problematic.

Often I feel guilty about what we are loading onto our kids---huge national debt, a broken Social Security and Medicare system, deteriorating infrastructure around the country, and problems in the environment.

What has not really crossed my mind however is problems of technology and kids, or not the technology itself, but the way it is used or misused. On July 1 this year, Patti Hardwick wrote a blog entitled “EMPATHY OF OUR YOUTH,” and it discussed 40% less empathy in this generation, primarily due to constant electronic communication.

Confirming that concern about empathy was another recent study on texting. The AVERAGE teenager today sends 3200 texts per month. That is over 100 per day! And teenage girls send an average of 20% more than boys.

Could anyone not worry about that? In today’s interdependent world, we need increasing abilities of communication, and that goal is not fed by texting, it is fed by talking, listening, negotiating, convincing, and compromising.

Let’s talk WITH our children; they are our future.

Farmers on the Internet

by Dave Dodds

No, we’re not talking about Farmville or Farm Story, which are Internet farming games. According to a recent report from the USDA, the number of farmers accessing the Internet has increased approximately 20% in the last decade. This means that half of America’s farmers now are online.

While this is still behind the 80% of the general population, nationwide, which has Internet at home, the trend shows that the Web has more to offer farmers than ever before. According to an article by Gosia Wozniacka, “Farmers say they're increasingly using the Net to speed up their work flow, improve their farming techniques, market their crops, connect with customers and retailers, and fulfill a variety of regulatory requirements.”

So we at Scythe & Spade would like to welcome all those farmers making their first forays into the World Wide Web, as well as those seasoned surfing veterans. And whether you’re checking your crop reports, the weather forecast, or just catching up on the latest social media, be sure to check us out too at www.ag-management.com.

Productivity

by Chas Bonner

When discussing agriculture, productivity is normally associated with output per man-hour, per acre, per cow, per tree, etc.

However, what about the productivity of the farmer or farmworker himself? In short, how can we be more productive with precious and vanishing time?

When computers first came into wide usage, the common theory was “this is going to simplify the work of mankind.” Most people now feel it has made more work, if for no other reason that the amount of data available has doubled, tripled and quintupled, and the amount of knowledge necessary for employers and employees is staggering.

To mitigate the pressures imposed in this “knowledge-based economy,” the question becomes how can we be most effective and most efficient---most productive? Some common theories:

• Plan ahead and formalize that plan on a daily basis.
• Make “To Do” lists and include everything that you would like to be done.
• Prioritize that “To Do” list.
• Do NOT do the easiest things first, but the most important and probably toughest.
• By doing the important things first, it is probably early in the day when fresh.
• Execute each task to completion, or at least as close to completion as possible.
• Last, but not least, take breathers from time to time. Breathe deep, relax, walk around, think creatively, and enjoy it more.