Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Cell phone stories - what do you like and what has worked or not worked for you? What tasks are you using your smart phones for?

I have been talking to alot of farmers and agribusiness people about cell and smart phones the past couple of months and getting feedback on what they like/dislike.  The guys here are Farms.com think that people will want more mobile access to information in the future so we are researching what the new technologies can deliver and what is practical in a farming environment.

 

Here is a bit of what I am learning so far:

 

LB (farmer) has a Blackberry (I think it was a Torch version) and uses it checking email and grain market prices during the day.  He thinks he will need a laptop computer with internet access in the pickup in the future to keep track of things during the spring and fall - not at the office as much...

 

AD farmer has a Blackberry and uses it mainly for email and as a cell phone.

 

iPhone:  I have played with one a couple of times the past few months, I think a durable case is a good idea because they are not made for harsh conditions.  I do like the apps and do like the ability to watch videos etc.  (BB can do that now as well) 

 

Blackberry: I have had one for the past 3 or so years and wondered what I did before...I am a heavy email user and do browse the web for information on mine...use a weather app for forecasts and check market prices on our http://mobile.farms.com site.

 

This is a little info from my discussions, let me know what you guys have as far as hardware and what info might be valuable to you on the go.

 

Thanks,

 

Joe Dales

Farms.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Views: 121

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mackenna Roth on April 11, 2011 at 6:48am

Hi Joe!

I am a recent Smart Phone user and not sure how I managed with out my BlackBerry before.  I have the new BB Bold and have been very happy with it so far. Before now I used a regular ole' cell phone, which are now being called "Talk and Text" phones. Having access to data plans and the ability to check my emails on the go really has made my down time more efficient. I had a hard time deciding between the iPhone or the BB, as the iPhone's screen is much larger and therefore the viewing size of text and images would be larger too. I did not know that the BB hard such great zoom features and many sites are made for mobile devices now, so navigating the sites are much easier. As for apps, I use the weather app all the time, it's in my favorite list and its the first thing I check in the morning. Next would be foursquare, an app based on GPS where you can "check in" at a place you are at and it records that location. It was really fun to use that one for a contest to check in at a location of their choice and win a prize. Using the farms.com mobile site is so easy to use and has been a great way to stay connected and learn lots of great information.

That's just a few thoughts on my new BlackBerry, and as you can tell... I love it!

Mac

Permalink Reply by Roadrunner on April 22, 2011 at 2:55pm
I have a BB for email and weather app.

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Nova Scotia invests in beef sector

Farmers have until Dec. 11 to apply for the Nova Scotia Beef Development Program

hio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Adopts Iowa State University Disease Diagnostic Codes

The Ohio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory has successfully adopted Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory "Disease Diagnostic Codes" developed by Iowa State University. A Swine Health Information Center funded project has resulted in the successful adoption by the Ohio Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory Disease Diagnostic Codes developed by Iowa State University. SHIC Executive Director Dr. Lisa Becton says the goal of the project was to make better use of diagnostic data when assessing trends for disease detection on a case basis, rather than just looking at PCR results. Quote-Dr. Lisa Becton-Swine Health Information Center: When tissue cases are submitted, a lot of times there is information that is provided by the attending veterinarian that is not always in a standardized framework. The system that Iowa State University VDL developed provides for a standardized coding framework and this is important because it allows further capture of the different p

Rebound in Pork Demand Needed to Support Stronger Hog Markets

The Chief Economist with EA Risk says a rebound in pork demand is what's needed to provide upward price support for hog prices moving forward. The day-two keynote address yesterday, as part of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2026 looked at the outlook for the hog market. Dr. Lee Schulz, the Chief Economist with EA Risk, formerly Ever.Ag Risk Management, says although hog supplies are forecast to be similar to year ago levels, weakened demand for pork due to the economy, fueled by a higher cost of living has put substantial downward pressure on hog prices. Quote-Dr. Lee Schulz-EA Risk: Consumers are not keeping up. If you look at real disposable personal income, it's been down four months, month over month here in 2026, pretty large decline here in September. So, consumers are, are, are feeling it. I think they're seeing it, but again, they're also feeling it then in their pocketbooks and what that has done is it's impacted demand across the board. Pork has, has been one of them

Sask Pork Concludes a Successful Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium 2026

he Communications and Marketing Coordinator with Sask Pork credits the Sask Pork team and the Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium advisory committee with a successful 2026 edition of the annual event. Although the numbers have not yet been crunched, the 2026 edition of Saskatchewan Pork Industry Symposium held this week in Saskatoon drew a possible record number of participants from across North America. Sask Pork Communications and Marketing Coordinator Steve Seto says it was a team effort. Quote-Steve Seto-Sask Pork: Our advisory committee was absolutely fantastic, which is a group of people, industry representation, whether it be packers, genetics companies, everybody that is involved in that committee. They make symposium go. We meet a few times a year and we say, what are the hottest topics, what are people concerned about, what do we need to address? And they are able to help build our agenda and they do a fantastic job. The advisory committee, everybody that was involved wit

Beyond Meat’s Q3 revenue falls 8.1%

Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat alternative maker, reported an 8.1% year-on-year fall in third-quarter revenue, according to Reuters. The company said the decline was mainly due to a drop in the volume of products sold, reported Reuters. Gross margin rose to 19.3%, the highest in five years, which the company attributed to reduced manufacturing, inventory and logistics expenses. The net loss narrowed from a year earlier, helped by improved gross profit and other income. International retail sales rose, driven by increased burger and ground beef sales in Europe. Beyond Meat expects fourth-quarter net revenue of $54 million to $59 million. It said the operating environment remains uncertain and volatile and may affect future results, and it is limiting guidance to the fourth-quarter revenue outlook because of that uncertainty.

© 2026   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service