“Precision agriculture” is a term that is being used a lot in the growing industry recently and reflects the desire to become efficient and strategic rather than use a hit-and-miss approach. One way that growers are optimizing their workflow and making their site visits much more efficient is by using an agriculture app to record all of your sampling information and share it with other team members instantly. Read on to discover seven of the best farm management apps that could help you to boost your total yield.
1. SoilWeb App
When you’re scouting out a potential field, you need to know information about the profile of the soil, water holding capacity, and other relevant data that will help you make the best decisions regarding which fields to use (or purchase) and what to plant there.
SoilWeb App 2.0 is an agriculture app that provides all of this information and more with data collected since the late 1890s by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. With this app, you can access profile sketches of the soil in the area, locate the geomorphic position of soil components related to the SSURGO map unit tagged at your current location, and see the scale and date of previous surveys. This app is available for iPhone, iPad, and Android, and requires an internet connection to provide you with the most complete and up-to-date profile of your current location.
2. Meteobot
In previous posts, we’ve mentioned the trend towards using solar sensors to gather data from your fields. If the use of digital soil and weather probes appeals to you, Meteobot could be the ideal agriculture app to stream this information to your device. Meteobot connects with your Meteobot weather station as often as every ten minutes to provide you with the following real-time weather information:
- The amount and intensity of rain
- Leaf wetness
- Dew point and water content
- Air temperature
- Air humidity
- Air pressure
- Wind speed
- Wind direction
- Soil temperature
- Soil moisture at up to three depths
- Soil salinity
Once collected by the Meteobot agriculture app, the weather data provided by your sensors can be stored for an indefinite amount of time.
3. FarmLogs
If you dislike scribbling site information in a notebook and transferring it to the desktop computer later, an agriculture app like FarmLogs could provide the perfect solution. This 2011 app by Jesse Vollmar lets you record planting dates, watering schedules, and crop yields as you go while also providing rainfall and soil data if you have sensors and probes installed.
An all-in-one package that is now used by 5% of American farmers, FarmLogs also supplies market prices and helps you to keep track of yields so that you can plan next season’s planting and yields in minutes, based on the outcome of previous seasons. This is one of the best farm management apps for organic farming as it allows you to keep all of the records required for achieving organic certification.
4. Sirrus
This handy app from Proagrica allows you to improve your workflow by generating recommendation reports based on data that you collect. Take Sirrus with you on-the-go with or without connecting to the internet and sync all your new information to the cloud as soon as you’re back online. New additions to this popular app include a 3D view of yield layers and Product Summary Load Sheets that let you see single variety/hybrid optimizations in each Planting Recommendation Report.
5. TractorPal
Agricultural machinery is expensive, and keeping track of your inventory, as well as maintenance schedules, could end up saving you thousands of dollars over time. TractorPal is an agriculture app that lets you create a digital inventory of your vehicles and tools and keeps track of all your maintenance records in one handy place. Similar to farm management apps like Farm Logs, TractorPal allows you to set reminders for upcoming vehicle maintenance to keep your tractors and power tools in tip-top shape.
6. AgriSync
From time to time, you’ll spot problems in your plants that don’t necessarily come with easy answers. The AgriSync agriculture app allows you to contact agricultural advisors on the spot and show them the problem via video chat. The advisors will then give you advice for correcting the problem and allow you to provide feedback on the advice received.
7. Grower’s Edge
Once your produce is ready to go, an agriculture app like Grower’s Edge gives you the insights you need to receive the best return for your harvest. Grower’s Edge provides localized information about cash prices and market quotes, commentary on the current market, weather reports, and news that is personalized to your region and farm type.
Another Incentive to Upgrade Your Tech
The range of farm management apps can seem overwhelming, but taking the time to learn even one new app could save you valuable time and money. Furthermore, up-and-coming growers in the new generation are generally familiar with these kinds of mobile technology — they would probably be thrilled to help you get started. As an article in the Modern Farmer put it, agriculture apps might just be the perfect way to bridge the gap with the next generation and motivate them to continue in the family business.
Maximize Returns with Fruit Growers Supply
From solar irrigation systems to pallets and corrugated, Fruit Growers Supply has the processes and equipment to help make your growing endeavor a resounding success. Founded in 1907 as a partner to Sunkist, Fruit Growers Supply Company has been helping growers maximize their yields and minimize their losses for more than a hundred years.
Today, FGS is pleased to provide you with the most up-to-date tools and ideas to move your farm into the twenty-first century. Contact our team about probes and sensors to combine with these cutting-edge agriculture apps for a better harvest and more efficient workflow that will put your farm in good stead for the future.
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