Mobile applications for farmers

SELLSMART PROVIDES VALUABLE PRICE INFORMATION TO GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO AT NO CHARGE

mobile applications are increasing in popularity among Ontario farmers. These applications are accessed using a smartphone such as a Blackberry or an iPhone. Using mobile applications can increase efficiencies and productivity by giving farmers the ability to analyze, plan, and manage their growing strategies and marketing plans while in the field or tractor cab. The following are two examples of new mobile applications dedicated to agriculture.

gfo sellsmart
Grain Farmers of Ontario will be launching its first mobile application in the coming weeks. The application, named SellSmart, will provide valuable price information to members at no charge.

SellSmart offers local price information, head-to-head price comparisons, and price alerts.

Local Price Information

• Select your local elevators and your commodities of interest (i.e. SRW old, Soybeans new, etc)
  
• View local elevator prices with basis adjusted by Ridgetown College’s Farm Market News service
  
• View local elevator details (price change history, contact information, etc)

Head-To-Head Price Comparison

• Chicago price and local elevator prices and for wheat, the Board price are displayed in a chart for head-to-head comparisons
  
• Price Alerts
  
• Set a price you want to sell at for each crop and elevator
  
• When the crop hits the defined price you will receive a notification on your BlackBerry

SellSmart is in the final stages of development and testing. It will be launched shortly on BlackBerry. It will not be available on other platforms at this time. To ensure you receive release information first, email info@gfo.ca and request a SellSmart notification.

weedpro75
WeedPro 75 is an online application developed by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. It is defined as a herbicide selection tool that focuses on profitability and environmental stewardship.

The tool walks the user through four steps: Crop Selection, Field Data, Weed Data and Results. It provides treatment recommendations for your growing with consideration given to your crop, soil, weeds, and your chosen herbicides.

Weed Pro 75 displays well on most BlackBerry® devices. To access it, visit www.weedpro75.com.

These mobile applications are examples of what is currently available to farmers. Many input suppliers like chemical and seed companies have their own applications for farmers. GFO aims to keep farmer members up-to-date on new mobile offerings as they are released. To ensure you receive all updates and announcements sign-up for our weekly e-newsletter “The Bottom Line” at www.gfo.ca. •