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F A L L 2 0 1 7
3
BUSINESS
solutions
Working Smarter
As operations become more internet-based, farmers have
an increasing need for online access from anywhere on their
property, using a smartphone or other mobile device. Just
as homeowners benefit from having Wi-Fi throughout the
house for printers, laptops, TVs, smartphones, tablets, and
other devices, entire farms can benefit from seamless online
access. Dawn Huth, Sales & Marketing Manager at Madison
Communications, explains, “Fast and reliable internet service
allows farmers to take advantage of today’s technology.”
The following is just a sampling of the many farming
activities with online applications:
• Communication between farm employees to keep
everything running smoothly
• Access to livestock feed and grain management
• Monitoring of bin and fuel or fertilizer tanks
• Use of GPS services to bring together information from
field, animal, and machinery with sensors, along with
localized weather data and soil information to assist with
decision-making
• Record-keeping regarding births and other critical
information
• Internet-based video surveillance
• Access to markets to participate in auctions and more
easily follow real-time changes in commodity prices
and market information
• Ease of financial management with farm business planning,
direct product sales, herd management, ROI calculators,
and business accounting
Such solutions enable farmers to increase efficiency, enhance
security, protect assets, and remain competitive.
Tomorrow’s Farming
A smart farm is a one that’s fully internet-enabled through a
fast Wi-Fi connection in and around farm buildings, including
grain bins and dryers, using existing fiber internet as a base. A
single Wi-Fi network can be built to include all areas of a farm’s
operations, even across multiple locations. This technology
enables all internet-enabled devices on a farmland to work
off of one network. Users get quick access to the monitoring
data from these devices and the internet reliability required for
optimal performance of security cameras.
A Wi-Fi system can be created to meet the needs of all aspects
of a farm’s operation. The right Wi-Fi equipment and layout
depends on each farmer’s goals and concerns, as well as
building specifications, and the distance between locations.
As technology continues to expand, new ways will be found to
make smart farms faster and more efficient. Huth comments,
“Tomorrow’s farming will be much different than today’s.
Technology is changing everything.”
Seamless online access increases
efficiency, security, and profit
What is a
Smart Farm?
It’s an exciting time to be in farming. With an expected 9.6 billion people to feed by 2050, the agriculture
industry must continuously find ways to produce more food more easily.