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Developing a Mobile App to Address Problems in Farm Management

Jordan Shockley

Summary

The delivery of educational material has evolved and expanded as technology adopted by producers has progressed. More producers have access to educational material via the Internet with a cell phone and tablet. The challenge for becomes, how do we reach the technology-driven producers and provide tools that they will utilize? One way to reach this audience is by addressing problems with mobile apps.
Mobile apps are not the answer to every problem faced by a producer, however, can be a vital tool to solve problems for which spreadsheets may not be practical. One example of this is for grain transportation. Determining which market to sell grain can be a complex decision. The most profitable option for a producer to deliver grain can change from load to load due to proximity to an elevator, quality of each load, and market prices. Thus, it may be cumbersome and unrealistic to use a spreadsheet for each load of grain delivered. Hence, a mobile app with preloaded elevators, discount schedules, and georeferenced capabilities can provide a more efficient means for determining the most profitable option to deliver grain. This presentation will discuss the methods of converting a spreadsheet tool into a mobile application, development cost, validation, feedback, and lessons learned from developing a mobile app. This will discuss elements in the 2018 Gold Quill Award from the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraiser journal article of the year.

Details

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