Modern agricultural producers have their hands full. There is little debate about that.
Today, several hand-held devices exist that can help farmers grasp more information and unload some of the burden that goes with operating a farm.
David Foody, president of Cattleman’s Calculator, Inc. of Aurora, Colorado, was an early developer of hand-held farm computer devices.
He said that before the Palm Pilot, probably the most well known of hand-held computer devices, there were a few specialized devices like the Cattleman’s Calculator.
Cattleman’s Calculator was based on the Sharp 1270 portable computer and was a little larger than a normal pocket calculator. Feedlot, bison and cow-calf producer versions were available.
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These tiny databases would record individual animal information and allow instant cost-price analysis of basic cattle operations.
“Bankers were one of the first adopters of the tool,” said Foody.
“They could tell in a flash if a farmer should be buying cattle and if he should be lending the money to do it…. Feedlot operators used it to decide on how much money they were going to lose that day and ranchers began buying it to decide on strategies for how long to hold their animals and when to sell to the feedlot.”
The Sharp 1270 is no longer available. Foody has written a new version of the program and adapted it for any hand-held device that runs on the Palm operating system.
Today’s version of Cattleman’s Calculator is capable of more advanced calculations, better reporting and is easier to use. And it still fits into a palm or pocket.
Using a carbon or plastic stylus, producers can enter the animal number and all information about its acquisition and maintenance.
The new software tells all: feedlot, grazing and pasture break-evens; profits and losses; cowherd annual feed costs; cow-calf profit and purchase price summaries.
The calculator software costs $195. Hand-held computers cost from $150 for a basic unit to more than $1,000 for units containing video cameras and cellular phones. Palm Pilot and Handspring Visor models are compatible with the software.
Foody said a new version for the Microsoft PocketPC is also on the drawing board, along with Buffalo Producers’ Calculator and a Pork Profit Planner that were available on the Sharp platform.
The Cattlemen’s Calculator is no substitute for an integrated farm management computer program, but it can improve decision making in field, at the auction or feedlot.
Website: www.cattlemanscalculator. com.
Replaces notebook
Settler Agricultural Software of Regina offers another software field tool.
Field Mate is compatible with the same systems as the Cattleman’s Calculator. It is the computer replacement for the pocket notebook that resides in the shirts of many prairie producers.
The software turns a hand-held computer into a field logger for the Settler’s Field Master software.
Field Master provides advanced crop production and record keeping.
The Field Mate allows producers to enter data while in the tractor cab.
When the hand-held unit returns to the house, new information about crops, stored grain and other details, including an unlimited notes category, can be downloaded to the farm management software on the regular computer.
Drop-down menus list nearly any crop, herbicide or pesticide imaginable.
Producers can write in notes about weed patches, bin space and draw maps of the fields.
Herbicide groups are automatically provided as products are chosen. The field’s history is available on the screen, which makes it easier to manage weed resistance and chemical residue.
Harvest data, including the machinery used, weather, date, crop condition and numerous other issues surrounding harvest, can be quickly recorded.
Field Mate eliminates the need to type and sort the information normally contained on paper into the computer at a later date. It must be used in conjunction with Field Master.
Field Master and Field Mate software as a package costs $349.
Field Mate alone for farmers who already own Field Master is $99.
Website: www.field-master.com.
Wind meters
Spraying has changed over the years, but wind and weather have remained constant.
The Kestrel line of wind meters or anemometers from Nielsen Kellerman Electronics in Chester, Pennsylvania can, in less than 60 seconds, provide the answer to the major spraying season question that haunts producers each morning: “How windy is it?”
The Kestrel 1000, about $100, gives a fast answer to wind speed average and gusts. For $140 the model 2000 will add temperature and for those really cold days on the sprayer, add wind chill to that list.
The 3000 adds humidity, dew point and heat stress index for about $200. But for an all out weather station you can hold in the palm of your hand, the Kestrel 4000 provides all of this, in addition to wet bulb, altitude, air density and barometric pressure. Most importantly, 250 of these readings can be recorded in the device’s memory and later transferred to the farm computer.
The Kestrel can provide producers with a record of weather conditions should pesticide drift occur.
Michael Naughton of Nielsen Keller-man said the company released the 1000 in 1999 with the intention of it being a tool for sailors and outdoor sports and weather enthusiasts.
“Farmers are turning out to be a really big part of our business. The 4000 is really popular with them. We were surprised by the demand for little hand-held weather stations,” he said.
The Kestrels are small enough to fit into a shirt pocket.
Website: www.nkhome.
com.
Raytek thermometer
Avoiding breakdowns in the field is a major time saver.
Often, the first indication of a problem is when slip clutches fail or smoke rises from the machine.
Kate Maguire of Raytek in Santa Cruz, California, says her company’s infrared non-contact thermometer guns measure the surface heat of any object, including a spinning shaft or bearing case.
The Minitemp or MT line of infrared hand-held thermometers are found mainly in the food service industry, measuring heat sterilization and refrigeration information.
But they can also help monitor machines.
“Farmers do buy them. They can very quickly check a machine for bearing or other part heating,” she said.
At about $130, the units will test for temperatures from Ð30 to 200 C.
Once a reference of normal operating temperature is established, a machine can be analyzed by pointing the gun at machine parts from up to a metre away to get a temperature reading. A small laser helps ensure the gun is pointed in the right direction.
Website: www.raytek-northamerica.com.
