18 Must-Have Apps For GenNext Growers
March 1, 2015 In a recent informal survey, GenNext Growers were asked what type of technology and apps can’t they live without. The feedback received is broken down by topic below and in the following pages.
Weather
Weather was a topic mentioned frequently. There are many apps out there that can provide you the radar, humidity, dew point, and other current weather conditions.
“The forecast allows us to make a tentative weekly plan to make sure we are doing the most appropriate job in the best possible conditions.”
— Greta Liskey, Woodbine Farm Inc.
AccuWeather (iOS, Android – Free)
AccuWeather features a minute-by-minute precipitation forecast specific to your exact street address.
Weather Channel (iOS, Android, Windows – Free)
The Weather Channel app has precise radars and an hour-to-hour forecast that makes planning ahead easier.
Weather Underground (iOS, Android, Kindle – Free)
This app provides accurate forecasts, an interactive radar, satellite maps, and severe weather alerts and widgets.
Measurement
Want to estimate acreage? Want to easily convert units of measure? Consider these applications.
Convertbot (iOS – $1.99)
Convertbot makes converting units, such as area, mass, volume and much more, quick and easy. You can even convert mixed units like feet and inches and pounds and ounces. There are many other free options for both iOS and Android.
Planimeter (iOS – $7.99, Android – $2.99)
“I use Planimeter for measuring distances and land areas on maps. It makes acreage estimates more reliable and accurate and allows for easy plotting when establishing buffers for existing hazards.”
— Garrett Patricio, Westside Produce
DS Altimeter (Android – Free)
The DS Altimeter app is an animated, real-time elevation meter.
“It’s exactly what you’d think it is, but now — rather than guessing or looking at old topography maps — I know the altitude of all the parts of all of our blocks. It’s proving helpful in replanting considerations.”
— Ben Wenk, Three Springs Fruit Farm
Soil Monitoring
Does your soil moisture monitoring system have an app, too?
SoilWeb (iOS, Android – Free)
SoilWeb is a GPS-based app with real-time access to USDA-NRCS soil survey data. The app retrieves graphical summaries of soil types according to the user’s current geographic location. The images are linked to a page with detailed information.
“It breaks down your soils and allows you to see what type it is. It’s a pretty awesome tool.”
— Bryan Jones, Riverdale Farms
Crop Health
Yara CheckIt (iOS, Android – Free)
CheckIt, from Yara North America, allows you to quickly determine crop nutrient deficiency by visual comparison. It has data and pictures of 20 important crops in the U.S. market along with the most common deficiencies for each crop. Nutritional advice is given for the identified deficiency. CheckIt is customized and localized on a market-by-market basis for crops, and is language specific to the target country.
Management
Timesheet – Time Tracker (Android – Free)
“It is a free app for time tracking. You can use a start/stop button or enter the task when you’re done. I use it to keep track of how much time I’m spending on various projects so I can make accurate assessments about their cost and value.”
— Kim Erickson, Erickson Farm Inc.
Hours Tracker (iOS – Free)
Clock in and clock out as you’re out in the field or working on a specific project. This app keeps track of your hours worked along with a pay schedule that you can set up.
Square Register (iOS, Android – Free)
Square Register helps keep track of sales and inventory and lets you view analytics. You also can use it for taking payments via credit card.
PayPal (iOS, Android – Free)
In the age of identity theft, a tool that gives you peace of mind when making a purchase online is priceless. The PayPal mobile app enables you or your customers to pay for items on the go by using their existing PayPal accounts. Features include the ability to manage your account from anywhere, as well as being able to transfer and request money instantly.
Traditional Programs
The apps you probably already know about can help you as a grower as well.
Are you using these popular selections?
Dropbox (iOS, Android, Kindle Fire, iPad, Blackberry – Free)
Dropbox allows you to share files easily from your phone, have access to your files while you’re on the go, and edit those files. “I use the file hosting service Dropbox extensively for storage and synchronization of data,” Patricio says. “It’s extremely simple access and manipulates data remotely and makes sharing documents, spreadsheets, photos and videos a snap.”
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest
- “I enjoy the traditional apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. My favorite would be Twitter, as I can “customize” my news feed. I stay up to date with equipment offerings, ag news/trends, as well as sports and world economic news all in short quick reading ‘tweets.’” — Eric Hansen, Hansen Farms
- “I use Twitter for news and updates, including specific industry interests,” Patricio says. The short nature of a tweet is something I appreciate with links for further information if desired.”
- “For work, Instagram is my favorite app right now,” Erickson says. “I post a lot of pictures of our products in the field, in the packinghouse, and on the table. Instagram will add my posts to the company Facebook page so it’s a convenient way for me to reach out to two audiences with a single post. Recently, I’ve started using a Pinterest secret board to keep track of marketing ideas. The graphic nature is usually helpful, links to source if needed, and I can access from anywhere.”
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