July 8, 1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Terence L. Day - 509/335-2806 (office)
509/334-1619 (Home)
Internet Helps Producers Improve Management
It's not enough to grow a great crop. Cities
are full of former farmers and ranchers who could produce excellent
yields of high-quality commodities. Success today also demands
mastery of management, and management is based on information.
It's no wonder, then, that the brightest and best producers today
can drive a computer as well as they can ride a horse or drive
a tractor, swather or combine. In today's intensely competitive
environment producers not only must have information, they must
have accurate, current information, and they must know what to
do with it.
As more and more of this information becomes available via the
Internet, farmers and ranchers must become experienced travelers
in cyberspace where a mind-boggling amount of information is
available with a few clicks of a computer mouse.
I couldn't have asked for a better example that literally fell
into my cyber lap as I was writing this column. As my fingers
flew across the keyboard my e-mail application "dinged"
me. Simultaneously I hit the ALT and TAB keys, switching my computer
screen from my word processor to my e-mail software. A news release
had just arrived from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.
The headline grabbed my attention. "State fertilizer information
available on the Internet." Instantly, I was hooked.
WSDA was announcing that it had just put this information on
its World Wide Web page. It is a huge pile of information, posted
in compliance with the Fertilizer Regulation Act of 1998. It
includes data on almost 2,500 fertilizer products and provides
two major types of information: plant nutrients the product guarantees
it contains, and the concentration of nine metals in the product.
Information can be accessed by product name or company name.
Like all other sources of information on the World Wide Web,
this data is accessible 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. No waiting
for a publication to arrive in the mail. No drive to town looking
for information. No phone call to a consultant.
Various Web sites report up-to-the minute market information
and a broad variety of other important data. A producer who needs
good weather for an operation can go on-line and check current
weather conditions in surrounding areas. If there is a storm
front, producers can access a Web site that will allow them to
watch the storm front as it approaches, thus greatly reducing
their risks.
Information for producers is available on federal and state government
sites, and at many sites sponsored by private companies.
Herb Hinman, a Washington State University agricultural economist,
posts a variety of data on his Web site. This Web site, which
is relatively unknown, includes production cost figures for 1997-1998.
It has been accessed 3,040 times since Jan. 5, 1999.
One of the primary interests in computers lies in record keeping.
Hinman has taught the use of Quicken software to more than 500
producers through workshops.
WSU also distributes several farm management computer programs
for personal computers. Similar workshops are offered by community
colleges.
Hinman says many producers now use the Internet to hunt for equipment.
For instance, a producer wanting to check out fertilizer shanks
could visit The McGregor Company Web page where technical data
and photographs are posted. (McGregor's headquarters are near
Colfax, Wash.) No doubt other chemical and equipment dealers
offer similar product information on their Web sites.
Here are some Web sources to explore. No endorsement of private
businesses or products is implied.
- WSU farm management resources page: http://farm.mngt.wsu.edu/
- WSU's GrowServ: http://pnw-ag.wsu.edu/
- USDA Agency Reports Schedule and Calendar: http://www.usda.gov/news/calindex.htm
- Farmers Software Association: http://www.farmsoft.com/
- The McGregor Company: http://www.mcgregoreq.com/
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