GrainsWest Fall 2019

Tech 2019 grainswest.com 39 Cole Siegle AlbertaWheat Commission (AWC) region five director, he and his wife Sydney operate a grain farmnear Fairview. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE APP? AppSheet. HOW DOES THE APP SERVE YOUR NEEDS? It allows me to create an app based on a Google Sheet without knowing how to write code. It has served multiple needs for me. I’ve made a couple “apps” within AppSheet. Some examples are a grain delivery app, a grain cart weight recording app, a scouting app and a spraying records app. WHAT ARE ITS BEST FEATURES? It’s been an easy way to collect data and store it in an existing Google Sheet. It streamlines record keeping. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR USING IT? Start simple and work your way up. You could get bogged down in its many features. The calculations within the app could be simpler, but overall, it’s a good tool if you’re willing to take the time to set it up and tailor it. Janine Paly AWC director-at-large, she and her husband Ian operate a mixed cow-calf, grain and oilseed farm in Thorhild County. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE APP? I have numerous weather, ag retail and elevator apps. However, my favourite is Twitter. HOW DOES IT SERVE YOUR NEEDS? Farming can be lonely. One can often go hours without human interaction. Twitter bridges that gap by allowing me to interact with other farmers that might be facing the same challenges, excitement or seeking information on a certain topic. Most often, if I’m unsure about a certain issue, or am looking for recommendations on equipment, chemicals or seeding practices, my Twitter family will have an answer as they may have similar experiences. WHAT ARE ITS BEST FEATURES? The knowledge exchange is quick. Frommedia releases, disease and pest outbreaks, to a simple exchange of birthday wishes, the support from fellow farmers and agronomists is a feature I look forward to every day. Hannah Konschuh AWC vice chair, she and her husband Casey O’Grady growwheat, barley, yellowpeas and canola near Cluny. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE APP? The WeatherLink app allows me to access my WeatherLink station. I probably use it more than I check my text messages during the growing season. HOW DOES THE APP SERVE YOUR NEEDS? It allows quick and convenient access to all the weather data—temperature, humidity, wind direction and speed—I need frommy weather station to run my operation and make management decisions. WHAT ARE ITS BEST FEATURES? The ability to track rainfall accumulation—hourly, monthly, yearly—is pretty slick. Same with the average wind speed and wind gust measurements, which are key for spraying season. DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR USING THE APP? Set the app up for your preferred unit of measurement— metric versus imperial—and add other nearby or faraway stations to your platform. Cale Staden Alberta Canola Producers Commission region 10 director, he farms grain, bison and cattle with his father south of Vermilion. WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE APP? Granular Insights and Granular Business apps essentially run our whole grain operation. HOW DOES GRANULAR INSIGHTS SERVE YOUR NEEDS? The app uses satellite imagery that is regularly updated to help scout our fields. It automatically emails me if there is a significant change to the vegetation index, allowing someone to check that field and the geolocation of the potential problem area. It also allows me to have my agronomist on it and lets them add notes on potential issues they see while physically checking the field. HOW DOES GRANULAR BUSINESS SERVE YOUR NEEDS? The app keeps our farm on track by assigning tasks such as spraying, scouting and grain hauling. I use this app in conjunction with the full Granular program, but it allows me and any employees to stay in touch and make updates and changes on the go, in the field or when someone is away from the farm.