jbernick@farmjournal.com

Have you gone wireless yet? We're not talking wireless Internet but wireless farm record keeping. Today's new Web-based software offers farm management tools that are mobile, convenient and always available.

"Operationally, a farm manager doesn't want to be tied to a desktop Internet connection,” says Rick Murdock, co-owner and vice president of Ag Connections, a firm specializing in software development for crop production management and compliance. "The manager wants to get in a pickup, look at crops, create work orders and enter application records remotely while checking fields.”

Web-based software systems allow for that mobility. Ag Connections and several other technology providers offer products that allow farmers to manage farm information from any online computer, anywhere in the world. Operators can update crop records from the field on a cell phone, PDA or handheld computer and quickly send the data to an office computer via a wireless connection.

Web-based software lets farmers work with satellite field imagery and mapping tools, update crop and chemical lists and change equipment inventories from their laptop or phone in the pickup. Managers can generate reports for partners or loan officers while sitting at the bank office.

Another bonus to Web-based servers is the ability to remotely back up critical farm data and records, says Tab Brockman, director of sales and marketing for FarmLogic, based in Murray, Ky.

"A farmer never has to worry about losing his data from a desktop computer crashing because it is backed up on our Web-based server,” Brockman says.

The following companies are among a growing number of technology providers offering Web-based farm software.

Ag Connections

For several years, Ag Connections has offered a secure Web browser application that allows producers to view and control production information internally and externally. Ag Connections servers provide data backup and are the source of software updates, as well as crop protection and seed lists.

By this spring, Ag Connections expects to market its new AgC Mobile—available on any cell phone that has Web access, including the iPhone. Farmers will be able to enter farm data direct from their cell phone and wirelessly send it to a main server, where it can be accessed by other field employees or partners.

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