southern sawg 2015 - doing it on the fly:electronic devices on the farm
TRANSCRIPT
Presented By: Josh HardinLaughing Stock Farm
Sheridan, ARSSAWG 2015
Doing it on The Fly: Creative Usages of Electronic Devices on the Farm
What do we do at Laughing Stock Farm?◦Farmers Markets, Restaurants, Retailers
What types of technology make us profitable?◦The Phone as a farm implement◦Social Media◦Crop Planning Tools◦There IS an app for that
ConversationQuestions?
Introduction
The Phone as a Farm ImplementEasy, quick communication with Chefs, Market
Managers, and Social MediaEvery market & customer differs, so be
sensitive with frequency and intensityMost chefs prefer short direct texts once they know your products and trust your quality.Establish relationships directly and send availability lists weekly before texting
Social MediaBoost post vs. Boost
PageReaching your target
customer doesn’t cost much
Connect your post with a sale to maximize the $$$
Boosting page gets more overall fans for your page
-Don’tBlow up the newsfeed 15
times a dayPost things unrelated to farm-
consumer relationshipTag your entire friends
list.Create long dissertations on
complex farmologyUse your Farm’s Social
Media to vent frustration about…anything.
Social Media Do’s & Dont’s
-DoPost RegularlyShare pictures of
production practices and products as well as customers and workers
Tag people to increase the organic visibility
Create short demo videos of production practices
Some Farm Posts…
Ability to completely customize your farm plan
Cost free with a suggested donation if it becomes useful to your farm
http://code.google.com/p/cropplanning/
Mail to Clayton: [email protected]
Open Source Crop Planning
There’s an app for that but will it make you money or waste your time?
Farm MonitoringAcurite.comSoftware-Free Online
BasedSensors-12.99-89.99Internet Bridge
79.99-requires phone line
Available for most devices (Tablets, iPhone, Android)
Create Your Own AlmanacLive Feed From up to 15
SensorsHang sensors at plant
level in hoophouses and greenhouses
Records are stored on the cloud
Quick Books Online VersionSubscription serviceAllows you to link
device and computer constantly
Invoice customers from the phone
Provides lots of options for viewing and tracking financial information
The Most Important AppAccept credit cards
anywhereCan be used with many
different phonesTrack sales easily through
the program2% Per transaction feeTake cards over the phone
for add’l 2%Can operate multiple units
at once on same bank account securely.
DiscussionWhat has worked and not
worked on your small farm?
Are their barriers to technology that exist in your food community?
How do we make low cost technology more available to fellow growers and aspiring producers?
Questions? Thank you and have a
great season in 2015!
Josh Hardinlaughingstockfarms@g
mail.com870-866-3753 cell
Session Resources Social Media http://farmsocially.com/ http://www.convinceandconvert.com/social-media-strategy/7-secrets-to-successful-
social-media-farming/
Open Source Crop Planning http://code.google.com/p/cropplanning/ Mail to Clayton: [email protected]
Farm Apps www.agweb.com/article/10_handy_farm_apps/ www.farms.com/agriculture-apps/
Contact Info Josh Hardin [email protected] 870-866-3753
Weather Monitoring http://www.acurite.com/