20 Best Mobile Apps For Agriculture

Matt Hopkins By Matt Hopkins|July 12, 2011

UPDATED: March 25, 2013

Ever feel overwhelmed by the number of mobile apps out there? For retailers who want to use their devices beyond just checking e-mail, text and voicemail, here’s a list of some for ag, with descriptions (and compatible mobile devices). Inclusion on this list does not imply endorsement, nor does exclusion imply disapproval.

Agronomy Apps

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1. Agrian Mobile Information Center. Enables access to Agrian’s label database anywhere, any time. Search by product name, registered states, pest controlled and specific product use rates. (iPhone, iPod Touch)
2. Dekalb Plant Population Calculator. Provides planting populations for corn and soybeans. (BlackBerry)
3. Farm Progress Growing Degree Days. Measures the maturity of a crop by viewing current and past growing degree days data for a specific farm’s location. (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, iPod Touch)
4. From the Field from Pioneer. Alerts users with the latest information from Pioneer’s agronomy team while they’re in the field. (BlackBerry)
5. Genuity Seed Selector. Helps growers find seed varieties with Genuity traits that are adapted to their soil type and maturity zone. (BlackBerry)
6. NPIPM Soybean Guide. Provides current management options for insect and other arthropod pests affecting soybeans grown in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Kansas. (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

Commodity Pricing Apps

7. Farm Futures Mobile from Pioneer. Offers access to news, weather, quotes, cash bids and more wherever you are. (Android, iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad; soon on BlackBerry)
8. Farmer’s Partner. Lets growers input dozens of variables to create an overview of the farm operation. (Android)
9. KIS Futures. Allows users to track prices on commodity futures and options and gives a detailed snapshot of high, low, last and net change of multiple markets-options. (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

Precision Ag Apps

10. ArcGIS by ESRI. Extends the reach of a GIS from the office to the field. Users can query the map, search and find interesting information, measure distances and share maps with others. (iPhone, iPad, Windows Phone 7; available soon on Android devices)
11. FieldNET Mobile from Lindsay. Allows users to control and monitor their irrigation pivots from anywhere. The interface features real-time text alerts, water usage reports and more. (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone)
12. PureSense Irrigation Manager. Allows users to monitor their real-time field conditions and irrigation activity from their phones. (Android, iPhone)
13. SoilWeb. Provides GPS-based, real-time access to USDA-NRCS soil survey data. The app retrieves graphical summaries of soil types associated with the user’s current geographic location. (iPhone)

Tank Mix Apps

14. Mix Tank from Precision Laboratories. Assists users in determining the mixing sequence for pesticides, adjuvants and foliar products. (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)
15. Mobile Ag Tank Mix Calculator from Marrone Bio Innovations. Helps growers and applicators quickly calculate the proper ratios of up to any three products to be mixed together in the spray tank. (iPhone, iPod Touch)
16. TankMix from DuPont. Allows users to calculate the amount of product or water needed to treat a specific field area, as well as the amount of product needed to the get the volume-to-volume ratio. (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

Best Of The Rest

17. Agriculture Regulations. Provides growers with complete text of Title 7 CFR, Agriculture and bookmark the particular rules that apply to their operation. (iPhone, iPad)
18. DriveSafe.ly. Speaks text and e-mails aloud so users can concentrate on the road or field. It lets users chat by sending text responses by voice and use voice commands like “repeat message” or “call back sender.” (BlackBerry)
19. My-Cast from Garmin. Displays animated radar, predicted storm paths and watches/warnings from the National Weather Service. (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone)
20. Weather Channel. Features customizable local weather applications, including an ag app where growers can access soil moisture conditions, precipitation reports, forecasts, wind speed and direction. (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad)

If you have a favorite app that is on my list or one that is not, tell me about it at [email protected]. Also, be sure to check out:

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Matt Hopkins is Senior Online Editor for the Agribusiness Group at Meister Media Worldwide (MMW), including such brands as CropLife, CropLife IRON, AgriBusiness Global, Global Agtech Initiative, and Cotton Grower. He is responsible for managing an array of digital products, including newsletters, websites, video, and social media. Hopkins originally joined MMW in 1994 as an editor for Greenhouse Grower magazine before transitioning to Business Manager of its MeisterPro division. He has a Communications Degree from Cleveland State University. See all author stories here.

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