A first glance at the title for this panel might tempt one to think that the word “farmers” is a techie euphemism for something other than farmers … but it isn’t.  “Farmers” means “farmers” – hard work, crops, livestock, tractors, weather, harvesting, soil, long hours, … well, you get the idea.  “Business” means “business,” and “mobile” means “mobile.”  No semantic tricks here.  In a straight-forward, country-honest sort of way, we are talking about farmers (the guys in Carhartts talking about the weather) using wireless technology to conduct their business.  Yes,  farmers.

This year’s SXSWi presenters Audrey Bartlett (Product Marketing Manager with John Deere‘s Intelligent Solutions Group), Jeff Caldwell (Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com/Meredith Corporation), Justin Davey (Multimedia Producer for Agriculture.com/Meredith Corporation), Nathan Wright (founder of media consulting firm Lava Row), and Neil Mylet (founder and CEO of LoadOut Technologies, LLC) will be facilitating a lively and informative discussion about how agriculture is becoming “connected.”  In recent interviews with Nathan (who moderated the panel The State of Music Blogs in 2010 at SXSWi 2010) and Jeff (who grew up on a farm in western Kansas and still has close ties to its management), it was learned that farming has benefited greatly from advanced mobile devices and applications.  (To see some of these advantages in action, check out  Agriculture.com, a recommended site that offers the free service of a mobile platform relating to all things ag for its users, accessible from its home page, from its mobile page at Agriculture.com/mobile, or directly at  m.agriculture.com.)

Nathan explained, “From my own client work in the industry, I do see that computing (on the farm) has leapfrogged to smartphones and mobile devices – almost bypassing desktop computers altogether.  Typically, a farmer is going to be able to get more business done on a smartphone with a good cellular network than a computer attached to dial-up (which many still have but broadband is getting better).  Mobile devices just fit their lifestyle better as they are always on the move.”

Farmers are generally a methodical, level-headed bunch.  Jeff related that even so, around 2/3 of them  say they either use a smartphone or plan to use one in the near future.  He explained, “For farmers, the decision to get a smartphone is different than for the general consumer. Farmers use them as business tools and are less inclined to make purchase decisions based on more consumer-driven device features (displaying multimedia content, for example). The decision to get a specific smartphone is more often based on the functions they can perform with specific applications. Ultimately, the functionality drives the purchase decision rather than the device itself.”

Farmers may also be using their connectivity to foster an active online presence.  According to Nathan, “Some farmers are developing a presence for their farms (as a business) more and more.  I see this a lot in the training we do for the National Pork Board.  Growers and producers know that they need to have a voice online as their industry is constantly under attacking by PETA and HSUS on social platforms.  These tools are a great way for them to connect directly with the end consumer.”

But it’s not just the ability to connect with the end consumers that attracts farmers to mobile applications.  The “future of farm equipment as intelligent machines/mobile devices” (says Nathan) is of particular interest to the presenters.  Moderator Audrey Bartlett of John Deere (the company that developed – among other things – the innovative JDLink™ equipment management system and Service ADVISOR™ and the GreenStar™ 3 family of displays) will, no doubt, be bringing much to offer on this topic.

Panel moderator Neil Mylet is a farmer who has hands-on experience developing mobile applications for agriculture.  He provided sxtxstate.com with a video presentation of how mobile technology developed by LoadOut Technologies, LLC, is facilitating agricultural shipping:

… and this is just one example of how mobile technologies are improving agriculture.   (Remember, farming consists of hundreds of differents tasks!)  SXSWi 2011 attendees will also witness Neil Mylet and Ashlie Kolb’s unveiling of a new initiative to encourage rural entrepreneurship and innovation.  As a teaser for this upcoming surprise, Neil said, “Part of our commitment is to use our opportunity to give back to the rural communities.  This program will not be functional for another month, but we will at least unveil the objectives in Texas!”

All kinds of tech things are happening in agriculture!  Remember:  With rapid growth in the field of mobile applications for agri-business, fertile minds are continuing to plant the seeds of innovation – and the harvest promises to be bountiful.  (Yes, the ‘corny’ double-entendres were intended.)

Don’t think, though, that the days are gone when farmers greet each other and then spend time talking about the weather.  They still do.  That may never change.  But successful farmers these days may also add tech to the talk, inserting their updates on how they use wireless technology, mobile ag applications, and business computing via their mobile devices into the mix.  “Hey, Walt, did that storm last yesterday afternoon damage any of your crops?”  “Well, Jake, some of the corn near the top of that rise got shattered – but that storm really messed with my connectivity.  I was knocked off-line for over an hour!”)

Be sure to check out this panel!  … and you can follow the presenters, their projects, and their products, at:

Audrey Bartlett:  http://www.deere.com/en_US/deerecom/index.html

Jeff Caldwell:  http://agriculture.com/, http://farmersforthefuture.com/, and http:///www.meredith.com/

Justin Davey:  http://agriculture.com/, http://meredith.com/

Nathan Wright:  http://lavarow.com/ or follow him on Twitter @nathantwright

Neil Mylet:  http://www.LoadOut.CO/