Wi-Fi farming expected to catch on
Farms of the not-too-distant future could be managed through wireless computer networks that allow farmers to sit in their pickups with a laptop and drive tractors, monitor soil moisture and even feed the hogs remotely.
Urban professionals have long been able to go to a Starbucks cafe or some other Wi-Fi Hot Spot to connect to the Internet, but the technology has lagged in rural areas, where many folks still rely on a slow-speed dial-up connection.
Stuart Pocknee, leader of advanced technologies at a University of Georgia agricultural lab, believes some aspects of wireless networks will be common on farms in about five years, helping growers with insect control, opening gates for livestock and controlling irrigation pumps.
"It's a farm-wide Starbucks, where a farmer can get his cup of coffee, sit in his pickup truck and log on to the Internet," Pocknee said as he connected to the Web himself in a cotton field about a half-mile from the lab.
At least two Georgia farmers are already using the technology. One uses wireless video to monitor vegetable packing. Another relies on a wireless network to monitor irrigation systems.
Pocknee can sit in his office and see the position of a 600-foot irrigation system in a nearby field on his computer screen. The system is equipped with a global positioning system to provide its location. A wireless video camera shows how it is operating.
