CAES Newswire

 College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences UGA Cooperative Extension
Menu
Published on 11/07/05

Farmers can benefit as rural Georgia goes wireless

By Brad Haire
University of Georgia

Using a wireless Internet connection inside a south Georgia conference room, farmer Wade Mitchell checked the environmental conditions of his grain bins in Iowa. That's just one way wireless technology has made his farm more efficient.

"It's hard to inspect and keep track of all the things you need," Mitchell said at the University of Georgia's "UnWired '05: Rural Wireless Conference" in Tifton, Ga., Nov. 2.

Mitchell's 2,500-acre, fifth-generation corn and soybean farm is covered by a wireless network with high-speed Internet access. He and his son Clay use it to auto-steer tractors, monitor fields and instantly get weather reports, spray recommendations, etc.

The Mitchells' network has helped them cut chemical usage by 20 percent and make crop sprays 30 percent more efficient.

Wireless technology, Mitchell said, "has turned our tractor cabs into mobile offices. It has saved us hugely in labor and time and allowed us to be more accurate in our operation."

Craig Kvien, chair of the UGA National Environmentally Sound Production Agriculture Laboratory in Tifton, said there is "little doubt that wireless technology will have a profound impact on agriculture."

Most farmers now can handle sophisticated equipment but freeze up when it comes to computers, said Paul Mask, assistant director of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. "But the tools we'll need in the future," he said, "are the tools we're talking about here today."

John Helm of Vivato, a company that makes high-powered wireless equipment, said wireless connectivity will enable rural areas to compete globally. His firm has helped cities and small towns wirelessly connect emergency services and law enforcement employees.

Hard wire, or fiber, is still the best for reliable service, said Donovan Adkisson with CityNet in Tifton. But it isn't economical in some rural areas, costing $25,000 per mile. His company plans to run fiber as much as they can and then use wireless technology to connect rural residents by early next year.

Having the potential for wireless access, however, doesn't mean you can get it. Wireless signals can shoot over valleys or get stopped by hills or tall pine trees, said John Mascoe, chief executive officer of VanCoe Environmental. VanCoe is creating a 100-square-mile wireless network in Calhoun County in rural southwest Georgia.

Rural areas, Mascoe said, "need an infrastructure of multi-use 300-foot towers to hold wireless equipment. Height is your friend. That would cure any coverage problems."

The conference was sponsored by UGA, the Georgia Center of Innovation for Agriculture and the Tifton/Tift County Chamber of Commerce.

Brad Haire is the former news editor with the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Experts/Sources:
Craig K. Kvien
Wade Mitchell
Paul Mask
Donovan Adkisson
uga commencement CAES News
CAES to celebrate new graduates during May 9 convocation 04/18/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
As another academic year draws to a close, the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is gearing up for its Athens campus convocation ceremony, which will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, at The Classic Center in Athens. “Each year, it’s an honor to celebrate the success of our CAES graduates,” said CAES Dean and Director Nick T. Place. “It’s amazing what these students accomplish during their time with us, and I’m always excited to commemorate this next step in their lives as they continue on to either further studies or the start of their careers.”
A student harvests red clover at UGArden. CAES News
UGA horticulture class shows students the science behind herbal remedies 04/16/24 Sameeka Prabath Rajamani
The field of medicine is ever-changing, and the use of herbal medicines may play a bigger role in health care as the value of natural remedies gain recognition in the Western world. Students at the University of Georgia’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences are delving into the field of medicinal remedies through the class “Herbs, Spices and Medicinal Plants.” Offered to undergraduate students through the Department of Horticulture, the class helps students develop a deeper understanding of the connection between nature and health.
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms CAES News
Using robotics to help sort onions on Georgia farms 04/15/24 David Mitchell
During the pandemic, labor problems became acute on many farms in Georgia and across the country. Farms once staffed by humans to bring produce from the field to stores for purchase were suddenly short-staffed, and the global supply chain was severely impacted. Working with UGA’s Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center and A&M Farms in Lyons, Georgia, a team of researchers led by School of Computing Professor Prashant Doshi is designing collaborative robots to mitigate some of these potential challenges.
2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate who went on to earn a master’s degree in 1982 and education specialist degree in 1984 from UGA’s College of Education. CAES News
Innovator, educator inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame 04/11/24 Maria M. Lameiras
An innovator in peanut breeding whose research revitalized an industry and an ardent champion of agricultural education were inducted into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame at the 68th University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Alumni Association Awards in Athens. The 2024 honorees are William D. Branch, Georgia Seed Development Professor in Peanut Breeding and Genetics in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, and Elzie Argene Claxton, an agriculture educator and 1980 CAES agricultural education graduate.
Peach growers are looking forward to a fruitful season as the weather this winter and spring have been near-perfect for the sensitive crop. This year is projected to be a much-needed comeback from the disastrous season they experienced after a late freeze in March 2023 took out more than 90% of the state's crop. (Photo by Dorothy Kozlowski/UGA) CAES News
Growers hopeful 2024 peach season will rebound from disastrous 2023 04/10/24 Emily Cabrera
Last year, the peach industry lost $60 million due to the late freeze that hit much of the Southeast in mid-March 2023, said Jeff Cook, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for Peach and Taylor counties. With no freezing temperatures in the forecast and hope for strong pricing during the upcoming season, peach growers are looking forward to a much-needed rebound year.
UGA wheat breeder and geneticist Mohamed Mergoum smells one of several test brews created by Creature Comforts on its annual Get Comfortable collaboration using a variety of wheat Mergoum developed at CAES. CAES News
Creature Comforts partners with UGA wheat breeder to create 2024 Get Comfortable brew 04/09/24 Maria M. Lameiras
Wheat breeders spend years meticulously crossing varieties to coax the best traits out of each species, carefully propagating plant varieties that are healthier, heartier and better suited for the environments where they are grown. Brewmasters are equally painstaking when choosing the components that will give their beers a specific flavor profile. These two exacting professions came together this spring when Athens-based Creature Comforts Brewing Co. reached out to the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to find a sustainable wheat variety they could use to make a good beer for a great cause.