Can You Hear Me Now? - by Robert Seay

First posted on 11-30-2007

Homespun Advice From a Veteran County Agent

BENTONVILLE, Ark. - The sun was taking its slow, easy time in bringing a halt to another fall harvest day in 1960. Finally, Dad stood and faced toward home, about two miles distance, and yelled, “I heard you the first time!”

Other field workers, unaccustomed to dad’s pranks, quietly paused to listen for some voice they surely must have missed hearing.

At that point dad noted, “I must be married to the loudest woman in the county!” He then turned to us and advised, “Ok kids, your mother said to get home to supper before she throws it to the dogs!”

Agriculture communication, by various and ever changing methods, is as old as the history of man. It wasn’t uncommon to find notes stuck on fence posts, feed bins, barn doors, gates and wind shields. Neighbors, strangers and rural mail carriers were often flagged down to deliver messages while in route from point A to point B.

Private mobile radio systems, which became popular in the 1960s, could be found in every farm truck. Today, I would estimate that 85 percent of farmers use cell phones and 60 percent have access to the Internet. However, farm text messaging may never be adopted due to the mismatch of small keys with calloused thickened fingers and failure to understand “texting” lingo.

The agriculture industry seems to weigh the relevance of each new communication gadget against its ability to provide immediate access to weather, market and management data. In one sense, information is considered personal, but with the early 20th century advent of rural electricity and radio, as popularized by one movie version of a southern governor, “mass communicat’n!” became the norm.

Farmers prioritize their inputs and 24-hour access to weather information, regardless of its failings, remains a top item. Marketing information becomes equally sensitive when buying or selling. Farm management decisions and the communications they spawn occur daily between family members, partners and their support team.

I recently observed as an older couple worked cattle this fall. Rather than a Blue Heeler, Bluetooth hands-free technology allowed them to direct their actions across the corrals, resulting in a less stressful situation on the animals and themselves.

Obviously, some communication techniques are habitual, which means that folks will always have a tendency to yell, with or without Bluetooth.

For information about agriculture contact your county extension agent or visit http://www.uaex.edu and select Agriculture. The Cooperative Extension Service is part of the U of A Division of Agriculture.