As the prevalence of smart phones and tablets continues to grow, mobile technology is also becoming an emerging tool in the fight to reduce farm nutrient runoff, which causes Lake Erie’s harmful algal blooms.
Mobile applications, more commonly referred to as apps, can help farmers increase their efficiency, reduce nutrient runoff, and assist research to determine the best practices for preventing more severe harmful algal blooms.
For years, scientists have been preaching the “Four R’s” of nutrient stewardship, which means finding the right source fertilizer and applying it at the right rate, right time and right place.
According to John Fulton, an associate professor at the Ohio State University’s department of food, agricultural and biological engineering, there are plenty of mobile apps available to help farmers put those “Four R’s” into practice and do so in a way that is cost effective for them.
Ohio State’s “Precision Agriculture” program focuses on developing strategies and technologies to enable live on-farm evaluation, automate machine functionality, build analytical tools for digital agriculture, and more. READ MORE
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