LUBBOCK – iPhones and iPads may not be new to the younger set, but to many older farmers they can remain a mystery.
To overcome this “fear of the unknown,” the Texas AgriLife Extension Service has launched a new educational project aimed at teaching farmers iPhone and iPad agricultural applications.
Four hands-on workshops with the same curriculum are scheduled from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. in January.
Dates and locations are:
– Jan. 23, Lubbock, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 1102 E. Farm-to- Market 1294.
– Jan. 27, Plainview, South Plains College, 1920 W. 24th St.
– Jan. 30, Amarillo, Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center, 6500 W. Amarillo Blvd.
– Jan. 30, Dumas, Holiday Inn Express, 1932 S. Dumas Ave.
“We want our AgriLife Extension team to train producers to use these apps so they can best manage risks in their business and improve their financial bottom line,” said Dr. Jackie Smith, AgriLife Extension economist at Lubbock. “They’ll learn to access market data to help evaluate pricing strategies, while improving their knowledge of costs and break-evens through use of the Cost of Production app our team developed.”
Smith said other apps will relate to crop insurance, marketing plans, optimum irrigation water allocation, time-saving calculators and other tools.
Each workshop participant will have access to iPads with apps already installed, Smith said. They’ll use case studies to improve their price and production risk management skills.
Workshops will be restricted to 30 participants. Husband-and-wife participation will only require one registration fee.
Registration is $50 to be paid at the door by check.
For more details on each workshop, go to http://SouthPlainsprofit.tamu.edu
and click on iPhone/iPad Workshops.
To reserve a spot in any of the workshops, call the Lubbock center at 806-746-6101 and ask for Viki.
An Apple iPad 2 donated by a sponsor interested in encouraging farmers to participate in these educational programs will be given away at the last workshop in a drawing of all the workshops’ participants, Smith said.
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