Top 5 Farming and Household Apps

BY the end of the year it’s expected that 50 per cent of us Irish will own a Smartphone. It’s no wonder then that app technology is one of the fastest growing industries in the world with half a million apps available for download.

Our phones are now tools that organise, entertain, inform and help us with nearly every part of our lives.So whether you are a technology buff or were forced  kicking and screaming to part with your beloved Nokia 3310, here are 10 apps that are designed to make your life around the house and farm so much easier.

 

Top 5 Farming Apps

 

 

iFarm App – Irish Farmers Association

Android – Free

The iFarm app has to be the starting point for all Irish farmers. It’s easy to use with a clean, clear interface containing all the latest news, weather and everything in between. Some of its clever features include a Farm Assist Calculator and a handy Converter that older farmers will really appreciate. The converter transfers live weight, weight, area and liquid into their different forms of measurement, for example Cents per Kilo into Pence per Pound, Litres into Gallons, etc. The app also has an up to date factory and mart prices feature that will you keep you one step ahead of those crafty cattle jobbers roaming around the country side.

       

Planimeter

Android and iPhone – €1.97

Farmers will absolutely love this very practical app. Planimeter is a GPS area calculator and measure that calculates distance and area using GPS and Google Maps (Free Download). An invaluable tool for farmers, either for measuring acreage or to calculate the distance between two points before fencing. Very accurate and gives measurements in both metric and imperial units. This app is well worth the €1.97 download price.

Bubble Level

Android – Free

Imagine the scene, you’re hanging a gate down the back field and you reach for your spirit level only to find you left it back in the shed. Fear no more forgettful people. Introducing the Bubble Level app. From now on all you have to do is reach into your pocket and you have a perfectly functioning spirit level on your phone. If you’re sceptical, don’t be. Once calibrated correctly this great little app works perfectly.  Great for farmers, DIY enthusiasts and anyone who just likes their objects level. Even better, it’s free.

(i-Handy Level is the equivalent for the iPhone) 

 

Tank Mix

iPhone – Free

This is one for crop farmers in particular. A great app that calculates all permutations when spraying your crops such as amount of product needed for the size of field, product per tank size, water per field and the amount of product needed for the correct volume to volume ratio. Unfortunately it’s only available for iPhone but it’s the perfect app for crop management.

       

Pro Farm Apps – Pro Cattle Breeding

Android and iPhone – €9.99

This app tracks and records the breeding season from first heat, through to A.I, due date and delivery, as well as tracking the breeding history of your herd. Unfortunately the price is not a typo on our behalf. It would be fair to say that that is quite a lot to pay for an app, but if you are willing to fork out nearly 10 big ones you are getting quite a useful farming aid. For farmers with big suckler herds, the ability to keep track of due dates and heats on your phone while on the move is extremely useful. There is also a dairy equivalent called Pro Dairy Event. This is definitely one for the farmer who already has a committed relationship with their phone.

 

 

 

Top 5 Household Apps

 

             

Easy Envelope Budget Aid

Android and iPhone – Free

Couples beware; this app could make sloping off undetected for a few sneaky pints after work all the more difficult. EEBA works by users allotting amounts of money in each virtual envelope for groceries, transportation, going out or whatever else you’re in to. You and your partner can log in separately on your phones, update the system every time you make a purchase and EEBA will inform you if you’re on budget for the month. How romantic. It’s also free, which makes sense for a budgeting app.

 

Climote

Android and iPhone – Free

The climote app is a remote control heating app that allows you to control your household’s heating on your phone. Very handy if you’re on the way home on a frosty night and would like to step into a warm home. This app is free but obviously there is a catch. For the app to work you have to install the climate hub in your house which has a retail price of €400. If you are building a new house or investing in a new heating system this could be the way to go. It’s a really clever use of technology that could become the norm in years to come.

 

Pumps.ie

Android and iPhone – Free

It’s happened to all of us. Your car has been running on fumes for a worryingly long amount of time so you reluctantly pull into first petrol station you see. You fill up, only to drive a mile up the road and come across somewhere cheaper. The Pumps.ie app will ensure you avoid this minor mental trauma and never pay over the odds for your fuel. Your phone’s GPS locates the petrol stations nearest to you, sorts them by price and then gives you directions to your best value location using Google Maps.  It does require the users to update the prices but it’s not a whole lot to ask considering this app is completely free.

Heinz BBQ

Android and iPhone – Free

Nothing ruins a beautiful summer’s day quite like salmonella, so if you don’t trust the amateur Jamie Oliver behind the grill, this is the app for you. Beautifully designed, with a cooking timer, recipes, BBQ tips and safety guidelines, you have everything you need for the perfect barbecue. You also have to love the ultra positive, county specific weather forecast, which despite predicting rain in Mayo gave this advice, “Don’t be upset. Don’t be disillusioned. Put up an umbrella and BBQ like there’s no tomorrow.” That’s the attitude.

 

Gardenate

Android and iPhone – €0.99

If gardening is your thing, there are a wide range of apps out there. Unfortunately for us most of them are America specific. Gardenate gives you all the information you need to start your own vegetable garden. It gives detailed instructions on how to grow 90 varieties of garden vegetable along with local planting information and calendar. There are also great tips and hints from fellow users on gardenate.com. Unfortunately there is no Irish setting, so you’ll just have to swallow your national pride and go with the UK version. At €0.99, it’s also good value.

Show Me The Money

Published in The Connaught Telegraph, November 2011

YOU should have received the first of your single farm payments in the post this week.  After a bit of nagging, Minister Simon Coveney broke the resilience of the EU commissioner, the first payment was brought forward by two months.

The precious cheque from Europe is a rare and badly needed reward in an industry where the margins are small. These payments are the life blood of the farming sector in this country. 1.2 Billion, is the amount those nice people in the E.U will give the farmers of Ireland this year. A further 1.8 Billion will arrive in area aid.

Thank you Europe or should I say Germany. If we hadn’t been receiving these payments long before any banking crisis you’d almost feel guilty; then again how many property investors would have traded places with a farmer back in those heady days? Anyone? Didn’t think so.

Anyway that 1.2 billion sure is a lot of money. Wouldn’t it be great if they just divided it equally and harmoniously among the wider farming family? That would be great for us boys back west with a few acres on the side of a hill; unfortunately that’s not the way the real world works.

At least one thing us little fish don’t have to worry about is public ridicule by single farm payment, or PRBSFP, to give it its catchy abbreviated title. In 2008 and 2009 the Department of Agriculture decided to publish the names and home towns of those who received payments under the common agricultural policy. A name and shame except the people involved had done nothing wrong except make loads of money.

The figures showed that over 500 farmers and food companies received over €100,000 each. The Department of Agriculture with the ready made excuse of “The EU made us do it”, were giggling away in Kildare Street as farming groups were suitably outraged at this invasion of privacy.

When put in context the figures showed that most farmers received less than €20,000 and a large proportion received a lot less than that again. However, it’s not Johnny from across the road that gets a few thousand who makes the headlines. They are reserved for the likes of Tom and Aoife Browne, from the evidently affluent surrounds of Killeagh in the county of Cork, who received the paltry sum of €432,564. Clearly we don’t know the meaning of big time farming in Mayo as we had no-one in the top ten.

No one likes their income splashed across the newspapers, particularly those who earn the most. The attitude is its alright being well off, as long as no one knows how well off.

It’s unclear if the department are going to publish these figures every year. If they do and you’re expecting a windfall this might be time to take a holiday and avoid the dreaded PRBSFP. Let’s face it, you can clearly afford it.

A Bad Dose of Popstar

Published in The Connaught Telegraph October 2011

FARMERS have always been programmed to expect the worst. No better coping mechanism really. It makes it a lot easier to deal with summers like the one we’ve just endured. Farming is full of heartache; cattle die unexpectedly, crops fail, pop stars get naked in your field, and machinery breaks down, c’est la vie monsieur agriculteur.

Just one second, “back up the truck their Tom”. I’m no farming expert but since when did pop stars and farming ever get mentioned in the same sentence, naked or otherwise. Throw all your pre conceived notions out the window and set your face to shocked; farmers across the country have another nuisance to add to an infamous list that contains TB and black leg, the dreaded pop star!!

As farmers have only informed of their dangers lately you can imagine the shock felt by Alan Granham from Bangor in Co. Down, when he wandered up to his grain field to get his tractor to find…. I can barely bring myself to even write it, you might want to sit down and pour yourself a half of powers.

Rihanna WAS IN THE NIP.

You take off your bra and I’ll make the tea

Well as the picture above proves it was actually more half nip but still enough for Alan to tell her to cover up or clear off. If you didn’t know the full details you could envisage a modern-day Bull McCabe roaring “It’s my field yank” at the exposed and confused Barbados native. In reality Mr. Granham had actually granted permission for the award-winning star to film her new music video on his land. Film what though is the question?

Having never met or heard of Rihanna, or any of her people, Mr. Granham was clearly expecting the American version of Ear to the Ground to arrive onto his land. Imagine his shock when instead of a Mairead McGuinness lookalike talking about the price of grain, he was faced with a completely different international sex symbol. One thing for sure Mairead McGuinness never had to strip to get ratings. More’s the pity.

The question is though, should the farmers of Mayo be concerned about rogue semi-naked international music stars? Should they set traps? Is there a poison on the market? Are their livestock at risk?

When contacted the IFA said there has been only one other reported case in the Belmullet area, where Margo was apparently seen dosing sheep while scantily dressed. The IFA are still unsure if the incidents are related but are warning farmers to remain vigilant at all times.

Finally we must pay tribute to Alan Granham who despite the shock and psychological trauma he had experienced, parted with Rihanna on good terms,

“I wish no ill will against Rihanna and her friends. Perhaps they could acquaint themselves with a greater God,”

Let’s hope she does, or at least acquaint herself with a good pair of overalls. Then again maybe not.