(ConUnuad from Pap A 1)
Indeed participants were
presented information on present
and potential uses of computers for
farm management that were not
even dreamed of a short time ago.
The world of on-farm computers
and microcomputers is evolving at
an ever fasten 'rate. A person
considering buying a
microcomputer may almost feel as
if they need a microcomputer to
aid in the decision making process
when choosing from the vast array
of available computer hardware
and software.
Conference participants were
presented with the most up-to-date
information on computers in
agriculture from program
speakers and vendors and dealers
of computers and computer
programs, who were part of a
trade show held in conjunction
with the conference.
Probably the most exciting
dimension of the two-day con
ference was the “hands on” ex
perience participants were given.
After gleaning much new in
formation on what role computers
will play in farm management,
farmers and agribusinessmen
were able to sit down at a
microcomputer and put their new
found knowledge to work. This
valuable experience further
enabled dairymen in determining
how to best utilize a computerized
management system on their
particular farm.
Over 90 microcomputers were
set-up in laboratories for the hands
on sessions. Everyone was given
the opportunity to participate in
two hands on sessions. A menu of
five subject areas was offered,
including, Spreadsheets, Data
Bases, Ration Balancing, Herd
Management, and Milking
Equipment Sizing.
What role computers will play in
the future of Pennsylvania
agriculture was a subject ad
dressed by G. Art Hussey. Hussey
has just been appointed director of
the Northeast Computer Institute
which will be headquarted at Penn
State University.
Hussey said only one percent of
farmers in Pennsylvania presently
have on farm computers. By 1986-
87 he estimates that over 50 per
cent of the farmers in Penn
sylvania will have an on farm
computer.
“The tremendous technological
advances made in recent years in
the computer industry places the
computer on the threshold of
having a significant impact on
even greater productivity for
American agriculture.
“For all the giant strides made
by the computer industry in in
creased cost performance brought
about by micro electronic
technology, the computer is at
about the same stage of adoption
as the automobile was in the early
1900’s. At that time many people
predicted that the automobile
would not be a success because
everybody had to have special
training in order to make use of the
car,” said Hussey.
‘‘What we see in the future is
this,” he said, “just as cars
evolved from cantankerous,
unreliable forms of transportation
in the early 1900’s into modern
easy to operate vehicles, we expect
a parallel development with
computers. As we move into the
1990’s toward the year 2000, the
computer will become as familiar,
to our ag producers as the
automobile and pickup truck are
today. It may not look the same
and its functions may be quite a bit
different, but it certainly will be a
work horse for modern
agriculture.”
Hussey used the term primitive
to describe current support
systems for on farm computers.
He said in the near future the
support system will become more
sophisticated and there will be a
greater network communication
system.
Penn State Extension will play a
large role in this support and
network system, he said. The plans
have already been layed for Ex
tension’s role. The goal of the
planned system of computers is to
be able to give 96 percent of
Pennsylvania residents access to
the computer network with a local
phone call. To accomplish this
Extension is asking the legislators
for funding to put a microcomputer
in each county Extension office,
and one microcomputer at each
Penn State experimental Station
research farm.
Hussey presented a schedule of
the necessary funding to put one
computer in each county office, the
cost is estimated to be $1,246,550.
He said, the estimate is very ac
curate and includes cost of the
computers, installation, training
and software.
Hussey urged listeners to en
courage their county com
misioners to seek funding for the
county computers. Express the
need for this one time funding that
would create a vital management
support system that requires one
time.
The Role of Computers on Dairy
Farms
In what capacity can computers
Jud Heinr. ry „ , progi
among 25 microcomputers used in one of the “hands on" sessions.
aid farmers to be more efficient
managers? Some of the many
possibilities were outlined by
Terry R. Smith, assistant
professor and dairy Extension
specialist at Ohio State University.
“Probably the one single
management deficiency that costs
dairymen the most in lost income
is the lack of a good record keeping
system,” said Smith. “The
primary purpose of dairy records
is to provide dairymen with
detailed information on individual
cows as well as on the entire herd.”
An on farm computer makes this
information available to the farm
manager on a day-to-day basis.
This is especially useful in large
herds where daily individual at
tention is needed and dairymen
tend to manage by exception. That
is those cows that require in
dividual attention on a particular
day are pointed out by the com
puter.
Smith said, “On-farm computers
are not likely to save labor and
management time on a farm.
However, the day-to-day
managerial control of the farm
operation will likely improve.”
Heinrichs and others stressed
that a farmer considering buying a
microcomputer must determine
what functions they want the
computer to perform. Then when
they begin to look for a computer
system they should first look for
software programs that will
perform those desired functions.
Heinrichs said, “The term
software describes all instructions
and programs that make the
computer function in a determined
manner. Software not only per
forms the tasks dictated by the
user, it also controls all system
peripherals such as printers and
disk drives. Essentially, software
makes the computer operate and
function.
“When buying software, due to
the wide variation in current
programs, it is improtant to use
caution when selecting your soft
ware,” said Heinrichs. “Keep in
mind the following items when
selecting your software:
1. Is it compatible with your
hardware?
2. Do you have a trial period?
3. Does the vendor or
manufacturer have a warranty
period?
4. Is there detailed documen
tation available?
5. Is the program user-friendly?
6. Will your software vendor
provide assistance to you?
7. Can you modify the program
to suit your needs?
8. Will the company send you
updated versions or allow you to
purchase them for a reduced
cost?”
The trade show included displays of microcomputers,
computerized feeders and milking systems and systems that
put it all together.
Two sessions on software for
spreadsheet programs stirred alot
of interest. Graham E. Bell, area
farm management specialist, and
John E. Brockett, professor of
agricultural economics extension,
spoke on the use of electronic
spreadsheets for financial and
cash flow analysis.
On a large screen in the
auditorium, Bell demonstrated
VISICALC, a software package by
VisiCorp.
“It is a program that allows you
to accomplish on the screen chores
that you would normally do with a
pencil and calculator,” said Bell.
“The difference is that once you
have constructed an initial format,
you add, delete, or change figures,
and within seconds, press another
couple of buttons and your ac
count, tax return, cash flow, or
whatever else you specify is
recalculated and neatly typed.”
Brockett presented information
NeM romp liter language
simplifies
WASHINGTON - A headache
can be soothed by QVR bOVI.
That’s plain aspirin in a new
language for chemistry.
‘ Its inventor, U.S. Department of
Agriculture chemist William J.
Wiswesser, said the language
simplifies and adapts familiar
chemical formulas for the com
puter age.
Wiswesser, who works at the
USDA’s Agricultural Research
Service Weed Science Research
Laboratory, Frederick, Md.,
foresees no end to the burgeoning
number of new chemicals now
on spreadsheet programs he has
developed for management. Many
of these programs are available
presently from the Penn State
Extension.
Other speakers at the conference
included, Penn State’s, Richard
Adams on ration balancing and
evaluation programs; William
Heald on future role of computers
in Pennsylvania DHI, Larry
Muller, on dairy management
programs, and Tom Mincemoyer
on data base programs.
Each conference participant was
given a copy of the conference
proceedings which includes a
listing of software currently
available. The listing was
developed by Heinrichs and in
cludes programs for crop
production, dairy herd
management, equipment
management, farm business
management, and feeding
programs.
eheinistrv
reaching some 360,000 a year.
Only computers and a simplified
system of chemical characters, he
said, will be able to keep track of
the new formulas as well as the six
million chemical compounds
already known.
His AWLN, short for Advanced
Wiswesser Line Notation, ad
dresses this chemical proliferation
by using sets of letters, numbers
and punctuation marks to
designate each individual
chemical compound.
To Wiswesser, the key to
(Turn Is Pegs A3BI
Jr
'Wm
stand