How many farmers are toting a “smart phone” and using them to surf the Internet?
Not that many, according to a study conducted by Guelph-based Stratus Agri-Marketing. The survey of 949 corn growers in Ontario, Manitoba and Quebec in August last year revealed that 11.6 per cent of corn growers had Internet-capable phones and 28 per cent of corn growers used their cell phones, Internet capable or not, to send text messages.
Stratus president Mike Weddel notes that a similar survey with western Canadian wheat growers revealed higher numbers – 15.7 carried Internet-capable phones and 47.9 sent cell phone text messages.