The timing has certainly given me perspective, as I did not have a cellphone until I was in high school and, even then, it was just to call home. We had internet growing up, but sometimes I thought it was faster to send a courier pigeon. Now, kids get cellphones when they are in elementary school, email is about to put the postal service out of business, and internet speeds are faster than you can type. The true challenge is determining how to best utilize the technology to increase your production and better your business.
Computers offer us a way to keep records in a very organized and systematic way. The computer allows easy sorting and access to information from current and past years. Of course, there are a multitude of programs designed to make this process “easier,” but for the average producer, a simple Excel spreadsheet is a very powerful tool. Scales have certainly come a long way too. Most producers utilize some form of digital scale and readout.
What an amazing tool we have as a society, being able to type a few words in a search engine and voila, a multitude of information appears. The internet is a double-edged sword. On one side, the amount of information can be overwhelming and, on the other side, we have to separate fact from fiction. Just because someone types or posts it on the internet does not make something true. It is very important the beef industry uses information from credible websites. University websites are excellent sources for accurate, timely information.
“They make an app for that.” How many times do you hear these words? It seems like they are trying to make an app for everything these days. What happened to the days of the simple flip phone that was used for making phone calls? I check the radar, body condition score cows and track commodity markets all at the push (or touch) of the screen.
It is important to embrace change and utilize current technology to increase the productivity of your operation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a little red book or legal pad of paper, just as long as you are keeping accurate records. One day, they will make an app for that. 
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Matthew Burns
- Extension Beef Specialist
- Clemson University
- Email Matthew Burns
