I wonder how well they can actually get farmers online. I grew up with lots [of farmers], and most of them would hate this only because it's on the internet. Most farmers are not that [internet] tech savvy. Also, the pricing structure seems like a farmer would look at this and be like "Uhh..? Why?" I wish them luck, but I grew up with that culture and still know a lot of them, and I just can't see this taking off by the way their mindset is.
This is just not true, or, at least, it's only true where inefficient farming practises are propped up by subsidies and protectionism.
A modern farm is a hot-bed of innovation and my initial thoughts about FarmLog is that they're far far too late to the game. This was already discussed at http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5118984 but I'll duplicate my comment here:
"So, the problem with the SaaS model is that selling to farmers is a lot like selling to a demanding enterprise customer. They know what they want, they have specific requirements and the benefits of a well-matched solution will pay for itself. That isn't, generally, where you want to be if you're looking to scale out a SaaS platform."
Through my work at a ISP that serves a lot of farmers I'd have to disagree depending on what you mean by "internet tech savvy". I haven't run across any that sling code in their spare time but other than that, watch out!
I know of multiple groups (usually extended families) that have microwave radio links between their farms. They use this to monitor each-other's grain bins, crops, and security cameras. Not to mention WiFi To The Tractor for monitoring, IM, etc. There's no cell coverage so they find a way to get connectivity. I'd call that pretty internet tech savvy.
This is a large enough market that there's a company that essentially rebrands Ubiquiti radios, marks them up 100%, and markets them through farm magazines. I suppose in a way that's arbitrage on ignorance BUT it shows that there's a need.
You're saying they are tech savvy, but not internet savvy. If you are right (and I disagree that they're 'not internet savvy') then you've identified an opportunity, not a blocker.
The point gaius is saying above is exactly what I'm trying to bring across, but in a different phrasing. I just don't think it [Farmlogs] will be something they want/like to use.
With my experience, they are tech savvy in the sense of technology, but they are pretty anti-internet and don't trust a lot of apps and such on the web. For example, this Farmlogs site. For this companies sake, I hope I'm wrong, but I'm just going with what I know on my 2 cents here. And from what I see constantly from that culture, from a first hand view, is that they would never take an app like this serious (especially at that kind of monetary cost).
Not sure what farmers you grew up with, but the ones in the upper plains are fine with tech (heck, most of them had cellphones and GPS before the rest of us). You run combines for a living and you cannot avoid tech these days. They are conservative, but get that from all the people who keep trying to sell them wonder stuff.
The biggest problem with this startup is that they are going to run into farmers who electronically sign their contracts on company websites that already have other value added services to attract the farmers in the first place. These companies also have local elevators and sales reps who sit in the cafe and have coffee with the farmers or visit them in their fields. Many are staffed by people who have done farm work (hired hand, kid not taking over for the parents).
Farmers are not exactly afraid of technology, and, in my experience, are often on the forefront. As far as the internet goes, you can buy tractors today that come with mobile internet radios built right in. Many farmhouses in my area even have fibre installed to the home. I don't think you'll find many farms that aren't online.
I would, however, suggest that farmers tend to not care about implementations. The fact that FarmLogs uses the internet is irrelevant. As long as it solves the problem, whatever dependencies come along with that solution are just a fact of doing business.
I've worked with a lot of farmers on cutting edge R&D tech, in their experience the internet is just another point of failure that's more than likely to "down" at exactly the time you need it most. It follows that relying on anything that relies on internet access is lunacy, the same attitude that results in farms having on site power generation, on site water tanks, on site fuel & gas tanks, etc.
Now, a system that functions standalone and can get by with occasional internet access ... now you're talking.
I grew up on my Grandfather's farm in California. I learned QBASIC on his computer. I connected to my first BBS from his computer. Together we used MS-Paint to draw maps of his land for planning.
That experience and my occasional trips to the Tulare farm show make me think farmers are generally pretty able to embrace new technology.
The one issue I can think of is that internet access in rural areas can really suck.
