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Comment by bootload | Hacker News Reader

"... This has become more of an issue with farmers over the past year, as they realize their data is a commodity just like what they raise--whether crops or livestock. ..."

What is stopping a local server/you own the data solution? Is it the cloud solution is the only one on offer or is it too hard to get the hardware/software to the gate?

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I've got no experience/knowledge of the FarmLogs platform, but I would guess the reason farmers arn't doing this themselves is probably the same reason they don't host their own email platform: It requires a level of technical skill, plus time and money to do so so that it works well.

There are desktop-based farm management solutions out there from companies like Ag Leader, John Deere, Trimble/Farm Works, and others. Some of these interact with smartphones or tablets (sync on LAN, maybe Internet).

Many of these companies are also moving towards cloud/SaaS-based solutions and developing private networks to facilitate real-time data ingestion from their equipment (tractors, combines, planters, sprayers, irrigation systems, wagons, etc).

So there are local solutions, and they're installs like any other software.

This article says the equipment vendors are going out of their way to lock in the farmers to specific platforms and making it very hard for farmers to do anything without the manufacturers/dealers.

http://www.wired.com/2015/02/new-high-tech-farm-equipment-ni...

Couldn't you say that about most tech solutions available today?

Particular as a farmer I imagine you have little time to be screwing around with a local server that's prone to failure. A company looking after that for you is probably quite tempting.

> you have little time to be screwing around with a local server that's prone to failure

While I agree with the fact you shouldn't be screwing around with a server, that doesn't mean running your own server with your own data on it isn't a good idea. It's just we're not quite there yet!

It's usually too hard to set up such a system yourself.

I'm strongly rooting for https://sandstorm.io/ here - I hope they'll be able to provide a good alternative for SaaS businesses.

I looked at it due it's consolidation of weather records with fields. Not totally impressed with the implementation but there could be significant value in analysis of larger areas, catching disease spread early or tracking pest migration.

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