FOA 195: Hacking the Farm with Open Source Technology

Future of Agriculture

• Episode: FOA 195: Hacking the Farm with Open Source Technology
• Website: Future of Agriculture
• Feed URL: http://aggrad.libsyn.com/rss
• Duration: 00:39:04
• Published: 2020-03-04 13:00

Michael Stenta is the software developer and owner of farmOS, a web-based app used for planning, record keeping, and general farm management. What sets farmOS apart from other apps is its open-source nature. This means the app can be tweaked or fixed by virtually any contributor. To take advantage of its open-source nature, Michael also created Farmier, a platform that makes it easy for farmers to update or host their farmOS systems.

Michael joins me today to discuss what farmOS is, its purpose, and why he decided to develop it. He shares where his passion for programming came from and what inspired him to apply his skills to the ag industry. He explains the unique aspects of creating an app that is open-source by nature and some of the benefits and risks involved with open-source platforms. Michael also describes what the farmOS community is like and the onboarding process involved with using the app.

"We've been sharing ideas forever. It's really the foundation of civilization." - Michael Stenta

This Week on The Future of Agriculture Podcast:

• When his passion for development met agriculture.
• Comparing software development to solving puzzles.
• The humble beginnings of farmOS and what it aims to do.
• What it's like working with an open-source community.
• The advantages of working with open-source software.
• The different costs involved in software development.
• What the farmOS community is like and its members.
• How farmers will be onboarded using farmOS.

Resources Mentioned:

• Drupal
• Discourse
• Farm Hack
• GOATech

Connect with Michael Stenta

• Farmier
• farmOS Community
• farmOS

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