Computers on the Farm

Smith, Deborah TakiffProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 68K words
Chapters: 7

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Computers on the Farm by Deborah Takiff SmithAuthor: Smith, Deborah Takiff,Language: English, Class: S: Agriculture, Release Date: Apr 20, 2019

Editor's review

This book focuses on the application of computers in agricultural production and is a practical work at the intersection of agriculture and information technology. Its value lies in placing the computer as a tool back into the concrete context of farm operations, discussing practical issues such as data recording, production management and information access, and helping readers understand how information technology enters everyday farm decision-making. As a public-domain e-book, it is short and clearly focused, suitable as introductory or supplementary reading on agricultural informatization. Note that the software and hardware environments it discusses bear clear marks of their era, and the specific tools and methods may not apply today, but its thinking on why farms need information management and how to organize data remains instructive. It can be read as a sample for observing agricultural technological change and considered alongside current material on digital and precision agriculture, without dwelling on operational details.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Farm managers and operators who want to understand approaches to using computers on the farm
Students and beginners in agricultural informatization and digital agriculture
Popular-science readers interested in agricultural technological change
Teachers or writers who need material at the intersection of agriculture and information technology

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking operating guides for current mainstream agricultural software
Practitioners who want the latest precision agriculture technical solutions
Readers with no agricultural background who only want to learn computer operation

Reading tips

Skim the table of contents first and select chapters by farm management stage rather than reading every page.
While reading, note the management needs mentioned in the book, then consider how they have changed in light of today's digital agriculture tools.
Read alongside textbooks on agricultural economics or agricultural informatization to fill in background knowledge.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Does this book cover the latest agricultural computer technology?

No. The book bears clear marks of its era, and the software and hardware environments it discusses differ from today's, so it should not be treated as a guide to the latest technology. Its value lies more in presenting the management needs and thinking that emerged when computers entered farms, and it can be read alongside contemporary digital agriculture materials.

Can readers without an agricultural background understand this book?

They can read it, but a basic understanding of farm operations is needed. The book discusses scenarios for computer use in agricultural production and management, and readers without an agricultural background may find some management stages unfamiliar; it is advisable to first acquire some general knowledge of farm operations, then select relevant chapters according to the table of contents.

Is this book suitable as a textbook on agricultural informatization?

It can serve as supplementary reading rather than a main textbook. It offers a historical perspective and a sense of the problems involved, but its technical content is no longer new and it lacks a systematic contemporary knowledge framework. Teachers can select chapters on farm information management and use them with modern textbooks and case studies.

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About the author

Smith, Deborah Takiff Author

Deborah Takiff Smith is an author about whom very limited public information is available; the only confirmed work is Computers on the Farm. Judging from the title, her writing focuses on the intersection of agriculture and computer technology and is likely aimed at farm operators, agricultural technicians, or general readers interested in farm informatization. The book probably takes a practical approach, introducing how computers are used in agricultural production and farm management in clear, accessible language rather than emphasizing theoretical discussion. Because the available records lack details about her nationality, dates of birth and death, education, and writing career, her biography cannot be outlined, nor is it possible to determine whether she has other publications or long-term work in related fields. What can be said is that through this subject she brings a technical topic into an agricultural setting, offering readers an introductory window into how computers can serve farming.