Growserv Bypasses Internet Onramp

Sometimes it seems everyone is jumping on the information superhighway.

But the agriculture technicians at Washington State University have chosen to bypass the Internet, happily riding off-road with their GrowServ computer bulletin board for farmers.

“A lot of farmers are intimidated by the Internet and they’ve heard the horror stories,” Jonathan Newkirk, chairman of Spokane County extension, said Wednesday during a public demonstration of GrowServ. “Our growers keep telling us to stick to this because it’s more efficient.”

About 100 members pay $70 a year to dial by modem into GrowServ’s central processor on the WSU campus.

Unlike the freewheeling, search-and-pray action on the Internet, bulletin boards act as a central clearinghouse of information for specific users.

GrowServ provides Inland Northwest weather, crop and research reports, while fielding discussions on politics and farm management. Subscribers also use the system to advertise farm implements and query neighbors about farm practices.

, DataTimes