Your phone always seems to be in reach today. You can grab it at your desk, in your bed, on the couch and from the tractor seat. This should make communication on the farm easy, right?

With gaps in rural connectivity, you may need to rethink reaching for your phone when you have an issue in the field. Bill Field, Purdue Extension farm safety specialist, shares that pockets with low or no connectivity are still widespread across the state, especially in the southern portion.

“Farmers have this problem with inaccessible communications, and yet, we recommend that farmers need to carry a cellphone,” Field says.

2nd layer of communication

While it is important to keep a phone nearby, Field recommends coupling that with other methods of communication. One method gaining traction is two-way radios.

Midland spokesman and farmer Sam Warren says using a two-way radio is as simple as ensuring all parties are on the same channel. Once that is achieved, then multiple handhelds and mobile units can be tuned to that same channel, allowing for communication across the farm.

“With two-way, it’s an instant communication, where you and everybody else on the channel can instantly hear that message,” Warren says. “If there’s an emergency, I can quickly get on the radio and everybody — without answering — can immediately hear that communication.”

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The communication that comes with two-way radios cuts out the missed calls on cellphones that you may not hear or that may not make it through with poor reception, Warren adds.

Stay connected on the farm

An additional layer you can add to your communication protocol is physically checking on your employees. Field says many farmers have settled into the routine of sending their team out to the field and only checking on them when they do not show up for lunch or at the end of the day.

“We only go back for them when we miss them for supper,” Field says. Regular physical checks are especially important with the oldest and youngest employees. With your youngest employees, you are required by law to physically check on them midmorning and midafternoon. Be sure to add this to your communication routine next year if you have not been incorporating it.

While phones are key to communication in your operation, Field says the most basic forms of communication are also vital to keeping employees safe. New technology could prove useful, too.

Field shares about a situation where a man’s Apple Watch detected his fall into a grain bin. The Iowa farmer’s smartwatch sent out a signal to authorities that he had fallen, and he was rescued. Field and his team tried to replicate this result with a tractor rollover simulation and a Garmin watch. However, because they used a test dummy, the watch did not detect a biological signal, so it did not register the dummy as a real person.

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Results are still up in the air on whether smartwatches or other accessories can act as an extra option for reliable communication, according to Field.

Meet with your team this winter to discuss how your communication will look in the next growing season. From there, test different methods to find what works for you. Having that conversation to determine the foundation of your communication will be key to keeping your team safe.

“I think having communication is an important first step,” Field adds.