Mi-Co Launches Mobile Solutions for Department of Agriculture

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has made it an initiative in the last few years to improve Internet connectivity in rural areas.

The USDA Rural Development of the U.S. Farm Bill is urging towns to gain connectivity to attract residents and businesses to the area. The connectivity will also help producers with business practices.

One way the North Carolina Department of Agriculture (NCDA) is improving their services is through the implementation of Mi-Co tablets and e-forms with all departments. The device and forms have improved communication and services so greatly that it is being used in one division of the Virginia Department of Agriculture (VDA) and will be used in five additional states in the near future as well.

"Using Mi-Forms Mobile-Forms software on Tablets, we now operate with a much more streamlined process, and are able to generate better revenue streams as a result of readily available registration and license information," said Dwight Seal, regional manager, NCDA Pesticides Division.

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) replicated the same mobile version of Mi-Co’s tablet and e-forms to make communication in the department more efficient. The NCDA found that the technology helped cut down a communication process from weeks to days. The tablet syncs to the forms in less than a day, allowing the manager to retrieve and review data in real time without transcription.

Issues with accuracy or completeness are avoided with date pre-fill options and live validation rules programmed into the forms.

In the past, the VDACS’ process would take up to four weeks to complete. Producers and the department would send paperwork back and forth before finalizing any decisions that must be made. Mi-Co offers a solution that cuts this down to days for convenience. Not only does it save producers and departments time, but it also helps cut costs. The use of paper becomes obsolete, so supplies are unneeded. It also reduces the cost of faxing and mailing services.

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