Online farming tools are being used by tech-savvy farmers in Alberta. They provide a number of 
beneficial aspects. The Ministry, which is divided into many agencies, commissions and boards also includes the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Department is in charge of managing programs that aid in the following:
- The development of elements related to the agriculture and food industry
- The maintenance of the industry’s natural resource base
- The promotion of the growth of rural communities
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development provides online farming tools that help to promote a strong, competitive food and agriculture industry. An industry that can keep up with current growth and improve rural sustainability while strengthening business risk management is one of the ultimate goals of this department.
What are some of the online farming tools available to those in Alberta involved in the agricultural industry? Farmers can calculate the cost of production by using tools such as Crop Enterprise. This allows them to approximate the cost and the profit of certain crops on a per acre basis. The ability to compare production from year to year is made possible by using Money Map. Software such as Crop Choice$ will help them to foretell the profits and the margins for the crop or crops they are raising and the odds of attaining those levels. 
In addition, the general online farming tools that can be accessed are quite helpful. They include tools such as the Alberta Farm Input Prices, which includes survey results over a period of five years. Alberta Management Insights contains information on the range of crops and the yield. The information is reported by producers and the results are categorized according to the township, the crop risk area and the soil zone. The Grains, Forage and Straw Nutrient Use is another of the tools that can be utilized to help growers understand the amount of sulphur, potassium, calcium and nitrogen their crop will need for a specific harvest.
The Irrigation Water Allocation Calculator is one of the online farming tools that can benefit those involved in agriculture. It allows farmers to approximate the length of time it will take to use an allotted amount of water. Another beneficial resource is the Rural Water Quality Information Tool, which evaluates the quality of raw water sources for irrigation use, for livestock and for mixing to use for chemical spraying. These are just a few of the online farming tools made available by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development helping to support prosperity for Alberta.
