Colorado Farmer Adds GMRS Two-Way Radios to Planting Plan
Midland is powering up farms with reliable communication across the country for planting season.
New Midland partner, Garrett Mauch shares how he's adding GMRS two-way radios to the farm's operations this planting season.
ABOUT MULCH
Based in southeast Colorado, Garrett Mauch is a fifth-generation farmer.
“I’ve been farming my entire life.”
His family’s farm grows alfalfa, corn, wheat, sorghum, and they also raise cattle. It’s an irrigated canal farm.
“Every year is kind of a mystery for us. We never know what we’re going to plant from year to year because we don’t know how much water we’re going to have year to year. It’s kind of a good thing and a bad thing.”
Mauch graduated from Colorado State University in 2009, but immediately came back to his family farm afterwards.
“It’s basically the only job I’ve ever had. Even when I was in college, I would drive 45 minutes to go work for a farmer.”
For him, he loves the chaos that farming brings.
“I love the chaos. The mass chaos is what I thrive in once my brain settles. The rest of the year when it’s slow, I get a little bored.”
WORKING AN IRRIGATION FARM
Working an irrigation farm comes with its own challenges.
“The way our irrigation system works is our canal opens March 15 and closes November 15. Whatever water we can revert from the river into the canal, it’s a next in line situation so you get the water for 48 hours, then your neighbor gets it, it moves on, then it restarts. Our canal is 110 miles long and irrigates over 90,000 acres.”
TURNING TO GMRS TWO-WAY RADIOS
Mauch and his family will use Midland’s GMRS two-way radios for the first time this spring.
“For silage, we’ve always just used a CB radio. If you’ve ever been around CBs you know that you fight and work on them as much as anything."
The farm has also previously used cell phones on the phone.
"We also use cell phones a lot. The problem with cell phone is that when we do night baling- you’ve got to wait for them to turn off their music, answer the phone, and figure out where to go. It slows down the process.”
The operation will be using Midland’s MXT115AGVP3 MicroMobile® Farm Tractor Bundle, MXT575SPVP MicroMobile® Speaker Bundle, and X-Talker T71VP3 Two-Way Radio.
“We’ve talked about needing to go back to radios for a while. Then when Midland reached out, I was all over it because I’ve seen a lot of other guys using Midland. They always talk about how nice they are. I’ve known I need to do it one of these days.”
Mauch said he can’t wait for the operation to begin using Midland GMRS two-way radios as their current system just isn’t getting the job done.
“Our biggest pain point with communication is a lack of communication. With silage if I’m in the chopper and I’m trying to organize 15 semis with a CB and they’re more than half a mile away from me, none of them can hear me telling them where to go. I’ve got to sit there and make individual phone calls to each one and hope they answer.”
Beyond the lack of efficiency cell phones bring, they don’t always work.
“Cell service can get pretty spotty and there’s times when I can’t make the phone call. They’re two miles away and I know I could reach them with a GMRS two-way radio.”
APRIL ON THE FARM
Now that the farm has Midland GMRS two-way radios, their busy April looks more efficient.
“April we will starting to plant corn. We’ll be irrigating our alfalfa, wheat, and oats. Cattle, we’ve got about a 2,000 head feeder cattle operation so that’s everyday deal. We’re also getting silage equipment geared up for chopping wheat which will start mid to late May.”
