May 28, 2025 • 29 mins
Hudson Fuller, computer scientist and GK Technologies' newest software developer, discusses the upcoming ADMS software updates and his agricultural background while sharing insights into his current projects and future aspirations.
• Working on transitioning ADMS to the new .NET framework after Microsoft's discontinuation of the current framework
• Emphasizes that users will notice minimal differences with the update, possibly just crisper-looking buttons
• Explains the importance of diverse bug testing as programmers tend to test consistently while users interact with software unpredictably
• Began his agricultural journey at age three showing Baby Doll Southdown sheep at the Watertown Farm Show
• Showed various sheep breeds throughout his youth including full-blooded Southdowns and Hampshires
• Currently enhancing the Field Info tab in ADMS to automatically generate field boundaries and import NAIP images
• Developing XML export functionality for field information to improve data sharing and accessibility
• Lives with two other GK Technology employees – his parents Paul (drainage expert) and Kendra (server data management)
• Interested in future development of proprietary data collection using camera, radar, or lidar technology
• Joining the product development team brings exciting new possibilities for GK's precision agriculture tools
https://gktechinc.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
And now it's time for a Geek Speak with GK
Technologies, sarah and Jody,friends and I can't wait to get
in the fields again.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
No, I can't wait to get in the fields again.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Welcome back to Ag Geek Speak and to the second
part of our conversation withthe GK Technologies newest
employee, Hudson Fuller.
He is a computer scientist outof Clark, South Dakota, and in
the first part of the episode wehad the pleasure of talking
about Hudson's background withbaseball and computer science
(00:53):
and talked a little bit aboutthe ADAPT standard.
In this second part we'rereally excited to talk more
about Hudson's background inagriculture and and, of course,
talk more about exporting allgeeky stuff about the computer
science, of what we do in.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
ADMS.
And what is he working on nowat GK2?
We haven't even scratched thesurface on that one yet.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, so everything that I'm working on right now is
for the upcoming change to theNET release, because the NET
framework is gettingdiscontinued by Windows, so we
need to make a move with ADMS.
So it's all going to be theexact same software, but a lot
of things on the background havechanged just because of slight
(01:40):
changes in how Microsoft ischoosing to run things.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Just so the whole audience knows like right now,
jodi and I actually are in thebackground playing around with
the new releases that aren'treleased to everybody yet.
So the stuff that Hudson andall the other programmers work
on all of us that do mapping wewill work with those versions in
(02:04):
the background.
All of us that do mapping, wewill work with those versions in
the background, and I canattest to you that they feel
very similar to theold-fashioned.
I highly doubt that you'regoing to notice any differences,
and if there are any slightones, so far I've really enjoyed
them.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
So it looks really nice.
You might see some crisperbuttons that have a little bit
higher resolution, which isawesome.
I love it.
But what I wanted to ask, whatis like?
What is NET?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Like is it important to know?
As like base users, or likewhen I hear NET as like a basic
computer user, someone thatdoesn't know a lot about the
computer science side.
What do I need to know about it?
You really don't need to knowanything.
It's just, it's something thatMicrosoft.
It's the same as the changefrom Windows 10 to 11.
There's going to be a few minordifferences that might get
noticed, but as a whole theyboth work at functionally the
same level.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
The fiery trash can of death button is still there.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
That is an important change that will not leave.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
That's so.
Don't worry, there's fierytrash.
Canada still exists.
And it is spelled correctly, ohdid we update the spelling on
it now?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, so after last yeareryl noticed it last year at
the retreat that fiery wasspelled wrong.
after looking at it once prettysure it's been like that for
like north of a decade, yes, andso I think very shortly after
the retreat last year daryn didchange the spelling back to the
correct I'm using air quoteshere of what the correct
(03:44):
spelling of fiery is good job,programmers good job that is not
exactly I was gonna say that isnot a dig at anybody, because
no, I know, I've looked at thatbutton and I've never noticed.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
I've been using the software since 2006 and I never
noticed it until last summer,when Shara pointed it out.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
So okay, so like with that, what does that kind of
involve, Like making thattransition?
What are some of the thingsthat you're thinking about and
working on to make sure thatthat transition is successful?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, so it's.
It's a lot of user feedback.
The bug fixes are things thatwe built the code and right away
it built, which means that itwill run.
However, there are going to bea lot of things in there that we
don't know that will end upmaking it crash or not function
in the way that it's supposed toto the user, especially as it
(04:42):
did in the NET framework version, the framework that everyone is
used to.
It's going to be a change thatwill.
It'll take some time and I knowthat once it does finally get
fully released, there'll be waymore issues found than just the
few people that are using it now, and it's probably going to be
something as simple as one lineof code in there that will fix
(05:05):
that bug.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
It's just something that changed that we didn't
realize changed here at GK youmight get a lock screen or
(05:28):
something where we couldn'treally predict on our end that
would happen if somebody didthat out in the real world.
That kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, something just like that.
Or it might be something assimple as, say, you have your
shape file and then you managedto quadruple click on it because
you didn't think it actuallyclicked.
There are some things like thatthat in the code might have
gotten built into the new onethat we didn't think we ever had
to even account for.
(05:53):
It's going to be simple thingsthat no one even realized they
messed up, but it will end upbreaking something.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
You know, one of the things that I think is really
fun about my job here is thatthe programmers, hudson, develop
stuff and then pretty much theyask all of us in sales to like
use their new creations on ourday-to-day life and try to break
them and then tell them when webreak them, and so I really
(06:20):
enjoy that.
You know, seeing all the newstuff that's coming out and the
new ideas and how it all flows,and yeah, it's pretty fun and I
will say I do like how that newsoftware feels.
I really do.
It feels very nice.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, and it's super important to have outside bug
testers other than usprogrammers, because we know how
it's supposed to work.
We're probably going to do thesame three things in a row every
time when we're testing itourselves, and then, when
someone else does it, they'regoing to try and do it in a
different way, and sometimesit's going to work.
Other times it's just not goingto work how we envisioned it
and we need to make it so thatit's user-friendly.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
That is one of the best explanations that I think I
have ever heard for thatconcept of trying to make sure
we're getting everything tested.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah, because the thing is, too, is like.
I'm spending a lot of timewatching the training videos
right now and we constantly sayin every one of them, like how
there's different ways to do allthe things that we do.
There's a couple of thingswhere you do have to follow the
instructions step-by-step, andthat's fine.
That's how every software works.
But there's different ways toapproach things, and I know
(07:32):
teaching people about how to useit too, somebody might think
differently about how to clickthings in order.
Whatever.
As people use ADMS, the NETversion, they're gonna be using
it in different ways than whatwe think you know might be the
order of operations for gettingsomething done.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well, and, jodi, I don't know how you do this when
you're teaching people, but,like when I'm working with
people to teach them, I haveused the term there's more than
one way to skin a cat in herebefore, because there is there's
a number of different ways togo about trying to accomplish
what you need to accomplish, andthat's okay.
(08:10):
Actually, sometimes one methodworks better in one agricultural
system versus another fordifferent reasons, and the
agricultural systems that we'refitting into these days are
pretty vast when you take a lookat across the United States of
America and Canada and all thedifferent places that we're
getting into.
So, hudson, speaking ofagriculture, you know we talked
(08:32):
on the previous episode aboutyour background with baseball,
but why don't you tell us alittle bit about your
agricultural background?
Just let us know, because ityou've been from Clark pretty
much your whole life.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, my whole life.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Rural South Dakota then.
So at the very least you weregeographically surrounded by
agriculture.
But why don't you tell us alittle bit more about your
background?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, it probably started when I was around three
years old and for Christmas mygrandma decided to get me a baby
doll.
South down sheep they're aminiature breed of sheep.
They come in black and whiteand sometimes they'll end up
with a gray.
And I showed that lamb at theWatertown Farm Show that winter.
(09:22):
And that was the first time I'dreally done anything with
agriculture other than maybebeing out at the farm and
carrying my bucket or whateverit may have been, but that's the
first real memory ofagriculture I have.
And then from there it was.
I showed sheep every year atthe Watertown Farm Show when I
was able to, but at the SouthDakota State Fair up until I
(09:46):
graduated high school.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
With your bucket.
I know nothing about cheap.
The only thing I remember aboutcheap is what my fiance's told
me is that if you carry a bucketof feed, they'll shove their
heads in there and they won'tlet you move until you give them
the food.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Is that true?
That's pretty true.
That's pretty close to true.
When I was little I had alittle a mini bucket that a two
or three year old could carryand I would just walk along,
grandma, with a grandma andgrandpa, and especially the, the
lambs and the bottle lambs theylove trying to get in there,
get into that little bucket thatI was holding that's so cute
(10:23):
and you say miniature sheep andI think that would probably just
be the cutest thing.
They are probably the cutestthing.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
We might have to have one of those as the cover art
for this, this episode.
We'll see.
We'll see how that goes.
But what?
What other species?
Like?
Did you always show miniatures?
Or like were there otherspecies that you showed over
time?
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Yeah, so once I was of the, always show miniatures
or like were there other speciesthat you showed over time?
Yeah so once I was of the, onceI was of the size to at least
be able to kind of control afull-grown sheep, I started
showing, uh, full-blooded,full-blooded southdowns and
they're, they're a meat sheep,they and I, we show them as a
breeding sheep to make more forother people.
(11:05):
Basically, from there it was.
I showed those for three orfour years and my cousin Jeremy
showed at Hampshire's and wedidn't want to show against each
other and that's why we bothhad the two different species
and then good reasons yep.
(11:26):
And then grandma decided thatshe was going to get rid of the
south downs and just only havethe hampshires and the baby
dolls.
So then I ended up just movingover and only having the
hampshires and the miniaturesheep the two basically ends of
the spectrum.
We have sheep that'll end up at200 250 pounds.
Sometimes then we'll have thelittle miniatures that the big
(11:49):
ones will be a hundred, butthey're usually not quite that
big oh cute.
So they're like the size of whenthey're fully grown, like maybe
of a big dog think about aslong as a lab and they're
thicker than a lab like thicklike a bulldog, long like a lab
(12:10):
and as tall as I don't knowthree feet tall that's cute.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
You could like almost have them in the house if you
could get some.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
People do wait really no, not in the house but they
do have them on little acreages,kind of like lawnmowers some
people oh, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Jody's thinking about this.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Now for her farm yeah I would like a different lawn
uh control method.
I I say this because last nightwe got a new clothesline and I
literally clothes on myself onthe lawnmower.
Last night which which Garthand I both joked with each other
we're like we can't make sureyou put it down when you're
ready to mow the lawn, becausewe don't want to get
clotheslined, ha ha ha.
(12:51):
And then, like the first time Ipulled the lawnmower out this
year, I literally clotheslinemyself.
So yeah, I would take a, Iwould take a shot, sorry for
that aside.
Did you like showing one of themover the other, or like did you
have?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
a favorite breed to show?
Not really I.
I like showing them both.
They're completely differenthaving to bend over to show them
versus having to make sure theydon't run me over.
It was two completely different, two completely different uh
ideas showing them, but no, theywere both pretty fun did you
consider a middle ofof-the-roadbreed?
The south down, kind of was themiddle-of-the-road breed.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Okay, yeah, and so now?
So you had small, medium, large, and now it's just small and
large.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Okay.
Well, there's the breakdown.
There's a lot about sheep.
Have you ever thought aboutprecision agriculture and sheep
and how you would use umcomputers to manage sheep?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
they on large scale feedlots.
They kind of do okay they.
They have a whole bunch ofsoftware that's controlling how
much they get fed, especially onin places where it's more of an
indoor style feed lot, whichhappens a lot more down south,
where it's hot all of the timeand there's I.
(14:13):
I don't even know how it works,but I know that it controls
exactly how much gets pouredbased on how much weight they
want to gain per day that's kindof fun, fun.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
We still need you over in field management
agriculture Just saying so.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
speaking of field management, it sounds like
there's another project you'reworking on with an ADMS that
deals with field info.
Do you want to talk a littlebit about what that is in ADMS
and then also what you'reworking on?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, so the idea of the field info is to get a whole
bunch of information about thedata or about the field that the
user would input.
So that would be things likethe boundary of the field, the
size of the field and so manyother different things that are
going to end up being involved,and right now I am working on
(15:05):
the ability to automaticallyfill all of that out into an XML
file.
It makes it so.
When you select the boundaryand put it into this tool, it
will bring up a NAEP image ofthat field so that you can see
exactly what it looks like.
And there are so many differentlittle things that could go one
(15:25):
way, could go the other way,but right now it's all about
automatically bringing up thefield boundary and a picture of
that field when you open thatfield in ADMS, so that you do
not have to go and manuallyclick the image of that field
and the boundary of that fieldfor it to show up to the user.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Well, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
So, it sounds like instead of having to you know
you probably still have tocreate a new folder for the
field, but instead of having tocreate a boundary and pull in a
NAIP image to get it and pull ina NAEP image to get it, like an
(16:08):
image that you can draw a goodgeo-reference boundary, if you
had the information, like thelegal description of where that
field is, a lot of this could bejust generated for you yes, and
that is the next step in theproject right now.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yes, and that is the next step in the project right
now is by knowing what state,county and then the township
specifically, it would pull in anape of that township and you
could go draw on the nape whereyour boundary would be and you
could save your nape that way,instead of trying to go from a
whole huge nape image to zoominto the perfect spot to draw
(16:44):
your boundary.
It would make things way betterfor the user in the future.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Sweet, if we can save clicks any place, I'm game.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Especially for that kind of thing where we just need
to have that generic data.
You know, we got to have thatevery time we're starting to
work with a field.
So it would just be so handy tohave that like right away.
And I don't know like if thelisteners know, but right now in
the software we have a fieldinfo tab, right, hudson?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yes, and it's been there for about eight years and
it really doesn't do much.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
And so that's really what you're working on right now
, right, that's where all ofthis is getting incorporated.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yes, this will all get incorporated into the field
info tab so that, even if youwanted, you could export an XML
from that field info tab so youcould see everything that every
note you have for that field andevery different little detail.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
So, speaking of XML, what is an XML?
And I hear that a lot of times,like with APIs, they'll move
XML back and forth, but likewhat is that?
I don't know what that is.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
So an XML is a way to have.
It's basically like a list ofbullet points and then after the
bullet point is the dataassociated with that bullet
point.
So you would have a boundaryand then after a bullet point
it's in a different format.
When you look at it.
It will have 20 differentpoints that are the edge of that
(18:12):
boundary in the XML file andthen it does the same for the
state it will have.
Whatever state is that field isassociated with the XML file,
it'll be state bullet point andthen say South Dakota, and it
will do that for a whole bunchof different data and it's used
across all differentapplications within agriculture
(18:33):
and then just everywhere.
There are some times whenyou'll download something from
the internet and it will come inan XML file and it's just a
different style of notation.
It's very similar to the JSONformats that you'll see if you
ever export a JSON format.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Is an XML like a csv and just like I don't know how
does it compare to like a csv,like a basic excel export kind
of thing it's similar, but itwould have the ability to have
the same properties as a csv.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
It's a language, well , xml.
I don't know what the x standsfor, but it's markup language,
okay, and it is about making theinformation in your file have a
tag associated with it, justlike a heading or a header in an
Excel file with all the databelow it.
(19:30):
Instead, it's going left toright instead of up down.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Gotcha Okay.
So like you might get from asoil test laboratory, like
here's your nitrate results,that is the tab, or like the
bullet point and then all thedata after.
That would be like the nitrateresults for that, that data that
you're grid, grid sample data.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Right like you, would have a bullet point that's
nitrogen, and then going all theway across, going horizontal
you would have your nitrogendata yes, if it was exported in
an XML style, that's what itwould look like.
Probably there's so manydifferent ways to build it, but
the generalization is inhorizontal format.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
This is very educational.
I'm smarter for having had thisconversation.
Thank you, Hudson, and actuallythank you, Jodi.
I appreciate yourinterpretation of the
explanation.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
You're welcome for not knowing anything about
computer science, so that I canask what's going on.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Thank you for your patience, hudson.
We're geeks, don't worry, we'rejust old geeks, I guess or at
least I am Sorry.
Jodi, didn't mean to lump youon there.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
No, I mean this is kind of a little off the side
too, but before you went tocollege, hudson, I'm curious in
high school did you learn aboutcomputer science concepts, like,
are there things that you'reusing in your current job that
you learned as like a computerscience class in high school,
like XML, c, sharp, that kind ofthing?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
No, not in terms of what I'm using now.
I took a web design class Ithink it was my sophomore year
and it was using Dreamweaver andmoving the things around where
you wanted them and try and makea website look good, but other
than that, I didn't learnanything about computer science
in high school.
I did learn about theagriculture side in high school
(21:27):
through my FFA programs and myagriculture classes, though.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Okay, the important stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Yes, it's all important important stuff.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yes, it's all important, so no shade to other
classes, okay?
So I, I, and if you don't wantto answer these questions, this
is fine and we'll just cut themout but, um, I, I'm gonna ask.
So there's actually three ofyou living in the same house
right now working for gktechnology, right, yes, you got
your mom and your dad and you.
So, holy Hannah, that's likethat's a lot of GK in one
household.
What is it like on a day-to-daybasis working with you know,
(22:08):
living with three of yourco-workers who happen to be your
parents?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
You know it's interesting, but a lot of the
times it's nice because I don'thave to call someone to ask a
question about ADMS and howsomeone that uses it would
actually want it to be used inthe future.
I just walk about 20 steps andask the questions and it's nice
actually being able to figureout okay, this is how shape
(22:37):
files look and are used visuallyin ADMS.
How can we make them do this inthe background, or something
that would be nice for everyoneto have?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
How many computers are running in your house?
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Four.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Four computers running, but I think there's
about 10 monitors, 10 screensthere.
It is not including, likephones and ipads and tablets and
stuff you have things that areused for somewhat work
applications four computers withabout 10 monitors hey, for
those of us with the gK FieldMapper app, be careful with that
(23:16):
.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
How do you run your routers?
I'm curious.
Do you have mesh extensions?
Again, I'm saying words that Idon't know what they mean.
Do you have to take any specialconsideration to hardware to
make sure everything worksquickly in the house?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
and we, once I came back home to start working, we
had to do a router upgrade.
We just didn't have the speedfor me to be able to work and my
dad to be able to work.
My mom remotes in, so all theinternet stuff is actually on
the other side at the servers,but it all runs through the
basement.
And then the router is nowmoved a lot closer to me and I
(24:01):
am hardwired to the router.
And then there is a secondswitch that is ran through the
basement over towards my dad'sdesk where his phone is
connected, and then he also hashis laptop connected to it as
well.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
As again, like as someone who is curious about
these things but doesn't get toask what is a switch Like?
Is it just attached to yourrouter?
And then, what is that?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
A switch is it's?
It's basically an extension ofthe router.
It allows you to connect moreitems into your router.
They all come from the centralmodem that comes from the
telecommunications company.
A lot of people's it's in thebasement or somewhere that it's
not going to get directlyaccessed all the time and then
(24:46):
you can run multiple routers offof that for, say, your wi-fi
access.
But then you can also run aswitch.
That is just a direct extensionof your modem cool.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
So it's like a.
It's like a usb uh splitterlike where you've got you need
more ports to get access to yourrouter or like your usb port,
so you just put like a splitterin it and you can get access to
the the port okay, yeah, it'sthe exact same concept as that
cool.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
That's pretty neat.
So, and just for the audiencelistening out there, I know we
talked a little bit aboutHudson's family last time, but
his dad is Paul Fuller, who is adrainage expert, and his mom is
Kendra, who actually isresponsible for helping to make
sure that we've got all of thedata on the server so that when
(25:35):
you go in and download data fromour servers it's there.
She makes that stuff happen,and she makes that stuff happen
in very much so real time.
We're very fortunate to haveher doing that job.
So that's.
There's a lot of stuff going onin the fuller household it's a
fuller house.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
It is a fuller house.
It is a fuller house.
This is why they revoke my punlike allowance.
Sorry, everybody.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Okay.
So, hudson, if you couldprogram anything in precision
agriculture, anything that youwanted to, based on just what
you've done right now, whatwould that be?
Speaker 2 (26:22):
And I would have no idea how to do it right now, but
it would be something withusing a camera or some sort of
form of like radar, lidar, somesort of machine that we could
program that to get data forourselves.
Something along that line wouldbe, if it was absolutely
(26:43):
anything, no restrictions.
That's what I would want to tryand do, just because I think
it's something that would bevery interesting to figure out
and learn.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
So in other words, like how to log data and turn it
into either like elevation dataor imagery data that we could
just store for ourselves,produce our own data for use.
Yes, awesome, okay, it's goodto have dreams, who knows?
It is fun to think about,though, and imagine you know all
of the different things that aperson could do and places to go
(27:16):
with with whatever you want tocreate.
You know I think we'reincredibly fortunate here at GK
with Darren, of course, andTravis and Hudson really working
together to try to create allof the new products that are
going forward.
Our product development team hasreally expanded with your
(27:39):
addition here at GK and I thinkwe're very excited about that.
I know I always get excitedabout all the new little tools
and things and you know when Ihear you feel you know talk
about the field info tab andyour ideas for where that's
going, I just can't impress uponhow exciting that's going to be
for all of us to have access tothat sort of immediate
(28:00):
turnaround as clicks just waymore efficient on the software.
So that's pretty exciting stuff.
I think GK users everywhere aregoing to be really excited to
know that we have had anexpansion of our product
development.
Yes, so it's just exciting tosee where all the new things are
(28:21):
going.
So I guess, with that, welcometo the team, hudson.
We are so excited that you're apart of GK Technology.
We can't wait to see wherethings go into the future.
And, jody, I guess at GKTechnology we have a map and an
app for that.
And now it's time for a Geek Speak with GK
Technologies, sarah and Jody,friends and I can't wait to get
in the fields again.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
No, I can't wait to get in the fields again.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Welcome back to Ag Geek Speak and to the second
part of our conversation withthe GK Technologies newest
employee, Hudson Fuller.
He is a computer scientist outof Clark, South Dakota, and in
the first part of the episode wehad the pleasure of talking
about Hudson's background withbaseball and computer science
(00:53):
and talked a little bit aboutthe ADAPT standard.
In this second part we'rereally excited to talk more
about Hudson's background inagriculture and and, of course,
talk more about exporting allgeeky stuff about the computer
science, of what we do in.
Speaker 1 (01:11):
ADMS.
And what is he working on nowat GK2?
We haven't even scratched thesurface on that one yet.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
Yeah, so everything that I'm working on right now is
for the upcoming change to theNET release, because the NET
framework is gettingdiscontinued by Windows, so we
need to make a move with ADMS.
So it's all going to be theexact same software, but a lot
of things on the background havechanged just because of slight
(01:40):
changes in how Microsoft ischoosing to run things.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
Just so the whole audience knows like right now,
jodi and I actually are in thebackground playing around with
the new releases that aren'treleased to everybody yet.
So the stuff that Hudson andall the other programmers work
on all of us that do mapping wewill work with those versions in
(02:04):
the background.
All of us that do mapping, wewill work with those versions in
the background, and I canattest to you that they feel
very similar to theold-fashioned.
I highly doubt that you'regoing to notice any differences,
and if there are any slightones, so far I've really enjoyed
them.
Speaker 3 (02:19):
So it looks really nice.
You might see some crisperbuttons that have a little bit
higher resolution, which isawesome.
I love it.
But what I wanted to ask, whatis like?
What is NET?
Speaker 2 (02:44):
Like is it important to know?
As like base users, or likewhen I hear NET as like a basic
computer user, someone thatdoesn't know a lot about the
computer science side.
What do I need to know about it?
You really don't need to knowanything.
It's just, it's something thatMicrosoft.
It's the same as the changefrom Windows 10 to 11.
There's going to be a few minordifferences that might get
noticed, but as a whole theyboth work at functionally the
same level.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
The fiery trash can of death button is still there.
Speaker 2 (03:07):
That is an important change that will not leave.
Speaker 1 (03:11):
That's so.
Don't worry, there's fierytrash.
Canada still exists.
And it is spelled correctly, ohdid we update the spelling on
it now?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Yeah, so after last yeareryl noticed it last year at
the retreat that fiery wasspelled wrong.
after looking at it once prettysure it's been like that for
like north of a decade, yes, andso I think very shortly after
the retreat last year daryn didchange the spelling back to the
correct I'm using air quoteshere of what the correct
(03:44):
spelling of fiery is good job,programmers good job that is not
exactly I was gonna say that isnot a dig at anybody, because
no, I know, I've looked at thatbutton and I've never noticed.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
I've been using the software since 2006 and I never
noticed it until last summer,when Shara pointed it out.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
So okay, so like with that, what does that kind of
involve, Like making thattransition?
What are some of the thingsthat you're thinking about and
working on to make sure thatthat transition is successful?
Speaker 2 (04:20):
Yeah, so it's.
It's a lot of user feedback.
The bug fixes are things thatwe built the code and right away
it built, which means that itwill run.
However, there are going to bea lot of things in there that we
don't know that will end upmaking it crash or not function
in the way that it's supposed toto the user, especially as it
(04:42):
did in the NET framework version, the framework that everyone is
used to.
It's going to be a change thatwill.
It'll take some time and I knowthat once it does finally get
fully released, there'll be waymore issues found than just the
few people that are using it now, and it's probably going to be
something as simple as one lineof code in there that will fix
(05:05):
that bug.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
It's just something that changed that we didn't
realize changed here at GK youmight get a lock screen or
(05:28):
something where we couldn'treally predict on our end that
would happen if somebody didthat out in the real world.
That kind of thing.
Speaker 2 (05:32):
Yeah, something just like that.
Or it might be something assimple as, say, you have your
shape file and then you managedto quadruple click on it because
you didn't think it actuallyclicked.
There are some things like thatthat in the code might have
gotten built into the new onethat we didn't think we ever had
to even account for.
(05:53):
It's going to be simple thingsthat no one even realized they
messed up, but it will end upbreaking something.
Speaker 1 (05:59):
You know, one of the things that I think is really
fun about my job here is thatthe programmers, hudson, develop
stuff and then pretty much theyask all of us in sales to like
use their new creations on ourday-to-day life and try to break
them and then tell them when webreak them, and so I really
(06:20):
enjoy that.
You know, seeing all the newstuff that's coming out and the
new ideas and how it all flows,and yeah, it's pretty fun and I
will say I do like how that newsoftware feels.
I really do.
It feels very nice.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Yeah, and it's super important to have outside bug
testers other than usprogrammers, because we know how
it's supposed to work.
We're probably going to do thesame three things in a row every
time when we're testing itourselves, and then, when
someone else does it, they'regoing to try and do it in a
different way, and sometimesit's going to work.
Other times it's just not goingto work how we envisioned it
and we need to make it so thatit's user-friendly.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
That is one of the best explanations that I think I
have ever heard for thatconcept of trying to make sure
we're getting everything tested.
Speaker 3 (07:10):
Yeah, because the thing is, too, is like.
I'm spending a lot of timewatching the training videos
right now and we constantly sayin every one of them, like how
there's different ways to do allthe things that we do.
There's a couple of thingswhere you do have to follow the
instructions step-by-step, andthat's fine.
That's how every software works.
But there's different ways toapproach things, and I know
(07:32):
teaching people about how to useit too, somebody might think
differently about how to clickthings in order.
Whatever.
As people use ADMS, the NETversion, they're gonna be using
it in different ways than whatwe think you know might be the
order of operations for gettingsomething done.
Speaker 1 (07:50):
Well, and, jodi, I don't know how you do this when
you're teaching people, but,like when I'm working with
people to teach them, I haveused the term there's more than
one way to skin a cat in herebefore, because there is there's
a number of different ways togo about trying to accomplish
what you need to accomplish, andthat's okay.
(08:10):
Actually, sometimes one methodworks better in one agricultural
system versus another fordifferent reasons, and the
agricultural systems that we'refitting into these days are
pretty vast when you take a lookat across the United States of
America and Canada and all thedifferent places that we're
getting into.
So, hudson, speaking ofagriculture, you know we talked
(08:32):
on the previous episode aboutyour background with baseball,
but why don't you tell us alittle bit about your
agricultural background?
Just let us know, because ityou've been from Clark pretty
much your whole life.
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Yeah, my whole life.
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Rural South Dakota then.
So at the very least you weregeographically surrounded by
agriculture.
But why don't you tell us alittle bit more about your
background?
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Yeah, it probably started when I was around three
years old and for Christmas mygrandma decided to get me a baby
doll.
South down sheep they're aminiature breed of sheep.
They come in black and whiteand sometimes they'll end up
with a gray.
And I showed that lamb at theWatertown Farm Show that winter.
(09:22):
And that was the first time I'dreally done anything with
agriculture other than maybebeing out at the farm and
carrying my bucket or whateverit may have been, but that's the
first real memory ofagriculture I have.
And then from there it was.
I showed sheep every year atthe Watertown Farm Show when I
was able to, but at the SouthDakota State Fair up until I
(09:46):
graduated high school.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
With your bucket.
I know nothing about cheap.
The only thing I remember aboutcheap is what my fiance's told
me is that if you carry a bucketof feed, they'll shove their
heads in there and they won'tlet you move until you give them
the food.
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (10:02):
Is that true?
That's pretty true.
That's pretty close to true.
When I was little I had alittle a mini bucket that a two
or three year old could carryand I would just walk along,
grandma, with a grandma andgrandpa, and especially the, the
lambs and the bottle lambs theylove trying to get in there,
get into that little bucket thatI was holding that's so cute
(10:23):
and you say miniature sheep andI think that would probably just
be the cutest thing.
They are probably the cutestthing.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
We might have to have one of those as the cover art
for this, this episode.
We'll see.
We'll see how that goes.
But what?
What other species?
Like?
Did you always show miniatures?
Or like were there otherspecies that you showed over
time?
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Yeah, so once I was of the, always show miniatures
or like were there other speciesthat you showed over time?
Yeah so once I was of the, onceI was of the size to at least
be able to kind of control afull-grown sheep, I started
showing, uh, full-blooded,full-blooded southdowns and
they're, they're a meat sheep,they and I, we show them as a
breeding sheep to make more forother people.
(11:05):
Basically, from there it was.
I showed those for three orfour years and my cousin Jeremy
showed at Hampshire's and wedidn't want to show against each
other and that's why we bothhad the two different species
and then good reasons yep.
(11:26):
And then grandma decided thatshe was going to get rid of the
south downs and just only havethe hampshires and the baby
dolls.
So then I ended up just movingover and only having the
hampshires and the miniaturesheep the two basically ends of
the spectrum.
We have sheep that'll end up at200 250 pounds.
Sometimes then we'll have thelittle miniatures that the big
(11:49):
ones will be a hundred, butthey're usually not quite that
big oh cute.
So they're like the size of whenthey're fully grown, like maybe
of a big dog think about aslong as a lab and they're
thicker than a lab like thicklike a bulldog, long like a lab
(12:10):
and as tall as I don't knowthree feet tall that's cute.
Speaker 1 (12:16):
You could like almost have them in the house if you
could get some.
Speaker 2 (12:19):
People do wait really no, not in the house but they
do have them on little acreages,kind of like lawnmowers some
people oh, that's cool.
Speaker 1 (12:28):
Jody's thinking about this.
Speaker 3 (12:30):
Now for her farm yeah I would like a different lawn
uh control method.
I I say this because last nightwe got a new clothesline and I
literally clothes on myself onthe lawnmower.
Last night which which Garthand I both joked with each other
we're like we can't make sureyou put it down when you're
ready to mow the lawn, becausewe don't want to get
clotheslined, ha ha ha.
(12:51):
And then, like the first time Ipulled the lawnmower out this
year, I literally clotheslinemyself.
So yeah, I would take a, Iwould take a shot, sorry for
that aside.
Did you like showing one of themover the other, or like did you
have?
Speaker 2 (13:08):
a favorite breed to show?
Not really I.
I like showing them both.
They're completely differenthaving to bend over to show them
versus having to make sure theydon't run me over.
It was two completely different, two completely different uh
ideas showing them, but no, theywere both pretty fun did you
consider a middle ofof-the-roadbreed?
The south down, kind of was themiddle-of-the-road breed.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
Okay, yeah, and so now?
So you had small, medium, large, and now it's just small and
large.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (13:38):
Okay.
Well, there's the breakdown.
There's a lot about sheep.
Have you ever thought aboutprecision agriculture and sheep
and how you would use umcomputers to manage sheep?
Speaker 2 (13:50):
they on large scale feedlots.
They kind of do okay they.
They have a whole bunch ofsoftware that's controlling how
much they get fed, especially onin places where it's more of an
indoor style feed lot, whichhappens a lot more down south,
where it's hot all of the timeand there's I.
(14:13):
I don't even know how it works,but I know that it controls
exactly how much gets pouredbased on how much weight they
want to gain per day that's kindof fun, fun.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
We still need you over in field management
agriculture Just saying so.
Speaker 3 (14:33):
speaking of field management, it sounds like
there's another project you'reworking on with an ADMS that
deals with field info.
Do you want to talk a littlebit about what that is in ADMS
and then also what you'reworking on?
Speaker 2 (14:45):
Yeah, so the idea of the field info is to get a whole
bunch of information about thedata or about the field that the
user would input.
So that would be things likethe boundary of the field, the
size of the field and so manyother different things that are
going to end up being involved,and right now I am working on
(15:05):
the ability to automaticallyfill all of that out into an XML
file.
It makes it so.
When you select the boundaryand put it into this tool, it
will bring up a NAEP image ofthat field so that you can see
exactly what it looks like.
And there are so many differentlittle things that could go one
(15:25):
way, could go the other way,but right now it's all about
automatically bringing up thefield boundary and a picture of
that field when you open thatfield in ADMS, so that you do
not have to go and manuallyclick the image of that field
and the boundary of that fieldfor it to show up to the user.
Speaker 1 (15:44):
That's cool.
Speaker 2 (15:44):
Well, that's fun.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
So, it sounds like instead of having to you know
you probably still have tocreate a new folder for the
field, but instead of having tocreate a boundary and pull in a
NAIP image to get it and pull ina NAEP image to get it, like an
(16:08):
image that you can draw a goodgeo-reference boundary, if you
had the information, like thelegal description of where that
field is, a lot of this could bejust generated for you yes, and
that is the next step in theproject right now.
Speaker 2 (16:23):
Yes, and that is the next step in the project right
now is by knowing what state,county and then the township
specifically, it would pull in anape of that township and you
could go draw on the nape whereyour boundary would be and you
could save your nape that way,instead of trying to go from a
whole huge nape image to zoominto the perfect spot to draw
(16:44):
your boundary.
It would make things way betterfor the user in the future.
Speaker 3 (16:49):
Sweet, if we can save clicks any place, I'm game.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Especially for that kind of thing where we just need
to have that generic data.
You know, we got to have thatevery time we're starting to
work with a field.
So it would just be so handy tohave that like right away.
And I don't know like if thelisteners know, but right now in
the software we have a fieldinfo tab, right, hudson?
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Yes, and it's been there for about eight years and
it really doesn't do much.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
And so that's really what you're working on right now
, right, that's where all ofthis is getting incorporated.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Yes, this will all get incorporated into the field
info tab so that, even if youwanted, you could export an XML
from that field info tab so youcould see everything that every
note you have for that field andevery different little detail.
Speaker 3 (17:37):
So, speaking of XML, what is an XML?
And I hear that a lot of times,like with APIs, they'll move
XML back and forth, but likewhat is that?
I don't know what that is.
Speaker 2 (17:49):
So an XML is a way to have.
It's basically like a list ofbullet points and then after the
bullet point is the dataassociated with that bullet
point.
So you would have a boundaryand then after a bullet point
it's in a different format.
When you look at it.
It will have 20 differentpoints that are the edge of that
(18:12):
boundary in the XML file andthen it does the same for the
state it will have.
Whatever state is that field isassociated with the XML file,
it'll be state bullet point andthen say South Dakota, and it
will do that for a whole bunchof different data and it's used
across all differentapplications within agriculture
(18:33):
and then just everywhere.
There are some times whenyou'll download something from
the internet and it will come inan XML file and it's just a
different style of notation.
It's very similar to the JSONformats that you'll see if you
ever export a JSON format.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Is an XML like a csv and just like I don't know how
does it compare to like a csv,like a basic excel export kind
of thing it's similar, but itwould have the ability to have
the same properties as a csv.
Speaker 2 (19:09):
It's a language, well , xml.
I don't know what the x standsfor, but it's markup language,
okay, and it is about making theinformation in your file have a
tag associated with it, justlike a heading or a header in an
Excel file with all the databelow it.
(19:30):
Instead, it's going left toright instead of up down.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Gotcha Okay.
So like you might get from asoil test laboratory, like
here's your nitrate results,that is the tab, or like the
bullet point and then all thedata after.
That would be like the nitrateresults for that, that data that
you're grid, grid sample data.
Speaker 2 (19:54):
Right like you, would have a bullet point that's
nitrogen, and then going all theway across, going horizontal
you would have your nitrogendata yes, if it was exported in
an XML style, that's what itwould look like.
Probably there's so manydifferent ways to build it, but
the generalization is inhorizontal format.
Speaker 1 (20:14):
This is very educational.
I'm smarter for having had thisconversation.
Thank you, Hudson, and actuallythank you, Jodi.
I appreciate yourinterpretation of the
explanation.
Speaker 3 (20:25):
You're welcome for not knowing anything about
computer science, so that I canask what's going on.
Speaker 1 (20:34):
Thank you for your patience, hudson.
We're geeks, don't worry, we'rejust old geeks, I guess or at
least I am Sorry.
Jodi, didn't mean to lump youon there.
Speaker 3 (20:45):
No, I mean this is kind of a little off the side
too, but before you went tocollege, hudson, I'm curious in
high school did you learn aboutcomputer science concepts, like,
are there things that you'reusing in your current job that
you learned as like a computerscience class in high school,
like XML, c, sharp, that kind ofthing?
Speaker 2 (21:06):
No, not in terms of what I'm using now.
I took a web design class Ithink it was my sophomore year
and it was using Dreamweaver andmoving the things around where
you wanted them and try and makea website look good, but other
than that, I didn't learnanything about computer science
in high school.
I did learn about theagriculture side in high school
(21:27):
through my FFA programs and myagriculture classes, though.
Speaker 3 (21:31):
Okay, the important stuff.
Speaker 2 (21:34):
Yes, it's all important important stuff.
Speaker 1 (21:43):
Yes, it's all important, so no shade to other
classes, okay?
So I, I, and if you don't wantto answer these questions, this
is fine and we'll just cut themout but, um, I, I'm gonna ask.
So there's actually three ofyou living in the same house
right now working for gktechnology, right, yes, you got
your mom and your dad and you.
So, holy Hannah, that's likethat's a lot of GK in one
household.
What is it like on a day-to-daybasis working with you know,
(22:08):
living with three of yourco-workers who happen to be your
parents?
Speaker 2 (22:14):
You know it's interesting, but a lot of the
times it's nice because I don'thave to call someone to ask a
question about ADMS and howsomeone that uses it would
actually want it to be used inthe future.
I just walk about 20 steps andask the questions and it's nice
actually being able to figureout okay, this is how shape
(22:37):
files look and are used visuallyin ADMS.
How can we make them do this inthe background, or something
that would be nice for everyoneto have?
Speaker 3 (22:47):
How many computers are running in your house?
Speaker 2 (22:53):
Four.
Speaker 1 (22:55):
That's it.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
Four computers running, but I think there's
about 10 monitors, 10 screensthere.
It is not including, likephones and ipads and tablets and
stuff you have things that areused for somewhat work
applications four computers withabout 10 monitors hey, for
those of us with the gK FieldMapper app, be careful with that
(23:16):
.
Speaker 3 (23:29):
How do you run your routers?
I'm curious.
Do you have mesh extensions?
Again, I'm saying words that Idon't know what they mean.
Do you have to take any specialconsideration to hardware to
make sure everything worksquickly in the house?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
and we, once I came back home to start working, we
had to do a router upgrade.
We just didn't have the speedfor me to be able to work and my
dad to be able to work.
My mom remotes in, so all theinternet stuff is actually on
the other side at the servers,but it all runs through the
basement.
And then the router is nowmoved a lot closer to me and I
(24:01):
am hardwired to the router.
And then there is a secondswitch that is ran through the
basement over towards my dad'sdesk where his phone is
connected, and then he also hashis laptop connected to it as
well.
Speaker 3 (24:14):
As again, like as someone who is curious about
these things but doesn't get toask what is a switch Like?
Is it just attached to yourrouter?
And then, what is that?
Speaker 2 (24:25):
A switch is it's?
It's basically an extension ofthe router.
It allows you to connect moreitems into your router.
They all come from the centralmodem that comes from the
telecommunications company.
A lot of people's it's in thebasement or somewhere that it's
not going to get directlyaccessed all the time and then
(24:46):
you can run multiple routers offof that for, say, your wi-fi
access.
But then you can also run aswitch.
That is just a direct extensionof your modem cool.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
So it's like a.
It's like a usb uh splitterlike where you've got you need
more ports to get access to yourrouter or like your usb port,
so you just put like a splitterin it and you can get access to
the the port okay, yeah, it'sthe exact same concept as that
cool.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
That's pretty neat.
So, and just for the audiencelistening out there, I know we
talked a little bit aboutHudson's family last time, but
his dad is Paul Fuller, who is adrainage expert, and his mom is
Kendra, who actually isresponsible for helping to make
sure that we've got all of thedata on the server so that when
(25:35):
you go in and download data fromour servers it's there.
She makes that stuff happen,and she makes that stuff happen
in very much so real time.
We're very fortunate to haveher doing that job.
So that's.
There's a lot of stuff going onin the fuller household it's a
fuller house.
Speaker 3 (25:53):
It is a fuller house.
It is a fuller house.
This is why they revoke my punlike allowance.
Sorry, everybody.
Speaker 1 (26:06):
Okay.
So, hudson, if you couldprogram anything in precision
agriculture, anything that youwanted to, based on just what
you've done right now, whatwould that be?
Speaker 2 (26:22):
And I would have no idea how to do it right now, but
it would be something withusing a camera or some sort of
form of like radar, lidar, somesort of machine that we could
program that to get data forourselves.
Something along that line wouldbe, if it was absolutely
(26:43):
anything, no restrictions.
That's what I would want to tryand do, just because I think
it's something that would bevery interesting to figure out
and learn.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
So in other words, like how to log data and turn it
into either like elevation dataor imagery data that we could
just store for ourselves,produce our own data for use.
Yes, awesome, okay, it's goodto have dreams, who knows?
It is fun to think about,though, and imagine you know all
of the different things that aperson could do and places to go
(27:16):
with with whatever you want tocreate.
You know I think we'reincredibly fortunate here at GK
with Darren, of course, andTravis and Hudson really working
together to try to create allof the new products that are
going forward.
Our product development team hasreally expanded with your
(27:39):
addition here at GK and I thinkwe're very excited about that.
I know I always get excitedabout all the new little tools
and things and you know when Ihear you feel you know talk
about the field info tab andyour ideas for where that's
going, I just can't impress uponhow exciting that's going to be
for all of us to have access tothat sort of immediate
(28:00):
turnaround as clicks just waymore efficient on the software.
So that's pretty exciting stuff.
I think GK users everywhere aregoing to be really excited to
know that we have had anexpansion of our product
development.
Yes, so it's just exciting tosee where all the new things are
(28:21):
going.
So I guess, with that, welcometo the team, hudson.
We are so excited that you're apart of GK Technology.
We can't wait to see wherethings go into the future.
And, jody, I guess at GKTechnology we have a map and an
app for that.
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If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.