Ben Farmer talks with EastIdahoNews.com about his business Whispr. | Cody Roberts, EastIdahoNews.com
RIGBY — Most lawnmowers start up with an angry roar and require a little bit of muscle to wrangle around the yard. But one local company’s robot lawnmowers are quieter and require less effort to handle.
The business is called Whispr.
Ben Farmer, owner of the Whispr franchise based in Rigby, told EastIdahoNews.com that with modern technology, having a robot do your lawn care couldn’t be easier.
Farmer was introduced to robot mowers about five years ago. He had an internship in the welding industry canceled due to COVID-19, so he was in the state of Washington and looking for work. His brother-in-law had just teamed up with a landscaper, and they needed laborers, so Farmer started working for them, and they automated the work with robots.
He loved the concept, but eventually he had to get back to his normal life and continue his career in welding. But last year, Farmer had the opportunity to buy the local franchise of Whispr.
“I just love the idea of automating the jobs that people don’t love to do, and there’s not enough people to do them,” Farmer said.
Farmer said there are some paradigm shifts with robot mowing that you wouldn’t expect. The grass is always freshly cut, as the mowers usually run about every other day. The mowers also do something called micromulching, so the grass clippings are much smaller, which is healthier for the grass, and it doesn’t leave big clumps in the yard.
The mowers are electric, so no gasoline is needed, and they dock themselves. There’s almost no maintenance costs, other than occasionally replacing their blades. And perhaps most striking is that when the robots mow, it’s almost completely silent.
To program the robots to mow where they need to, you use an app to drive them around the boundary, Farmer said. Some are so advanced that they will map their own boundaries. You can also program channels where the mowers will go between sections of the yard and areas within the yard you don’t want them to mow, like garden beds.
The mowers are skilled at moving around obstacles. They can mow under objects like trailers parked in the yard. They can move around obstacles like toys that are left in the yard by using cameras. They can also go through little gates — similar to doggy doors — to get past fences.
And if you want to get artistic with your mowing, Farmer said you can also program patterns. He said one of his customers has a large yard and is particularly patriotic, so the customer has programmed it to have a special pattern for America250.
“On the corner, I’m going to have ‘USA 250’ and stars all around it,” Farmer said. “It’ll just not mow on those areas, so the grass will grow and create that pattern. But it does time out eventually, so the grass doesn’t get too long. Obviously, you can set a time for when you want it to go and freshen up that grass. It’s pretty exciting. It’s going to be awesome.”
Farmer said robot mowers have been around since the 1990s, but they’ve improved a lot since then. They used to require homeowners to bury wires in the lawn.
“That was a big problem with getting this going over the past decades, you would have to bury a wire around the perimeter like an invisible dog fence,” Farmer said. “Inevitably, you would end up having breaks in the wire, you would have to go find the break. And if you have a garden you want to plant, you can’t do that because you’ve got to move the wire. It was a huge hassle.
“All that is so adjustable now. It takes seconds to change the boundary,” he continued.
Farmer said that cities all over the world use robot mowers like these to mow large spaces like soccer fields and parks. He said it’s saved them lots of money on operating costs.
Farmer said he sells mowers, with interest-free financing, and he leases them out.
Bill Rhodes, a local Whispr customer, told EastIdahoNews.com that he is on the leasing program and it’s taken out a lot of headaches in lawn care.
“I’m one of Ben’s first customers,” Rhodes said. “His timing was great. I was having trouble with my lawn guy. Then Ben showed up, we demoed the system, and decided to lease it. It was better than wondering if somebody was going to show up every week.”
“Ben’s been really good,” Rhodes said. “We’ve had a few hiccups, but he’s always taken care of things, made things right. We’re very happy and pleased with the service.”
Anyone interested in Whispr services can contact the company through gowhispr.com. Farmer said you can fill out a form, and someone from the business will reach out.
One of Whispr’s robots mows a lawn. | Cody Roberts, EastIdahoNews.com
Biz Bits
Blackfoot natives give back: 6,000 golf balls donated to Blackfoot Golf Course ahead of 65th annual George Von Elm Memorial Tournament
The following is a news release from Get Found First and Timepiece Homes:
BLACKFOOT — With the 65th Annual Von Elm Golf Tournament bringing over 100 golfers to Blackfoot this weekend, the Blackfoot Golf Course has something new to celebrate heading into tournament play. Local businesses Get Found First (GFF) and Timepiece Homes have presented the course with a donation of 6,000 new golf balls — 500 dozen — for use at the driving range, which is leased from the City of Blackfoot. The presentation ceremony was held at the driving range on Wednesday, June 24.
The donation was formally presented to Preston Hafer, general manager of the Blackfoot Golf Course, and Mason Day, PGA Associate.
What makes this gift especially meaningful is where it comes from. GFF CEO Michael Johnson, GFF business partner Katie Harris, and Timepiece Homes owner Rod Albertson are all Blackfoot natives. The three have made it a shared mission to invest in the community that raised them — and for each of them, the golf course isn’t just a local landmark, it’s a piece of home.
“We love this tournament and we love Blackfoot! It’s exciting for us to contribute to our community in this way,” said Rod Albertson, owner of Timepiece Homes.
For Johnson, the driving range carries a lifetime of memories — and the hope of making new ones.
“The driving range has been part of my life since I was a kid — it’s one of those places tied to some of my best memories,” said Michael Johnson, CEO, Get Found First. “When I noticed some of the challenges it was facing, I knew we had to do something to help. My wife and I really want this to be a special place for our kids as well, and we hope this contribution makes it a little better for everyone in our community to enjoy.”
The Von Elm Tournament, now in its 65th year, is one of Blackfoot’s most enduring sporting traditions, drawing golfers from across the region to compete annually. The timing of the donation is intentional — a way of honoring the tournament and the community that has supported it for over six decades.
Get Found First is a full-service digital marketing agency dedicated to helping businesses grow through data-driven strategies and results-focused campaigns. Timepiece Homes is a Blackfoot-based home builder committed to crafting quality homes and strengthening the communities they serve.
Idaho Falls Symphony selects conductor finalists
The following is a news release from the Idaho Falls Symphony:
IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Falls Symphony has chosen six conductor finalists, each conducting a concert during the upcoming 2026-2027 concert season. Audience members will have the opportunity to share their thoughts about the concert and conductors after each performance. Each conductor candidate worked alongside the Symphony Programming Committee to curate the music selections.
Music and the Maestros:
- Search Series I: “The Melting Pot” will be conducted by Shizuo Z Kuwahara. Kuwahara won first prize at the prestigious Solti International Conducting Competition and has an international conducting career, including work with major orchestras and opera houses.
- Search Series II: “Stealing From Birds” will be conducted by Danko Druško. Praised as a “miracle worker” by Peninsula Reviews, Druško is an advocate for community engagement through music and traditional repertoire to unite audiences of different backgrounds.
- Search Series III: “Classically Christmas” will be conducted by Daniel Black. Black recently completed a four-year tenure as Resident Conductor of the Florida Orchestra, conducting over 50 concerts per season. He is also an accomplished musical composer and arranger.
- Search Series IV: “Love Stories” will be conducted by Wesley Schulz. With a range across standard repertoire, pops, and contemporary works, Schulz is a highly creative concert programmer. He has collaborated with well-known musical artists, including “Star Wars” composer John Williams and “Hamilton” star Leslie Odom Jr.
- Search Series V: “Beethoven’s 5th” will be conducted by Timothy Verville. His work is described as “awe-inspiring” and credited for “bringing down the house” by the Atlanta Arts Scene. Verville is also a recipient of the American Prize in both Orchestral Performance and Composition.
- Search Series VI: “River Runs Through You” will be conducted by Jiannan Cheng. She is praised as “a rare combination of technical skill, intense musicality, and a genuine passion.” Cheng won the First Prize, the Orchestra Prize, and the Audience Prize at the Hugo Alfvén International Conducting Competition.
“We can’t wait to introduce the community and musicians to these talented conductors. This is a unique season to build new connections,” said Symphony Executive Director Carrie Athay.
The Idaho Falls Symphony will announce the new conductor in either late April or early May of 2027.
RELATED | ‘I love this community’: Idaho Falls Symphony music director prepares to conduct final concert
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