Farming for many years has often been looked upon as a primarily manual affair. While that might have been the case, technology has revolutionized it just as it has other sectors. The rise in farmers adopting management software in production is borne by the fact that the agriculture industry has been growing steadily over the years in the US.
Several activities go into sustaining a farm, and the farmer is required to keep an eye on all of them. Farm management software can help farm owners and operators automate record keeping for better operational experience. It is surprising that 69% percent of farmers in America still use pen and paper for their record keeping. Therefore, more needs to be done to espouse the virtues of farm management software. Here is a complete rundown on what you need to know about farm management software.
What is Farm Management Software?
Farm management software is the collective name given to computer programs used in recording, storing and analyzing data from farm operations. Like any other business concern, a farm has several processes that need monitoring and the information flowing from these processes require to be stored and analyzed for use when necessary.
Farm management software can be used to monitor the financial aspects of the farm so that with one click the farmer knows what their gross margins are, how much they are spending on inputs, etc. It also helps to monitor the state of units under production (finished and work-in-progress) so that accurate inventory information is always available.
When decisions touching on the farm need to be made, farm management software avails the information necessary to inform such decision making. It is therefore essential that the quality of data being collected by the staff and entered into the software be as accurate as possible. When you enter poor quality data, you cannot expect good results.
Benefits of Farm Management Software
- Farm management software will help you develop a centralized database of all the data relating to your farm. Unlike recording and entering the same data manually, using the software in the office and out in the field will help you gain a comprehensive view of how your business is doing.
- This software can help the farmer to gain insights and trends about their business from analyzing the data they have collected over a period. Once they know what their gross profit margin is, how fast they consume inputs, etc. they can compare it to other farms to spot areas of operational inefficiencies. You can then remedy these issues to improve your farm’s productivity and profitability.
- Farm management software can help you adhere to compliance requirements through accounting data. Organic farms must deliver accurate quantity flow records during inspections and farm management software can help them collect the data without compromise. Such software also allows farmers to accurately gather data needed for the necessary reports expected of them.
Popular Farm Management Software
There are tons of farm management software options out there that work for various people. Some work and some do not deliver as promised. Here is a look at some of the most popular farm management software producers are incorporating in their operations.
- Agrivi - Agrivi is a cloud-anchored, knowledge-based solution that offers weather forecasts for seven days and an additional three-year weather history log. It provides a smart disease detection alarm so that you don’t get caught flat-footed by outbreaks. Farm finances are catered for via expense tracking and also an advance sales feature.
- Conservis - Conservis aims to help farmers work smarter instead of harder. Growers and institutions can monitor farm activities in real-time since it is enterprise-ready. Conservis allows farmers and enterprises to compare strategy outcomes to determine the best approach for the business. You can monitor field operations through its work orders and production functions. It’s available for desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.
- Granular - Granular is a farm management software focused on helping the farmer maximize product revenue and the productivity around it. Its farm planning feature allows farmers anticipate optimal water requirements for the crops while predicting the climatic patterns and their effects on the produce. It provides a five-year history of the crop the farm has grown to generate insights into the production. It handles land and soil data with immediate updates when changes suffice to enable the farmer to adapt their strategy and not be caught unawares.
Farm management software has the potential to hand farm owners and operators granular control over their processes for better productivity. The quality of information used by the software determines the output, and it is imperative that one preserves the accuracy of the primary data. There are many types of farm management software in the market to suit nearly every production scenario. Begin by highlighting the needs of your operation to know what option will bring out the best in your farm.
