In today’s farming, regulations are becoming stricter, input costs are rising, and profit margins are decreasing. Today’s farmers can no longer afford to farm “blind”. Farmers need to know which fertilizer, ground prep work, and harvest methods offer the best value for the money and which varieties produce higher yields.
Record keeping
Today, farm record keeping software is an essential tool which helps farmers organize, manage, and analyze their farm data. It can help farmers improve their productivity, profitability, and sustainability by providing them with insights and solutions for their daily operations on the farm.
Here are some of the key benefits of using farm record keeping software:
- Save time and reduce errors by automating data entry and storage.
- Track and monitor farm activities such as planting, harvesting, fertilizing, spraying, irrigations, etc.
- Record and report on farm expenses, income, inventory, labor, etc.
- Generate reports and charts that show trends, performance indicators, benchmarks, etc.
- Integrate with other software and devices such as accounting systems, weather stations, sensors, etc.
Easy to use
Software’s ease of use should not be underestimated. Many record keeping software’s offer many powerful functionalities which you need, but the software is not being used. Why? Often, it is because the software is cumbersome to use. It’s not just software, just think back about any item you purchased and now it is just sitting on the shelf and collecting dust. It is highly likely because it is not easy to use, hard to setup or complicated interface.
Here are some suggestions on what to look for before committing to farm record keeping software:
- Ease of use: The software should be user-friendly and intuitive. It should have a clear interface and navigation.
- Customization: The software should allow you to manage different crop types, such as permanent, produce and row crops.
- Reports and dashboards: The software should provide you with downloadable reports. Ideally in Excel or csv format, so the user can further analyze the data.
- Security: The software should protect your data from unauthorized access or loss. It should have backups and recovery options.
- Compatibility: The software should work well with your existing hardware and software. It should be compatible with Mac or Windows operating systems and all popular browsers.
Farm record keeping software is a valuable investment for any farmer who wants to optimize their operations and grow their business. By using it you can gain more control and visibility over your farm data and make better decisions based on facts and evidence.
If you are a farmer or farm manager, please check out AgNote. AgNote was initially prototyped by an actual farm manager who managed over 6,000 acres of row and permanent crops.
