7 Key Benefits of Farm Management Software

Farmers have been growing food for generations without using farm management software. But in today’s fast-paced and highly competitive food production landscape, farm management software, or FMS, is critical to success.

Why Use Farm Management Software?

A farm management software program implemented in an agricultural operation leads to reduced expenses, increased yields, better yield quality, higher profitability and lower operational risk.

Specifically, farm management software provides seven key benefits.

1)    Better and More Timely Agronomic Decisions

Data management’s ability to collect, record and synthesize extensive amounts of information coming from multiple sources (such as weather stations, soil monitors, images from satellites and drones, local, regional and federal agricultural databases and more) makes farm management software uniquely suited to helping farmers and growers manage their agronomic practices.

Farm management software helps farmers and growers with agronomic decisions that mitigate yield losses during adverse conditions and improve yield quantities and qualities in optimum conditions.

• Monitors weather forecasting and bad weather alerts.
• Alerts to conditions favoring high pest and disease risk.
• Indexes plant health status throughout the crop cycle.
• Predicts best fertilizing windows and computing the most cost-efficient amount of inputs based on crop status, input costs, predictive yields and crop value.
• Monitors for appropriate spray windows to control pests and diseases.
• Identifies harvest timing based on crop ripeness, quality and waiting periods after input applications.

2)    More Efficient Input Use

Rather than just chasing yields, profitable farmers work hard to utilize their inputs efficiently.

Often the most expensive line item in a farm’s operating budget, input costs have skyrocketed in the last few years. Rising fertilizer costs make it even more important that farmers squeeze every bit of profitability out of each pound of fertilizer applied and don’t overapply. Depending on many factors, including crop value and soil fertility, a farmer is sometimes better off reducing their inputs and sacrificing yield than spending too much money on an expensive fertilizer purchase.

Farm management software can help evaluate input use decisions in many ways, ultimately saving farmers and growers money.

• Computes variable rate scripts for the most efficient application of seeds, fertilizers and crop protection.
• Evaluates the ROI of switching from proactive to reactive spraying programs based on field insights and scouting.
• Optimizes water usage based on water stress insights, historical data and rainfall forecasts.
• Mitigates for deviations by monitoring input use analytics by field, crop and varietals.

3)    Improve Management of Workers and Field Operations

Efficiently overseeing the farm crew can make or break an agricultural company. But worker management on farms is tricky. Frequently crews are far away from the farm office. And, during busy seasons like harvest, many things can happen simultaneously, making clear communication channels even more critical.

Implementing farm management software is an excellent way to streamline employee and field operations directly impacting a farm’s bottom line- better workforce management equates to cost savings.

• Generates clear and timely instructions to all workers, eliminating communication mishaps that result in losses.
• Monitors worker progress in real-time for higher efficiencies.
• Collates accurate operational data for future decision-making.
• Analyzes worker performance and productivity improvements.
• Keeps track of machinery telematics and utilizations.

4)    Optimize Finance and Inventory

In large farm budgets, it can be hard to keep track of harvest inventory yet to be sold as well as existing materials and supplies. And singling out profitability per crop, field or management practice can complicate an overall farm budget.

Using farm management software makes quick work of all the complex finance and inventory management needs of a typical agricultural operation resulting in revenue improvement due to improved cost savings.

• Optimizes inventory management to reduce losses or over-purchasing of supplies and monitors crop inventory to maximize the most profitable periods to make sales.
• Organizes and gives complete control over farm finances, payables and receivables.
• Analyzes profitability by crop, variety and field to focus on better-performing selections and practices.

5)    Secure Traceability and Compliance

With regulatory compliance increasing and more consumer-led demands for traceability in the food supply, farmers must be able to quickly and accurately prove they have complied with rules and requirements governing safe food production.

Farm management software manages traceability and compliance requirements giving farmers and growers access to premium markets and prices.

• Compiles and records all data for traceability, reducing reporting time.
• Creates direct, seamless reporting from your operations for standards, certifications, regulators and markets.
• Fulfills transparency requirements by enabling QR traceability codes.

6)    Continuous Improvement of Agricultural Practices

The agricultural and food production industry is being closely scrutinized for its practices. Consumers want to know their food is safe, does not harm the environment and that farm workers are treated fairly.

With better data, farmers and growers can make more informed decisions to improve their agricultural, food safety and even worker management practices resulting in better soil health, biodiversity, more nutritious and safe crops and a secure and happy workforce.

• Analyzes best-performing practices by crop, variety and field, giving growers data they need to justify investing in better practices.
• Defines best practices and guidelines for all farms and workers to follow.
• Records data used to analyze and substantiate a farm’s carbon footprint and carbon sequestration.

7)    Simplify Farm Administration

Simplify Farm Administration

Last but not least, the paperwork! For years farmers and growers relied on scribbled notebooks, bags of receipts and endless excel spreadsheets to create track of their farm management, bookwork and administration. Farm management software brings all the ‘paperwork’ that accompanies a farm business under one program.

With farm management software, regular admin tasks become easy and efficient, resulting in cost savings and making admin tasks easy and convenient for farm staff.

• All farm data is kept in one place.
• Data exists in the cloud. It can be accessed from any device, anywhere.
• No data loss.
• Data and reports are available with just a simple click, saving time.

AGRIVI’s Farm Management Software for Farmers, Agricultural Companies and Food Producers

Interested in the benefits farm management software can bring to your agricultural operation? Contact AGRIVI for more information.