5 ways farmers can work smarter with others

New-generation farm management software provides good tools for working smarter with others.

It can help farmers work more efficiently with farm staff, as well as assisting their relationships with anyone who is key to their farm business.

Here are five ways the new software helps farmers with communication and sharing farm information…

1. Work smarter with the farm team

Farmers can determine who gets accessYou get an online farm calendar that provides an overview of what’s happening and can easily be updated. It’s internet-based, so login access can be given to staff members and they can view it on any computer with an internet connection.

Tasks can be noted in the online calendar, once the farm management team has decided how they want to set things up for the season ahead. Tasks can be allocated to named staff – or contractors or professionals such as vets, for example. Staff with login access can see their tasks – viewing them on their mobile if they’ve got an app loaded.

The software handles paddock information and enables a regular farm walk to be set up around listed paddocks that is linked with pasture measurement recording. Another handy option is a stock rotation can be set up for a given period of time. Both of these can then be passed on to a staff member to carry out.

 

2. Share information with other farmers

Software assists communicationAs a farmer you'll probably have commercial relationships with other farmers around the supply and sale of stock – either stud stock for breeding or store stock for finishing. Both parties – the buyer and the seller – have an interest in knowing how lines of stock performed on the receiving farm.

The new farm management software can track animal performance on the farm and right through to include carcass grading. With the agreement of both the farmers involved, performance results can be shared as part of their ongoing business relationship.

When the finishing farm uses EID tags, measures such as weights can be recorded against individual animals. This means that animals from different lines can be run together in a mob and the software will still know which animal came from where and be able to report on their performance at every stage.

 

3. Share information with professionals

The software helps the farm team work with the circle of professionals who help the farm run, providing services like financial accounting, veterinary and management advice. Internet-based software allows the option of giving them login access so they are seeing the same information as the farm management team. They can then look through reporting on trends over time to spot problems and opportunities. 

 

4. Reporting for off-farm partners

The new farm management software offers a range of viewing options, so any person with login access can decide what analysis and reporting they want to see. An off-farm partner could set up their own management dashboard made up of a range of key reports. The software also includes consolidated reporting of multiple farms under single ownership.

 

5. Assurance for customers

Farmers are conscious these days of ensuring their farm operation meets assurance requirements, for example as part of working with a meat company that needs to provide assurances to its customers. Farm software can help record farm activities and easily produce and share reports.

 

Want to find out about the new farm management software that is helping New Zealand farmers work smarter with others? Click below...

 New Call-to-action