Agworld

Lance Funk Farms, one of the USA’s largest suppliers of potatoes, was using multiple legacy software systems for precision functionality, but none of these systems offered any record keeping ability. In order to organize the farming operation with up to 250 employees in peak season, management had to rely on spreadsheets. The sheer size of the operation, in combination with the variety of crops grown, drove the farm to explore software solutions that could help better manage the operation and aid with traceability. Before adopting Agworld, they would make a standardized spray program and every field kind of got the same inputs applied.

David Boersma, who runs a custom farming operation in Manteca, California, was facing a challenge with his billing process. At the end of every month, he had to go through eight hand-written books to find out which jobs had been performed and worried that some jobs might get missed. The process was time-consuming and prone to errors. He was looking for a solution that could make his billing process quicker, easier, and more accurate.

Cavaso Farming Partnership, a family-run farming operation in Australia, needed a simple and efficient way to create records of the spraying operations that take place in each individual crop and field. This was particularly important for their prune crops, which are subject to food certification requirements. They needed to be able to supply accurate records of exactly what inputs have been applied at any given time during the season. The family was looking to digitize and simplify their record-keeping process, which was previously done through hand-written books and piecing together various data.

Colusa County Farm Supply’s (CCFS) was introduced to Agworld by one of their growers. The grower showed them how Agworld could help farmers and agronomists improve their chemical and fertility management forecasts. The agronomists at CCFS were interested in how Agworld could help them collaborate with their clients and organize chemical and fertility management to create budgets. They decided to trial Agworld and were impressed with the benefits it offered.

Ben VanDyke of VanDyke Farms needed a better way to track his input applications for certification purposes when he started to grow food crops next to his existing grass seed operation. The farm is surrounded by sensitive crops, which necessitates a high degree of caution when spraying and accurate input application tracking to prevent spray drift from occurring. The farm is often blamed for herbicide drift, even when they are certain it wasn't them. This necessitates having legal proof in case of an investigation. The farm also needed to create reports for GAP and other certification, which became important with the introduction of blueberries and hazelnuts.

Elders, a rural service provider in Australia, was seeking a digital platform that would enable their agronomists to provide a consistent service and collaborate with their growers. They wanted a solution that would be beneficial for their clients to adopt as well. The challenge was to find a platform that would ensure continuity in their agronomy service provision, even when agronomists might relocate to other branches, and that would provide access to historical agronomic data for all agronomists.

The Maitland family, who manage a diversified farming and food business in Australia, were using a legacy farm management software that was not user-friendly and thus not used effectively within the business. The food production and export focus of the business required accurate records to be kept so that critical information can easily be shared with relevant authorities, exporters, and final consumers. However, the existing software was not able to meet these needs, and the team was not able to enter data at all times.

Woolf Farming’s permanent crop manager, Kevin Visser, wanted to find a way to work closer with his agronomist and, at the same time, recognized that he needed a digital tool that could help him create better plans and reports than what he was used to. Kevin’s agronomy provider, Soil Basics, introduced him to Agworld and showed him the opportunities and capabilities of the platform. Once Kevin realized how this system would benefit Woolf Farming on a daily basis, he decided to adopt Agworld as well.

Up until 2015, Valley Agronomics was using legacy software that did not fulfill the needs of the organisation. The agronomy team was not happy with the tools they had, and they did not offer any opportunity for client interaction either. The existing software was outdated and did not provide the necessary features and functionalities required by the team. This posed a significant challenge as it hindered the team's ability to effectively manage and monitor their operations. The lack of client interaction features also made it difficult for the team to effectively communicate and collaborate with their clients. This was a major setback as it affected the overall efficiency and productivity of the team.

Wairakaia Partnership, a mixed farming operation in New Zealand, was struggling with data management. The company was using spreadsheets to track their operations, but this method was time-consuming and inefficient. The cropping manager and co-owner, Bruce Graham, was frustrated with having to enter all his data back in the office at night, instead of being able to do so in the field. Additionally, he was unable to access his farm data when he needed it most: in the field. The company needed a solution that would allow them to create and access records wherever they were, and provide detailed historical data to inform their decision-making process.

In 2014, Drew Bell with Coleman Ag recognized the need to start collecting farm records electronically and in the field, by the people performing the actual applications, instead of behind a desktop in an office. The main drivers for this need were state regulations that enforce pesticide application tracking and to provide workers with accurate information about re-entry intervals after these applications. The Coleman family has a long history in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, having first arrived on the Oregon Trail in 1847 and settling in the Saint Paul area. The Coleman family soon started farming in the Willamette Valley, which is a tradition that the family has continued ever since, with the sixth generation Colemans currently at the helm.

Junior Loza was using Excel to keep track of his field applications and costs but was not able to easily run reports or identify his agronomic costs per field, variety or acre. Junior also did not have a tool to help him manage his workforce, up to 40 people in peak season, and ensure that everyone was involved in recording all of the job details. Growing hops is unlike any other crop, from planting through to harvesting. The hop varieties that are grown get decided on a supply and demand basis by the brokers and the end users, often resulting in farms growing lots of different varieties. Loza Farms for example grows over 10 different varieties, with some fields as small as 7 acres for the niche varieties.

Gillieston Fresh Produce, a tomato grower for wholesalers on the East Coast of Australia, was facing challenges in accurately tracking nutrition and other inputs applied to each field. They were also unable to record the cost of production and profit for a specific field. The lack of detailed records was affecting their ability to optimize their production process and maximize profitability. The company needed a solution that would allow them to plan and budget their whole season, record every single field operation as the season progresses, and have accurate historic records available per individual field.

K•Coe Isom’s AgKnowledge team was looking to improve their service offerings to their grower clients by moving towards a more dynamic way of communication. They wanted to create improved metrics on a more detailed level for their growers to empower them to make more profitable decisions. The team was using spreadsheets for their farm planning, which did not allow for two-way dynamic communication. They realized that the time of using spreadsheets for everything was rapidly coming to an end and they needed to find a better and more sophisticated farm planning solution.

The Jansz Parish vineyard, a 220-hectare property in Penna, Tasmania, was struggling with gaining insight into the detailed cost per hectare of their wine production. They also wanted to produce accurate production budgets for future seasons without adding extra layers of administration and complexity. The vineyard has three types of soil and focuses on biodiversity by planting flowering crops every 10th row, along with corridors of native bush and a cover cropping program. This diversity required them to monitor their nutrition closely with soil testing six weeks post-harvest, petiole analysis pre and post flowering, and dry ash analysis at harvest.

Lilliput Ag, a farming enterprise that grows a variety of crops and produces seed for sister-business Baker Seed Co., was looking to adopt a newer recording platform linked to the cloud to track production data. The co-owners, Andrew & Sue Russell, felt that they had to be able to connect production data to their finance software in order to remain competitive. They were using an older software solution for 20 years and felt the need to advance to a cloud-driven mobile platform. The goal was to capture as much data as possible in order to dial back inputs where possible and decrease costs. The more data they had to reference, the more precise they could be with the inputs they applied.

The Roberts’ family farming operation captured data, but mainly in excel spreadsheets together with a total of 55 separate apps. When Ben Roberts joined the family farm, he was determined to make the process of capturing and utilizing data easier and derive more value from the farm data in the end. The family was using excel spreadsheets, which were difficult to update and understand for anyone else but the person who created them. Ben Roberts wanted to be able to drive into a field, see where he was at, click on the field, and have the year-to-date information right there in front of him.

Whitesides Dairy had been looking for a record-keeping program to suit their operation for a few years but were unable to identify a tool that measured up to their standards. They needed a tool that could help them keep track of how much nutrition they apply to their fields, as they use most of the manure from their dairy in their cropping operation, as well as some commercial fertilizer. They also needed to track the EPA registration numbers with the rates and applications dates for the insecticides and pesticides they use on their crops. They had been using spreadsheets for these tasks, but it was becoming increasingly labor-intensive.

The Baldock family, who manage a farm in Buckleboo, SA, needed a tool to capture data in a one-touch electronic format that everyone could access. They wanted to know exactly what happens in the field. They also needed more reports from their farm data to make more transparent management decisions. Tristan Baldock, who had recently joined the family farm, was familiar with Agworld and its advantages for agronomists. He soon discovered what Agworld could do for growers as well, and the family decided to adopt Agworld as the data capture platform on their farm.

Jack Phillips, owner and manager of J F Phillips Farms, needed a farm record keeping platform that allows him to keep track of everything that happens on his farm. He wanted a system that would not offer seed, chemical and fertilizer companies or equipment suppliers any kind of transparency into his data, so they could use this data to his disadvantage. The challenge was to find a system that would meet these requirements and help him manage the many moving parts of his operation.

The Gargas family, fifth-generation farmers in Ohio, were looking to adopt new technology to improve their business practices. They wanted to avoid using a range of different programs for different parts of the business. They had recently purchased their own self-propelled sprayer, which increased their workload and need for visibility of their outstanding jobs. The family farm is located close to Lake Erie, which brings some challenges with it as environmental management laws are getting stricter every year. They were also looking for a way to be proactive in their farming practices to prevent runoff of nitrogen and phosphates, and wind erosion, which could harm Lake Erie.

James Reamer had already managed succession planning from a land and asset point of view, but knew there is a lot more to pass on than just the asset. Jamie, his daughter, wanted to help facilitate the knowledge and experience transfer as quickly and effectively as possible and knew a digital platform was the best opportunity to do so. Jamie also knew that she needed to be in the field to really learn the farm’s subtleties and be of the greatest value to the business.

Steve McVeigh, a cotton grower in Dalby, Queensland, was operating two geographically separated properties with a paper-based administration system. This system was inefficient and made it difficult to access critical information when needed. The geographical separation between Steve’s two farming aggregations at Nandi and Warra made the job of managing them harder and communication was key to making it work. Steve explains: “I live on one of the properties myself and our farm manager Jake Murray on the other, but of course I still drive back and forth between them both a lot.

Hough Farms was using a legacy farm management software but when that company was sold to a large input supplier, they wanted to ensure their farm data was stored with an independent party. They were also looking for a solution with better reporting capabilities to make data-driven decisions to help manage the business. The farm management system they had initially adopted was bought by a Big Ag company, which changed the stakes for them. They felt their data should be safe and secure with an independent party and realized their data would be used for different purposes that don’t necessarily align with their needs and preferences. At the same time, they also started to realize that this system didn’t really offer them the kind of reporting that they needed in order to make informed and data-driven decisions.

Erin Vale Farming, a 7,500-hectare farming operation in Australia, was facing communication challenges due to its large scale. The operation is run by Matt and Dan Lane along with several staff members and an agronomist. The increasing difficulty in communication among the different stakeholders was becoming a significant issue. The size and variety of the farming operation necessitated a streamlined communication system to avoid costly mistakes. The need for accurate data and reports for budgeting and cost control was also a major concern for the operation.

Barenbrug, one of Australia’s largest seed companies, was struggling with data management. The company was dealing with double handling of information and had difficulty tracking all activities performed on each trial. The agronomists at Barenbrug were unable to access all historical information when needed and had to go back to their office and sift through paper records to find the required information. This was a time-consuming process and often led to delays and inefficiencies.

Rural Management Strategies (RMS), an agricultural consultancy firm, was using a legacy system that was not delivering the efficiency and real-time data sharing they required. They wanted a system where they could share data rapidly and where their clients could see and update the plan to actuals in real-time. This would allow the RMS advisor to follow exactly what was happening in the field. The challenge was to find a system that would allow for efficient data management, especially from plans to actuals.

Brendan and Claire Booth started farming as first-generation farmers in 2012. They soon realised that as they didn’t have generations of experience and knowledge to fall back on, they needed to work as smart and hard as possible. In order to achieve this, they knew they had to collect and use all important farm data to their advantage. They collect a lot of data ranging from soil moisture probes and weather stations to pivot behaviour, soil data and in-field data; they quickly recognised that they needed a better way of sharing this with their team so they can all benefit from the data.

Allan Brothers, a large fruit growing, packing, and shipping operation, manages over 700 individual blocks of apples, cherries, and grapes in their Yakima Valley Orchards. They needed a sophisticated digital solution to track their inputs and operations due to the sheer size of their operation. They wanted to become more accurate with their inputs, such as water for irrigation, fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides. They also needed a solution that would help them provide the exact amount of water their trees need for optimal production, rather than over-watering because they can. The first thing they needed was a good digital solution that helps them track those inputs that they have applied.

Alturas Ranches, a diverse farming business in North-eastern California, was facing challenges with their data management. They used to use field averages for their seasonal reports, but the limited scope of the dataset available to them meant they were not able to use the data to influence their decision-making processes. The inaccuracy of the data, especially with alfalfa hay and using one stack yard for multiple fields, made them realize the need for a better dataset and the ability to extract solid intelligence from this dataset.

CQ Ag Services were looking for a platform they could use to improve both internal and external communication. They wanted to be able to store their observations and recommendations in such a way that all agronomists and their clients have access. The daily operations at CQ Ag evolve around the individual growers’ needs at different times in the season and how they can be best serviced. Seasonality and rapidly changing demands are common in Central Queensland due to soil-moisture availability, irrigation-water availability and many other factors.

Warwick and Di Holding were searching for a system they could use to keep accurate records for their farming operation without creating a large additional burden of work. They also wanted to be able to see accurate financial cropping results for their operation, Pontara Grain, in order to guide them in making more profitable decisions in the future. They were looking for a cropping system that can minimize the effect of wet winters and waterlogging on shallow soils with low water holding capacity while not carrying a large yield penalty in dry years.

Nathan Soulsby, an agronomist with AGnVET, needed to provide integrated agronomy service to BettaCrop clients, which includes their planning, budgeting, scouting and record keeping. Rolf Malmo, a local grower and one of Nathan’s clients, was new to cropping and needed visibility into his financial performance that he could also take to his bank and other service providers. The soil around Henty tends to have a low pH, which forces growers like Rolf to be more creative. They also have a big ryegrass problem in the area. Mixed cropping and livestock operations tend to manage this quite well, but they needed a way to analyze and compare different strategies.

Daly Potato Co., a diversified potato growing operation in Tasmania, Australia, faced two main challenges. Firstly, they leased land to grow potatoes but were unsure of the exact returns from this leased land. Secondly, as producers of food products sold directly to consumers, they were required by auditors to maintain accurate records of inputs used in the growing process. The company needed a solution that could accurately track all inputs, labour costs, and machinery costs to provide an accurate cost of production per field and accurate reports of all chemicals and fertilisers applied.

Emerald Farms, a farming operation in Maxwell, CA, was struggling to keep track of all the information and tasks being performed on the farm. The farm's partner and general manager, Leon Etchepare, was trying to achieve more vertical integration of the farming operation, but he needed a centralized platform that would deliver him the information he needed, when he needed it. The farm comprises 3,500 acres of almond and walnut trees as well as 2,500 acres of irrigated row-cropping. After transitioning into the role of partner and general manager of Emerald Farms, Leon decided that the operation needed more technology in order to become more efficient.

Stuart Murdoch, a farmer based in Warooka, South Australia, used to manage his farming operation purely based on pen and paper records. However, he realised in 2010 that there are benefits to digitising his farm management operations. With the size of his operation, the rotation he uses and some farm-specific weed problems that he has, it is very important for him to be able to look back on data from previous years. He also needed to increase the accuracy of his operation to ensure profitability. With ever-tightening margins for farmers, he realised years ago that accuracy on every level is critical to ensuring profitability.

Payne Brothers Ranches, a farming operation in Northern California, was facing a challenge of managing an increasing amount of agricultural data. The data was coming from various sources such as independent PCA’s, soil reports, and tissue analysis. The Payne Brothers wanted a solution that could consolidate all their data in one place for better utilization. The transition to using independent PCA’s also meant that they had to start submitting their own chemical use reports to the counties and state, which they didn't want to turn into a lot of paperwork. The increasing flow of data was becoming overwhelming and the repercussions of not having the correct data available or interpreting data wrong could be significant.

Anna Binna Farms, a 6,500-hectare farming operation at Maitland on South Australia’s Yorke Peninsula, was struggling with their pen-and-paper system for farm records. The system was not user-friendly for all team members and did not provide a good way to track important information such as withholding periods, amount of fertilizer or chemicals that need to be purchased or any other spray-related information. The farm owner, Ben Wundersitz, was aware of the need to improve this part of their operation but was unsure of the best solution. The farm needed a system that required minimal data entry to reduce the risk of errors and inaccuracies. The system also needed to be well suited to both the size of the farm and the skills of the team.

Bruce Larcombe, an agronomist for 22 broadacre growers in the Dookie area of Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, faces extreme peaks and troughs in his workload throughout the season. All the farms he services grow winter crops, leading to similar planting and harvesting dates and resulting in seasonal peaks in demand for farm inputs, labour, and other services. Bruce's workload is particularly heavy during the 16-week period from crop emergence to harvest, during which he has to check over 450 paddocks and make numerous recommendations for his clients.

In his work as an agronomist, Ruaan Du Plessis realised that higher crop monitoring requirements combined with larger orchard sizes and an increased need for information by growers necessitated a new approach to data accessibility and transparency. Recent free trade agreements such as the one between Australia and China (ChAFTA) have changed the focus for fruit growers from traditional channels like canneries and other domestic buyers to fresh fruit exports. Stringent bio-security compliance laws for export to Asia mean that growers need to have their orchards monitored for a number of quarantine pests by a person approved by the Department of Agriculture. As exports become more important, the monitoring program is becoming bigger and more rigid; which is why we require the best recording and reporting tool available for our agronomy activities.