Agricultural Equipment and Supplies: Optimising and Maintaining Your Equipment

Agricultural Equipment and Supplies: Optimising and Maintaining Your Equipment

Key Considerations When Purchasing a Farm Management Software (FMS)

by Micheal Webb

As the planting season wraps up, you need time to sit down and reflect on the new farming systems you wish to implement to make work easier and improve productivity. One area where new farmers may struggle is farm management. While manually managing a small farm is not difficult, there is no harm in investing in a program to help you make and execute decisions that maximise productivity. This is where farm management software comes in. This post highlights essential considerations when acquiring farm management software.

Offline Capabilities — It is well-known that internet connectivity in cities and towns is way better than in rural Australia, where most of the largest farms are located. Therefore, connectivity challenges might arise if you purchase an online-based farm management software. Notably, a farm manager cannot use the software in real-time. In some cases, internet connectivity might be erratic and force you to uninstall a new FMS before realising the return on investment. It is why you should consider investing in an FMS with offline capabilities. A functional FMS that auto-syncs while in offline mode allows you to enter and adjust data in real-time, saving you the frustrations of limited internet connectivity.

Multi-Farm Operations — Farmers who start small look forward to owning expansive plantations. While you might be tempted to choose an FMS that offers the bare minimum in relation to your limited operations, it makes more sense to buy a program that supports multi-farm operations. For instance, you can opt for an FMS that helps you manage crops. However, if you plan to add livestock farming to your operations, you need an FMS incorporating crop and cattle management. An FMS that accommodates multi-farm operations makes scaling up easy and inexpensive since you don't need other software. Besides, you get enough time to develop a strong relationship with a service provider before scaling up.

Direct Communication with Stakeholders — Fellow farmers, crop advisors, retailers and food companies are critical stakeholders in Australia's farming industry. Maintaining constant and open communication lines with such enterprises improves your farm's chances of success. Although you can personally reach out to any stakeholder, a dependable FMS should make it easier. Therefore, select an FMS that partners with essential farming stakeholders. For instance, it allows you to communicate with any farmer or crop advisor within your region through the software's forum function. Not only is such software convenient, but it also improves collaborations among farming stakeholders.    


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About Me

Agricultural Equipment and Supplies: Optimising and Maintaining Your Equipment

Welcome to my blog. My name is Joe. Growing up on a farm was the perfect life for me as a kid. I loved to run around, spend time quietly, work on equipment and watch the process of plants growing. I even enjoyed helping my mum with the books as I got older. Now, however, I'm not involved in the day-to-day routines of a farm. Instead, I live a pretty "standard" city life, but I still love to write about it and do whatever gardening I can in my small flat. When I'm not writing or pining after moving back to the country, you can find me watching classic films, reading or jogging.

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