Susan Obijiski
Posted: 21 December, 2008 |
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Although there are a diverse number of farm management software products and vendors, one can broadly categorise these into two main groups. The first is software used by farmers who grow and sell crops (crop management software). The second category is software for farmers who breed, raise and sell animals or animal by-products (livestock or herd management software).
As farming evolves, so too do the techniques and tools used by farmers to manage their ranches and farms. Twenty or thirty years ago, one would be hard pressed to find a farmer using a software tool to manage stock or crops. Today, these tools are an effective way to manage everything from breeding and planting schedules to product pricing and equipment repair.
Agricultural crop management systems include grain management software that integrates flour plants, seed dealer information, farm feed mills and even the grain elevators that store and disburse the grain. Fruit and vegetable software management includes functionality to handle which fields are planted when, fertilization, yield, pricing and client information. Feed management includes information on feed recipes for various types of stock, formulation, production and yield and even accounting systems. Your crop and field management can also include systems that track your equipment purchases, depreciation and repair and your customer contacts and contract information. Newer, more sophisticated systems, even track geographical areas, weather patterns and predictions to help regional farmers better manage their crops throughout the year and obtain visual data to show crop disease or insect influx.
Barn and stock management software products perform a variety of tasks, and track and report on crucial farm information. Whether you need to track breeding or medical history for your horses, list medications for each animal and track vet visits or track your stock purchases and sales, there is a software product to accomplish the tasks common to your specific industry. For dairy farmers, this vertical software can help track top producing cows and provide reporting and marketing options to more easily allow tax reporting and reporting to clients. You can track medical records, animal weight, electronic tag data, breed association information, carcass information, birth and embryo and semen inventory.
Today's farming software products also incorporate governmental agency regulations and guidelines to keep your business on track and allow you to confidently manage your business to comply with the most recent regulations. In this competitive environment, with so many farmers struggling to sustain their business, these farm management software products provide a key advantage. They will give you easy access and insight into trends and provide valuable business reports for taxes, clients and partnerships. There is a software product suitable for just about every type of farm and every product, crop or stock focus and you can find a product to satisfy every price point. |
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Susan Obijiski is a technology professional, consultant, business coach and writer. Her experience includes management consulting, and she has published research for Gartner Group. Susan is a frequent speaker and presenter on a variety of topics including software and technology, business strategy, process improvement and organizational culture change.
mailto: susanobijiski@aol.com
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