How Real-Time Record-Keeping Keeps Accurate Farm Information in Your Hands
“What I love about Farm At Hand is that my data is in one place – my contracts, bin storage, fields – all on my phone. In a blink of an eye, I can find what I need. I can find my contracts faster than the elevator can on most days!”
Just outside of Wetaskiwin, AB is Dean & Sonia Nelson Farms, where Barley, Wheat, Canola, and Oats (or Flax or Peas) grow across 1,100 acres.
Dean Nelson started farming alongside his Dad over 25 years ago. In an effort to make strategic decisions for his operation, Dean was entering field activity and information into 20 different spreadsheets, sometimes months after the hustle of seeding and harvest. Sitting at his desktop computer in November or December of each year, Dean was recalling the information from a number of sources, including paper notebooks, his digital calendar, and from memory (and we all know how tricky this can be after a long season!).
It was in 2017 at a tradeshow event that Dean came across Farm At Hand, and quickly adopted the farm management solution. “Farm At Hand is basically everything I was doing on different spreadsheets all in one spot,” Dean said, “which makes tracking my information nice and easy.” Since then, Dean’s Dad, their farm employees, and retail partners all access Dean’s farm through Farm At Hand, tracking activities in real-time as tasks are completed.
Keeping accurate field records is an integral part of any crop operation. Whether you’re in a heavily regulated industry like malted barley, hemp, or other specialty crops or simply want to keep better tabs on your input use, Farm At Hand provides all the traceability you need. Your data is available as soon as it’s entered and anytime you need it and can be shared with your crop insurance company, agronomists, marketing consultants, lenders, governing bodies, and for your own needs. No more handwritten forms or unnecessary phone calls and visits to the farm.
Dean was initially reluctant to sign-up for a Premium Farm At Hand subscription, citing the cost and opting to keep some records on spreadsheets, including marketing and sales information. It didn’t take Dean long to realize the benefits of having instant access to all of his information, and now says he would pay double for the same functionality. “As soon as I’m done with a contract, I enter it into Farm At Hand, and then I’ve got it right there,” Dean states. “After a delivery and just off the scale, I can stop my truck for two minutes, enter the data and keep ongoing. It doesn’t slow me down at all.”
With Farm At Hand Premium, our Farmers are:
• Tracking all field and farm activities
• Managing their storage, equipment, and maintenance records
• Accessing grain marketing insights and controlling sales and delivery contracts
• Planning their crop year from overall crop mix to specific fertilizer blends
• Tracking costs and revenue
• Collaborating with their teams, including employees, family, and partners
• Managing sales to make sure they never miss a special
Dean appreciates that entering field activities while he is on the move pays off as he needs to recall information on the spot. “If there’s a problem after I spray, say there’s still lots of weeds, and my rep comes out, I can say, ‘Well, I sprayed it at this time, at this date, the weather conditions were this, the wind was this, and the temperature was this.’ It’s all in the app.”
Whether you are in a field, on the road, or at the office, tracking your information in real-time increases accuracy to ensure that you are maximizing your efforts for the most profitable year possible, and provides valuable information that helps determine what works and what doesn’t. “Instead of relying on a notebook and trying to flip through the thing, in just a couple clicks, you can find what you need easily. It’s basically your whole farm in your hand.”
Looking for a way to make farm management easier? Get started with Farm At Hand today for free!
Stay tuned to learn more about how these folks use Farm At Hand to simplify their operation and make decisions easier!