Last week I couldn’t find my hat anywhere.
Finally, I opened the hall closet and found not one, not two, but a huge pile of old, raggedy, sweat-covered hats. I thought “I think it’s time to get a new one.” My wife couldn’t agree more.
After a few phone calls to my beloved vendors, Agworld promised me a new hat IF I’d write about their products and services.
Which, actually, I was very happy to do! (Even if they didn’t give me a hat.)
Two years ago we started using Agworld on our farm.
Agworld is a cloud-based farm management software that allows farmers to track inputs, record actions, and assess yield data when the harvest season is over. As a dairy farm, we have many local and state requirements in managing our manure pumping to ensure that manure is applied in an agronomic and environmentally sustainable way. Every gallon of manure has to be accounted for, with manure samples on nutrient levels taken throughout the year. We also have to soil sample at the beginning of the year and at year-end to ensure adequate pumping rates.
Historically, at year-end, we would compile torn papers and pictures of scribbled flow rates, while calculating time in the field by how many Netflix shows were watched in the tractor. This all changed when we started using the Agworld app to record every hour of pumping manure, who was in the tractor, and the date applied. Our year-end compilation of data was simply a matter of pulling up the app and tallying the amount of manure pumped in each field. This ease of record-keeping has allowed us to better track our manure applications and the yield impact on nutrients applied to each field.
Most problems we face in life are a result of failure to communicate, and farming is no different.
Phone calls with requests are made and quickly forgotten, which results in wasted time and potential errors in fertilizer application. Agworld allows my field manager to put requests on individual fields that get seen by our agronomist, fertilizer sprayer, and custom planter. Having a written request takes all the guesswork out of springtime planting decisions and holds everyone accountable when there are a million distractions like watching ‘Tiger King’ while on a tractor.
Being able to track our yields also allows us to compare different growing inputs to determine which areas have the highest return on investment. Agworld’s customer service has also been patient, as they’ve walked my team and me through their platform and helped answer the multitude of questions I’ve had. Check out their website at agworld.com.