The constantly evolving technological landscape has brought a lot of improvements to almost every sector, including agriculture. For instance, farming has seen a substantial improvement with the emergence of farming management software. It is a tool comprising a host of features, such as keeping track of crops and maintaining customer records, to allowing farmers to streamline their operations. Farm management software offers benefits in terms of managing risks, cutting costs, and more.

1. Optimal use of resources
One of the biggest benefits of using farm management software is that it offers solutions and insight into the right way to use certain resources. For instance, most types of farm management software have a soil monitoring feature, which provides data about the fertility and health of the soil. Based on this data, farmers can plan the right time to use fertilizer on their soil and even the right amount. This allows them to use fertilizers efficiently and optimally. Similarly, the software even provides insight into the right time to use pesticides. By preventing the overuse of pesticides, not only does the software save resources and costs, but it also prevents any damage to the environment, making farming more sustainable.

2. Better labor management
Another major benefit of implementing farm management software is that it allows better labor management. In fact, this benefit goes hand in hand with optimal use of resources. Once farm owners understand when to use certain resources, they can allot labor accordingly. For instance, they will need to deploy a workforce to spray pesticides only when the software indicates the right time to use pesticides. Farm owners can also keep track of their crops with the software and know when it is time to harvest their yield. So, based on that data, they can know when to hire a workforce to harvest the crops. This can ultimately help farm owners reduce a lot of their operational costs.

3. Better decision making
The weather plays a significant role in the quality of crops and yields. It even impacts the choice of crops and agricultural practices that farm owners have to undertake. Plus, a sudden change in weather can significantly affect ongoing operations at the farm. This is where smart farm management software can be beneficial to farmers. The software provides real-time weather monitoring with satellite images and data from weather stations. Based on historical data, it even predicts certain weather events that can affect the crops. Such insights and data can help farm owners stay prudent and make better decisions based on the predicted weather.

4. Easy access to all data
One of the biggest challenges farmers have faced till now is maintaining records of their farms. This includes accounting records, important dates, and customer records. Previously, they had to maintain this data in books and files, which increased the risk of losing the records if anything happened to the book. Plus, it even made it harder for them to find essential information when needed. Farm management software solves this problem by offering cloud-based storage for all these records. So, with this software, farmers can now access their records at any time, from anywhere, and from any device. It also makes it easier for them to search for specific records and reduces the risk of losing them.

5. Improves traceability
Concerns regarding food safety have been on the rise lately, which has led to consumers demanding traceability in the food supply. This has increased the need for farmers to keep track of their produce. Farm management software offers this feature, allowing farmers to trace their yields from their farm to the end consumer. So, if they receive a complaint, it makes it easier for farmers to prove that they have complied with food safety regulations and find out where food safety could have been compromised.

When implementing new farm management software for the first time, farmers should thoroughly research the vendors. Most vendors even offer videos or demos to guide how to use their software. This makes it easier for farmers to choose a system with better functionality that is easier to understand.

Top farm management software to consider

1. Trace AgTech
This is one of the best farm management systems to consider. It has comprehensive features, including expense tracking, quality control, farm audits, and traceability. The company’s founding members also have a background in agriculture, which makes them well-versed in the risks associated with farming and how to make operations in this sector more efficient. Plus, they can provide farmers with guidance on how the software works.

2. Farmbrite
Like in the case of Trace, those with a background in agriculture have developed Farmbrite software. In fact, the team initially made this software to improve their own crops and yield. Farmbrite’s software is highly easy to use and has been admired by farmers worldwide.

3. Granular Insights
Granular Insights aims to improve farming practices by offering geo-mapping and yield forecasting features. It also includes administrative tools that help with budgeting, costs, and marketing.