DIGITAL COLLABORATION BETWEEN ON AND OFF-FARM PARTNERS FOR A UNIFIED VISION

Farming today has little room for error. More than ever, a “jack of all trades” leadership approach always doesn’t cut it when it comes to effective management in agriculture. Instead, farmers are putting their time and energy into the tasks they’ve mastered while entrusting off-farm partners and data-driven farming to bring expertise and efficiency across the entire operation.

Successful partnerships between your on and off-farm teams can help lower risk but they require the seamless sharing of information – that’s where agriculture mobile apps and farm management software comes into play.

“Having a unified system [for farm advisors] to [share] information with a farm team greatly reduces the chances of error,” says Garth Donald, manager of agronomy at Decisive Farming by TELUS Agriculture.

By keeping everyone on the same page and sharing information digitally through your farm management system (FMS), you can make more informed decisions, put effective strategies into play and your farm can better meet your goals.

How can digital sharing of my information and reports amongst my team benefit my operation?

Things move fast on the farm, especially during crunch times. That means information must also travel quickly so off-farm advisors and your farm team alike have a clear view of what’s happening.

“[The major benefit of sharing information digitally] is clarity,” says Donald. “Everyone is busy, and mistakes can be made. With everyone having the same data, it makes things very clear.”

With clarity comes cohesion in what’s to be achieved and how to achieve it. Seeding can be a hectic time but real-time communication via a FMS can quickly streamline things, driving a more informed and consistent crop management plan, including time and resource management.

Using your FMS, your outside advisors can quickly send valuable crop planning and management details when needed, even if they’re quickly updated as conditions change. Still, good farm management relies on information moving effectively in every direction. This way, you can communicate your big picture direction, your team members can report what they’re seeing on the ground and your off-farm partners can convey expert strategies while making necessary updates as real-time data flows in.

A simple and quick check of your farm apps using a preferred device can show any team member – on or off the farm – what they need to know, including soil or moisture conditions, fertility levels, which field to seed, what seed and/or fertility to apply and where.

“Whether it is internal or external team members, everyone is on the same page of what we are using, how we are using it and where we are using it,” says Donald.

That accuracy in knowing what’s used when and where drives a highly efficient use of resources. It’s all about achieving more responsible, sustainable and profitable production through eliminating waste while helping boost yield.



Good partnerships are founded on trust

Digital collaboration can help significantly accelerate data collection, interpretation, and strategic use. However, many farmers remain cautious about protecting their data – so what’s the solution? Developing trust as the foundation to all farm partnerships. Good outside advisors are open and honest about how your information will be collected, used and protected, welcoming any question you may have.

When a meaningful foundation is built and information flows according to your farm’s unique needs, all partners can take advantage of ag technology, using it to work together and achieve larger results for the entire farm.