The Role of Farm Records

Traditionally, farm records played an admin role. Keeping score of seed rates, invoices, yields, timings, sales, etc. But let's face it, those records were often just collecting dust, gathered for the sake of legislation.  

Now, imagine your farm records coming off the clipboard in the office, leaving your head and entering the fields. Thanks to technology, the role of farm records (or ‘farm data’) has changed into an active, actionable resource. As valuable as any input when used properly. 

Your farm records no longer belong to filing cabinets and spreadsheets. They can be transformed into a powerful decision-making tool. 

From record keeping to farm management software and now actionable insights. Farm records have come to life. 

Today, listening and responding to your pre-existing farm data is the surest way to properly inform your decisions and maximise the potential of every hectare you have. Put simply, they’re a tool for detailed farm benchmarking.  

Change for Good

This new role of farm data places efficiency and accuracy within your grasp. Be that optimising resources, buying and selling well, tailoring inputs or growing your gross margin. The right data at the right time equals the right decision.  

Technology can crunch numbers for you, and present your farm data visually, so you can gain complete insights with minimal input. 

Is your gut feeling as sharp as the hard data? Spoiler alert: It probably isn’t. Your own farm records hold the key for removing hunch feel from your operation. 

Why it Matters 

You’re able to make outcome-driven decisions that are accurate and based upon your own verified farm data. 

The true value is in gaining complete and seamless coverage of your in-season progress & costs, plus easy access to broad overviews of your farm’s performances. Basing your decisions on this helps you efficiently produce a profitable crop whilst mitigating risks.  

Examples of How Farms Are Benefiting From Detailed Benchmarking 

Field level data enables you to treat each field as its own profit centre. Comparing yield performance to your overall average is one thing - but the ability to look at the field level data offers you greater insight.  

As one YAGRO farmer recently commented: “There’s no point paying and pushing for an 11t yield in an 8t field.” Off the back of field level data you can tailor rotational strategies and spray regimes per field, achieving ever greater efficiency, not chasing yield but the most efficient Cost of Production. 

You can zero in on crop and variety level data to support decisions around end markets. Our tools enable you to filter between crop, variety and field level data easily so you can access the details you need at a glance.  

With current market volatility, both inputs and end markets, in-season tracking uses your farm data to monitor Costs of Production as the season progresses. This helps protect your bottom line, whilst building blocks of historical data to create a single knowledge source for your farm when it comes to optimising overall operations. 

All being said - farm benchmarking is now a far more accurate, seamless and valuable exercise. Comparing your farms’ performances to others, using market medians, or benchmarking your own historic performances takes seconds using farm data you can trust and rely on.  

To learn more about how accurate farm data supports farm benchmarking, read about the collaborative benchmarking sessions which YAGRO facilitate: https://yagro.com/articles-blogs/unveiling-insights-collaborative-thinking-in-kent.  

What Farmers Say 

YAGRO farmer Jay Wrighton, Head Farm Manager at Fridays Ltd, said: “Field level data stopped me from putting one of my best performing fields under CSS.” By looking over his field level data, Jay was able to maximise the profitability of his CSS application.  

When we spoke to Will Oliver, another YAGRO farmer, he spoke of using farm data as an accurate and time-saving measure to justify and support his decisions, claiming: “You can come to a decision instantly with the data being presented so clearly, visually and accurately.” Accuracy is key, as you need to know the information you are comparing against can stand up to scrutiny. 

The ‘before and after’ picture painted by farmers who have decided to fulfil the new role of farm data is proven. Tracking costs on farm has become a crucial part of modern farming, as is informing decisions through farm data and participating in farm benchmarking more accurately than before. Leading another YAGRO farmer to comment recently “I wonder how I ever operated without it.” 

Click these links to read the full articles featuring Friday’s Ltd and Will Oliver.  

What More Could You Know About Your Farm? 

The benefits of utilising your farm data will be individual to you and your farming needs. Whether you’re seeking better ways to mitigate risk, or paths to growing your business, it’s all about making informed decisions on reliable and accurate data.  

Since you’re collecting farm records anyway, why not make these work as hard as you do? They hold insight and value for you and your farm when structured properly. Which is why our tools have been designed by agricultural experts to help farmers make the best decisions possible.  

To see how your farm records could be used to help your farm achieve greater efficiency, growth or risk reduction, drop me an email at j.middleton@yagro.com and I'd be pleased to provide a free, non-obligatory demo and talk around what records you have and how they can be used to optimise your farm operations.