80% of farmers who took part in a recent survey use some form of agricultural technology (“agtech”), ranging from pasture/herd management systems to robotic scrappers/parlours and GPS, according to Ifac.
The finding was part of Ifac’s Irish Farm Report 2021, titled Growing Your Future, which was released earlier this year.
Another eye-catching statistic from the report highlighted the importance of good connectivity, noting that, in the dairy sector, the majority (94%) of farmers surveyed for this report said that broadband is now important in the running of their business.
The report noted that penetration of farm management systems continues to increase, with many farmers now using agtech such as cloud accounting and payroll solutions to help them run their businesses.
“Over the last 12 months, Ifac has seen strong interest in our new FarmPro service, which enables real-time monitoring of cash flows and profits as well as facilitating interaction with agricultural advisors,” the professional services firm added.
Looking at the impact of Covid-19, Ifac observed that farms tend to operate in closed bubbles; as a result, things may not have seemed very different inside the farm gate during the pandemic lockdown restrictions.
However, as in other sectors, activities involving interaction with business advisors and the wider community, both socially and commercially, suffered “significant disruption” with meetings forced to move to online platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
It was also noted that, with the impact of Covid-19 and social distancing, the traditional sociable day at the mart was swiftly replaced with online bidding. In terms of farmer reaction to this sudden agtech shake-up, Ifac says:
“Farmers welcomed the wider market access, and a substantial 70% of those surveyed for this report said they would like online marts to continue when the lockdown restrictions are lifted.
On the matter of “human contact”, the agribusiness firm highlighted that farming is often a solitary occupation where the main opportunities to interact with other people are business-related.
These opportunities include: heading to the mart; chatting to the driver who collects the milk; purchasing supplies at the local co-op; and meeting the accountant and agricultural advisor.
“Prior to the pandemic, these activities may have seemed like a chore, but the lockdown has prompted many of us to evaluate the importance of human contact,” the report said.
“Looking to the future, new technologies and online systems and services will become increasingly integrated into daily activities on the farm.
“However, human contact will always be important—nowhere more so than in delivering advisory services like those provided by your farm accountant, agricultural advisor and solicitor,” the Ifac report concluded.