The digital recording of on-farm operations and the performance of each field on an annual basis is critically important if growers are to determine the margin per crop.
Information of this nature can also be used to develop future planning strategies.
Teagasc has recently joined forces with Farmplan to increase the level of digital recording achieved by Irish tillage farmers.
The company’s Ben Hatton joined Teagasc’s Michael Hennessy to discuss the various aspects of the software package on the latest Tillage Edge podcast.
Digital recording
Farmplan is a UK-based operation. The business specialises in the development of compliance software with a very strong focus within the cropping sector.
Hatton confirmed that many Irish farmers have been using the Farmplan ‘Gatekeeper’ software package up to this point.
“Gatekeeper has evolved over the years. We are on our latest generation of the product at the moment,” he said.
“The product has been in the market for about 15 years or so. We have a growing customer base in Ireland, specifically farmers seeking to actively address the issues of compliance and traceability.
“Gatekeper allows farmers to keep their crop records in order, using a digitised system; it can also be used to help in the development of farm planning.”
According to Hatton, the software system has been designed to provide farmers with an effective crop management tool.
It is aligned with the requirements set for farm profitability, mapping and precision-farming techniques.
“Over the years, it became obvious that farmers wanted streamlined systems that were based in the cloud. And, as a consequence, Gatekeeper was amended accordingly,” the Farmplan representative commented.
“Gatekeeper Cloud is for Irish tillage farmers and their production systems. We have always had a close relationship with the Irish market. In many ways the requirements of UK and Irish farmers overlap.
“But there are a number of distinct differences. E.g., in the UK we have our crop protection products aligned with map numbers.
“However, the Irish version of Gatekeeper Cloud will have PCS product lists that will allow growers to select the crop protection products that they are using on their farms,” he added.
Hatton explained that there are also a number of other subtle differences within the programme. These include the use of Eircodes and the land parcel identification system that are both used in Ireland.
There is flexibility when it comes to setting up the Gatekeeper Cloud system e.g., farmers can start with their winter crops only, moving on to their spring cropping regime at the appropriate time.
“It takes a little bit of time to ensure that fields are registered correctly,” Hatton further explained.
“But normally farmers will be actively using the system within a few days of setting it up.”
Interaction
Significantly, advisors can also interact with the programme to send recommendations. This speeds up the communication process between the farmer and the agronomist.
Gatekeeper will reportedly also generate specifically requested reports at the click of a button.
Farmplan is also confirming that compliance reports generated by the system are good enough to be used for the purposes of an official Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine inspection.
Looking to the future, the software will be changed to meet the criteria of evolving compliance-related standards in Ireland, according to the company.
Teagasc and Farmplan have also reached an agreement which, it is said, will provide Irish tillage farmers with a low-cost entry point into Gatekeeper Cloud.
It is hoped this development will encourage more growers to record farm-related information digitally.