The agriculture industry has been amongst the most indispensable industries since the beginning of time.
Developing efficient farming techniques is a foolproof way to ensure a consistent and healthy supply of food for the growing human population.
Due to the need to manage limited natural resources to secure enough produce and profit, one of the most effective solutions available to farmers is crop management.
A farmer will utilize crop management from the preparation of his seedbeds to the harvest and finally the marketing and sale of his yield.
So how would a farmer adequately manage his crops given the long duration of this process?
The most efficient solution is crop management software.
Crop management software ensures that farmers can organize and control all information relevant to the growth of their crops.
This condensed information enables farmers to oversee all the factors that affect the growth, yield, and quality of their crops, such as crop condition, farm activities, workers, weather elements, and farming equipment.
The effectiveness of crop management software increases because of its high customizability. Software ranges from ones programmed for startup farms to those best suited for SMEs (small and medium enterprises).
Moreover, if you own livestock or have an indoor farm software like AgriERP can help automate that too.
What is crop management?
Crop management refers to agricultural techniques practiced to improve the growth, development, and yield of crops.
Crop management begins from the preparation of the seedbeds to the harvest and marketing of produce. Agricultural practices included between this period are all a part of crop management.
A few of these practices are as follows:
- Seedbed preparation
- Planting
- Fertilization
- Pest management
- Irrigation
- Harvesting
- Storage
- Marketing
Software used to aid crop management is, as aforesaid, crop management software.
Crop management software is vital for effective crop management because of the organization and control it offers farmers throughout the entire growth process as well as its specificity to different types of farms.
Now that the importance of crop management software has been established, let’s explore some of the best crop management software for startups and SMEs.
What are the 10 Best Crop Management Software for Startups and SMEs?
Since crop management software is specific to the type of farm it is being used at, we have condensed the 5 best crop management software apps for both startups and SMEs.
This includes the pros and cons of each software so that your journey to finding an app that is personalized to your needs is made easier.
5 Best Crop Management Software for Startups
AgriERP
AgriERP is a crop management software that caters to all farm operations. It enhances farm operations by offering multiple features that allow farmers to track the growth of their crops, plan for each harvest, and manage their finances.
AgriERP has one of the most versatile research and development programs in the Agri-tech industry. This is because the app runs on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and can be personalized according to the specific needs of each farm. This makes AgriERP very flexible as it can be used on any scale and serves startups, small farms, and large farms.
Pros
- It is available on mobile devices which makes it accessible
- It allows farmers remote management
- It is easy to use and has excellent customer service
- It allows financial planning and provides in-depth analysis that helps boost productivity and profitability
- It works for all farm sizes
- It provides online and in-person training
Cons
- The only language it functions in is English so global use may be restricted
Agworld
Agworld is the first collaborative farming solution that allows workers at all levels of the farming process to work together on the same platform.
Agworld links farmers with operations managers, precision specialists, key stakeholders, and crop consultants so that the crop management process is well connected and more streamlined.
Agworld also provides an all-in-one easy-to-use cloud-based platform that encompasses document management, data capture tools, farm maps, analytics, logistics, scouting/sampling, and communication tools in a single, centralized space.
This improves workflow and increases production efficiency by allowing access to relevant information from a single area.
Pros
- Provides uncomplicated farm information management that makes enables better sharing of farm information, risk management, and more efficient decision making, increasing whole farm profitability
- Is suitable for any size of farm business, which allows it to cater to startups
- Provides a digital library related to the latest farming techniques and all relevant legal work
- Allows for detailed budgeting with calculation of pre-pay costa and cash flow for a season
- The app can be used on the phone which makes it more accessible and user friendly
- Excellent customer support, any issue reported is immediately followed up on and resolved
Cons
- Some functions may make linking data difficult between operations, paddocks, and seasons
- Data that you put up can be viewed and used by someone else through the digital library and map functions. This can lead to hijack of operation maps and create ambiguity in data ownership
- Software updates may occur during the busy season which takes extra effort on the farmers’ end to learn and implement the new updates
Conservis
Conservis acts as a center of all the farm’s data and provides traceability through real-time record keeping, budgeting, inventory, harvest tracking, and cost of production.
Field data related to crops can be connected to financial data which helps in risk management, cost control, and profitability.
Conservis also offers row crop and permanent crop platforms. This allows for diversifying, which can increase profits in a startup.
Pros
- It can be used as a tool for input and commodity tracking
- The software allows easy access to timely information out of the system
- It is highly personalized and allows the software to adapt based on the needs of the startup
- It can be accessed on a mobile device
Cons
- It is heavily reliant on data input to keep the system updated. The constant input of data is time-consuming and defeats the purpose of the efficiency that the app is supposed to offer to some extent
- Some of the features and tools on the app are also complex and require a lot of time to be learnt and implemented
FarmLogs
FarmLogs provides software that is aimed to maximize profitability. The app monitors field conditions, tracks expenses, and markets crops all on one platform.
The field monitoring software detects any threats to the yield of crops and logs any activities. It gives access to data like predicted rainfall, yield maps, and soil maps.
Pros
- The in-built rain tracking device is very useful in recording rainfall and yield progress relative to it
- Provides maps of the land with areas that are not useable. This makes crop planning much easier
- Easy accessibility and is user friendly
Cons
- It may be considered costly (requires 30 USD per month)
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Farmbrite
Pros
- It tracks down the entire farming process and has coordination graphs that map out what needs to be done in the next stage .
- Financial reports present pie charts that show the amount of spending in each sector.
- User friendly and easy to integrate into operations.
- Good customer service with regular product updates.
Cons
- All the features may not update together so in some cases new information needs to be added manually, which can be time-consuming.
- It can only include one transaction at a time, which decreases efficiency.
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Agrimap
Pros
- Available on mobile devices which means easy accessibility. This also means the interactive map of your farm can be viewed at any time
- User-friendly design
- Helps integrate different farm data and provide better alternatives and solutions to problems in the farm. This makes for quicker and smarter decision-making, leading to increased efficiency and profitability.
Cons
- Measurement of land had to be done manually to update the database. This can be time-consuming.
5 Best Crop Management Software for SMEs
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Granular
Granular is an enterprise crop management software that connects the field and the office, making the farming process more efficient and productive.
Granular enables farmer-owners and managers to monitor the entire farming process through their mobiles so that their constant physical presence is not required.
The software has apps for android and IOS that allow farm owners to delegate tasks to field workers even while traveling.
The constant channel of collaboration Granular provides means farm owners running SEMs can make informed decisions throughout the year and keep their company stakeholders up to date.
Granular also offers tools like AcreValue Pro, which helps farmers identify opportunities for land expansion.
Pros
- It is a great analytical tool and can break down fields to determine which is the most profitable.
- Granular integrated with different farming equipment easily to allow for efficient and complete data transfer. This means that the level of technology used on the farm is not an obstacle for the app.
- It is user friendly with excellent customer service.
- It is financially beneficial as it breaks down the cost and quantity of each item used throughout the year.
Cons
- The initial setting up of an account on Granular is a tedious process and can take up to several months.
- Significant time needs to be invested in the software to keep information accurate and up to date.
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AGRIVI
Pros
- AGRIVI offers one of the best in-depth farm analytic programs on the market.
- Excellent service and customer support.
- Easy to use and available on mobile devices.
Cons
- It only supports key features on its mobile version so far.
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CropTracker
Pros
- It can trace produce from the field to the market.
- Easy to understand and use.
- Automatically fills out forms for food safety, which saves time.
- Accessible via mobile devices and data entry is very flexible, which makes it convenient to use.
Cons
- The system relies heavily on a stable internet connection.
- Stable reception needs to be present for the system to operate.
- The system lacks in-depth analytical interpretation of data.
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FarmERP
Pros
- It includes the feature of asset evaluation.
- In-depth analytics are provided .
- Capable of integration with smart hardware devices.
- Useful in large scale field layout planning, scheduling, procurement, and supply.
- It provides a history of farming practices adopting, thus highlighting the most productive technique.
Cons
- Some users felt like the user interface could have been improved and made more comprehensive.
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Trimble
Trimble is crop management software that includes field mapping tools that improve the precision of farming techniques.
The precision agriculture solutions can be used on most farming equipment and in most terrains.
Trimble Ag software is the only fully integrated desktop, cloud, and mobile software solution on the market.
Through automation of critical workflows, Trimble saves time, reduces human error, and leads to more intelligent decision-making. This also makes it a cost-effective option in the market.
Pros
- Provides real-time tracking and utilization of resources accordingly.
- Provides seed monitoring which helps in seedbed preparation and field mapping.
- Very customizable, which makes it specific to the needs of the SME.
- Increased reliability because it can sync desktop data to mobile and cloud devices for accessibility anywhere.
Cons
- May work slowly at times due to connectivity issues.
- Updates may initially create problems in the synchronization of data.
Conclusion
Whether you run a farm like a startup or an SME, crop management software is an essential tool in maximizing your efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.
It also renders farm owners more flexibility as tasks can be delegated and managed through collaborative software from any location.
The type of crop management software you use depends on what you want to prioritize in your startup or SME.
With the wide range of options available in the market, you are certain to find one that is specific to your needs and helps enhance your crop management.
But if you unsure and don’t know which one to choose it is always a good idea to talk to your local crop management company.
Not only will your local crop management company help you with your selection but they will also work with you on a strategic level to make your crop production safer and more efficient.
