A pencil and a card are not enough - farm management

Along with the development of farms, the number of elements that must be taken into account to achieve the assumed economic effect.This requires farmers to acquire new skills, especially in the field of management and finance.It turns out that agricultural management programs for managing agricultural management may be helpful in this.

The article was published in the monthly Farmer No. 11/2017

Most economists and management experts are in line with what the most common problem of Polish farms is the lack of detailed accounting.This leads to the fact that many farmers are not aware of the actual costs of their activities, and therefore they often incorrectly indicate the reasons for achieving unsatisfactory financial results.This problem applies to both small farms and large parts, although in the case of larger ones the process of professionalization in management takes place much faster.The problem of management is not limited to financial management, but people, machines or production technology.The mistakes made at each stage have a common element - they lead to worse financial results.

Unfortunately, the specificity of agricultural activity means that the producer (farmer) relatively rarely and to a limited extent affects the final price of his product.This is usually the market situation, not only on the domestic market, but above all global.However, the farmer has an impact on his own production costs.It is accepted that the easiest way to lower them is to increase the scale of production.This is generally true, but above all it is worth doing a budget review and eliminating those elements that cost too much.

Many readers will say at this point that they control expenses, take notes, run sheets in Excel.Very good, but is that enough?The problem is that the average farmer lacks professional management in the field of management, and now it turns out that it is not enough to have experience and deep agricultural knowledge, you also have to be a financier, manager, analytical.In response to such problems, computer programs were created to support comprehensive management of agricultural farms.In some Western European countries, a significant proportion of farmers already use them, and in some majority.However, in Poland, a relatively small percentage of farms use this type of support.Paradoxically, the first advantages of such solutions are noticed by owners of large farms, in which theoretically knowledge of management and finance should be the largest.It is worth noting, however, that this is not only the lack of proper professional knowledge is a problem, the scale of events that take place on farms becomes the heart of the problem.This applies to financial, agrotechnical, breeding, administrative and many others operations.Full control over everything without the support of electronics has simply become, if not impossible, it is at least very difficult and time -consuming.Farmers who began to use management programs, value above all the opportunity to notice those elements that cost too much.Without the support of the program, keeping records of all events is difficult, and also drawing conclusions based on hundreds of entries is also not easy.It is the more difficult the greater the farm becomes.

A good program can simplify all this and, above all, will allow you to determine how much a farmer really costs to produce a ton of grain, a liter of milk, kg of live pork or what is the cost of working with your own machine.

The offer of management programs available in Polish language versions is already so rich that everyone will find something for themselves.Many farmers have at least heard about such programs as Agrinavia, 365Farmnet, Farnikon, Agridata, Vitalfields, Agroasististent and Agrivi.Depending on the needs, these are comprehensive applications or only selected actions, e.g..plant or animal production.Some were based on the experience of foreign farmers, but their creators are trying to take into account the specifics of agriculture of a particular region and modify.Some are the work of Polish companies and convince them with better knowledge of the local market.Available programs are divided into paid and free or free with paid access to some options.The costs are different depending on the program structure, access options (mobile or not) or farm area.In most cases, it is worth starting with free programs that will satisfy most agricultural producers with the offered capabilities.More demanding can reach for extensive paid programs, to which access costs start from several hundred zlotys per year.For some applications, you must first spend from a few to several thousand.PLN for the purchase of software, and you also need to pay access every year - usually this amount ranges from several hundred to two thousand.zlotys.

In general, the majority of farm management programs allow for computer visualization of the farm and its resources.The work usually begins with the entry of data on individual plots - maps and registration data.The boundaries of the plots can be introduced manually on the basis of Google maps or automatically using official data.Individual plots can be freely connected into groups of fields or crops.The user has the ability to enter various data on specific crops, as well as illustrating specific development phases with photos.This is how an extremely precise database is created, including M.in.Information on fertilization, sowing, plant protection, yields, costs and working time of machines.This not only allows you to reach for historical data, but also to use analyzes difficult to conduct without the help of the program.The user can in a short time summarize the expenses incurred on one specific plot, on one crop or in relation to one machine.One of the important advantages of the programs is a significant facilitation of plant protection registers.In general, the programs use the database of admission to use, so just select a specific remedy from the list without having to enter the data manually.This type of data can be entered in the office or in the case of mobile solutions - directly in the field.Usually, applications are also agrotechnical advisers and, taking into account numerous data, suggest optimal fertilizer plans.

The advantages of most programs are also easier management of a team of people working on farm and machines.This is generally a big problem, meanwhile applications allow for ongoing communication with machine operators and a preview of what they are currently doing and where they are (more extensive modules).In combination with precision agriculture devices, they also give the opportunity to eliminate many operators' mistakes, and even limiting their role to lead and turn on machines in the field.The program will also remind you of the upcoming technical review, passing insurance date or leasing installment.However, above all, it allows you to determine the actual operating costs of machines - this is an element with which many farmers usually have a problem (they are usually underestimated).The number of possibilities of the programs described is impressive and difficult to get to know by the user in a short time.However, people who have decided to use the application say that after the initial, difficult period, cooperation is already intuitively and the benefits cannot be overestimated.

Modern technologies are becoming more and more indispensable also in animal production.On farms specialized in breeding, you can usually find two application groups:

Computer programs supporting herd management can be found especially often on farms specialized in the production of piglets or running fattening in a closed cycle.The enormity of data flowing each day from the farm makes it difficult to analyze it with a card and pencil, or even a spreadsheet.Special applications (e.g..Anapig or pig assistant) not only collect data on animal origin, but above all help collect and analyze information on production parameters such as the efficiency of coverage, the number of born and raised piglets or the mortality of young people at every stage of production.An important function of this type of application is the ability to generate reports, thanks to which it will be easier for us to see which of the production cycle elements is still worth improving.

The second situation in which the use of specialized software is often indispensable is the preparation of the feed recipe.A large range of products supporting the laying of feed recipes for individual animal production groups is available on the market.An example of this type of software should be mentioned, for example, Optipasz or Winpasze.Program support is intuitive and does not require farmers advanced IT knowledge.However, basic information in the field of animal nutrition will be necessary.

These programs have several interesting options.One of them is certainly the function of calculating the cost of nutritional.After updating the data on the prices of individual raw materials, the application will automatically calculate the cost of a kilo of feed mixture.In combination with the data on the theme of the use of feed, it gives us a picture of the efficiency of nutrition in our herd.

It is important, however, to use current data when composing the composition of the feed: applications usually have built -in information databases regarding the chemical composition of individual feed components, as well as animal demand for individual nutrients.Remember, however, that this is averaged data, the preparation of the feed recipe should be preceded by the examination of the basic chemical composition of the feed ingredients.Thanks to this, the recipe we prepared will be more precise.

Of course, the application of these programs is justified with a large scale of production. Zakup specjalistycznego oprogramowania to wydatek od kilkuset do kilku tysięcyzlotys, stąd też w przypadku małych gospodarstw inwestycja taka nie będzie, niestety, zasadna.

The main factor causing a reduction in the profitability of milk production is the lack of knowledge about the production results achieved on the farm.Forced by the market, the constant increase in the scale of production creates more and more problems in sufficient animal observation, as well as prevents individual approach to a single art.Often breeding decisions are made accidentally, instead of being a response to current needs.

In achieving satisfactory breeding results, and thus also economic, the flock management programs, which are increasing recognition.The basics of the effective management mechanism are: systematic data collecting, their integration and diagnosis of problems occurring.The combination of as many information as possible allows you to create an image of both single art and the whole herd.However, in the current realities, where the breeder has more and more duties and less time, based on traditional methods of keeping documentation regarding the herd in paper form is almost impossible.

These types of programs are most often related to milking systems and other advanced devices, e.g..recording cow's activity.Thanks to this, a breeder can monitor cow health or milk quality on an ongoing basis and make breeding decisions in a timely manner, e.g..the date of covering cows showing rummies.

The herd management programs undoubtedly allow you to seal finances on the farm thanks to the detailed control of production results.The basis of their operation is the integration of a series of data, which allows you to obtain reports informing about parameters regarding performance, health, fertility or nutrition.

An important functionality of management systems is their operation in online mode, thanks to which, using a smartphone or tablet.

The article was published in the November issue of the monthly "Farmer"

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