Farmplan has launched a more basic version of its Gatekeeper crop management software to suit smaller arable farmers that don’t require all the features of the full-fat system.
According to the designers, it is the logical step up from pen-and-paper record keeping and is a pretty simple way of getting on top of field records to satisfy compliance rules.
Gatekeeper Express is a web-based service, with prices starting at less than £17/month. The current version of Gatekeeper runs on a PC and the price depends on the modules used.
The new service helps users to record crop applications before firing the details to the cloud, where information can be stored and accessed from any internet-connected computer.
Like Gatekeeper, it allows growers to import spraying and fertiliser spreading plans from agronomists, but it is not possible to do the same for field maps and boundaries. Instead, these have to be downloaded from the web or drawn manually.
Product prices are entered seasonally and there is a cropping planner that allows users to monitor the yields relative to the input costs of individual fields.
That includes application lists and crop varieties, which can gradually be extended to provide a useful farm archive.
Long-term, it provides growers with better traceability of pesticide applications and will help keep on top of legislation and spraying regulations.
“Smaller or less complex businesses need information about their businesses just as much as larger businesses”, says Farmplan director Piers Costley.
“Whether this is to comply with legislative requirements, help the grower organise jobs or understand his margins, this simple-to-use solution provides a straightforward way to make life easier.”
Farmplan is part of Proagrica, which also owns Farmers Weekly. The company is planning to unveil a raft of further updates through to 2018, including super-sophisticated, multi-business programmes for more detailed analysis of farm profits.
[“Source-fwi”]
