You've heard it before: you can't manage what you can't measure. That's why farm management software (FMS) like Farmbrite is becoming a must-have tool for farmers everywhere.
If you're a farmer, chances are you've got lots of information about your farm that needs to be organized and tracked. You've probably also heard about how FMS can help keep everything in order. But what exactly does FMS do? And how can it make your life easier?
In this post we'll explore 8 ways that farmers can use FMS reports to level up their farms:
You can't manage what you can't measure.
The first step to improving your farm is to measure performance. You can't manage what you can't measure, and without accurate data on how your business is performing, it's difficult to identify problems and opportunities.
Measurement allows you to set goals based on actual performance rather than wishful thinking or guesses made in isolation from the rest of the operation. Measurement helps ensure that every person involved in making decisions understands what has worked so far - and where there are gaps in knowledge or understanding that need attention now before they become bigger issues later on down the road.
1. Use reports for overall farm performance
When it comes to using FMS reports, it's important to note that you can use them for a variety of purposes. One way is as a performance gauge. If you're running a business and want to see how well certain areas of your operation are doing over time, reports are an excellent way to do this.
You can also use them as a tool for evaluating goals against actual results - for example, if there was something specific that you wanted from one year's harvest but didn't get, or if there was something else happening at the same time (like weather) that affected the outcome of what happened with those crops on the farm.
Another way in which reports can help farmers level up their game is by identifying areas where improvements need to be made so they can focus their efforts toward achieving those improvements going forward into future seasons or years.
2. View and track data by location
One major benefit to using FMS technology is the ability to view and track data by location. For example, if you only want to view the harvest output of one area on your farm, or identify the breeding status of part of your herd, you can easily pull up that information in a report.
Using data by location is an important tool that allows farmers to determine trends and patterns. You can also apply this method of data reporting to your customer base to gain insight on your marketing strategy.
Here are a few ways you can do this:
Identify the most effective marketing channels. Use data by location to identify the most effective marketing channels for each location.
Understand how your customer base is changing over time. Use data by location to determine if your customer base is growing, declining or staying steady in specific areas of interest.
3. Analyze inputs and outputs
There are two main types of reports you'll use to analyze inputs and outputs:
Inputs vs. Outputs - This report shows you what you purchased, how much it cost, and when you bought it. It also shows how much product was sold for each item over a given period of time so that you can determine if there is any price difference between selling directly at market or through a distributor. The information provided by this type of report allows farmers to make better decisions regarding their production methods and pricing strategies.
Inventory - This report provides an overview of all current inventory items at hand on farm including age/date codes, bin locations (if applicable), purchase date range and quantity on hand at each location as well as any additional notes about the item such as best before dates, etc.
4. Monitor animal health, herd health, and welfare
Monitoring animal health, herd health and welfare is an important part of running a successful farm. Here are some of the ways FMS reports can help you to keep an eye on your animals:
Animal Health: FMS can help you monitor the health of animals on your farm by providing information on individual animals such as their weight, temperature and pregnancy status. This will enable you to spot any abnormalities in your livestock so that they can be treated before they become serious problems.
Herd Health: FMS also allows farmers to monitor trends in the overall herd's performance over time. This means that it is easier for them to identify potential issues with particular animals or groups of animals before they become serious problems for the whole herd.
5. Track maintenance records and equipment usage
Using your farm management software, you can track maintenance records and equipment usage. This is important because it allows you to know when to replace parts of the machinery and make sure everything is running smoothly.
Once you've set up the system in your software, all that's left is entering in information about how much time has passed since an item was last serviced or replaced. Each piece of equipment will be given its own "life cycle" based on how often it needs servicing or replacing parts; when these cycles are up, an alert will pop up reminding you that it's time for maintenance work!
Tracking this kind of data helps farmers get more out of their investments by ensuring they're using their machinery as efficiently as possible - and knowing when something needs to be replaced before it breaks down completely.
6. Manage calendars, schedules and events
FMS makes it easy to keep track of schedules and calendars. Calendars can be overwhelming, but they're important for keeping your farm organized. Use a farm management software to keep track of all events across your operation - from harvest dates to animal births and sales dates.
Track the weather so you know what equipment you'll need each day or week depending on the forecasted conditions. If it's going to rain during an event, make sure you have enough tarps and umbrellas on hand!
Make sure that every member of your team has access to this information so they know where they need to be at any given time during an event (and who else needs help).
7. Keep financial records on the go with mobile payment apps
With mobile payment apps like Square, you can accept payments on the go. They are generally simple to use and free to set up. Using mobile payment apps means that you can accept payment anywhere with an internet connection, making it much easier and more convenient to make sales to customers across your farm and off-farm as well.
Now you're ready to accept payments right from your phone or tablet!
8. FMS helps you track your farm's key performance indicators
Farm management software is a powerful tool that can help you track and analyze your farm data. This data can be used to make better decisions, improve efficiency, increase profitability, and make your farm more sustainable. It also helps you track your farm's key performance indicators, like revenue, expenses and savings.
To get the most out of your FMS:
Track your revenue. You can use this data to determine how much money you're bringing in each month or year - and what that means for your bottom line. This information will help you make smart decisions about how much capital to invest in new equipment or other resources for the future growth of your business.
Track expenses by category (e.g., seeds vs fertilizer). This will give insight into where most of your money goes each month so that any unnecessary expenditures can be identified and cut out where possible; conversely, it may reveal areas where more investment might yield better results down the line if certain costs were lowered or eliminated altogether.
Final thoughts
We hope this article has given you some ideas on how to use FMS reports. By taking advantage of the many types of data and reports that are available on FMS systems, you can easily improve your productivity, sales, and performance.
If you're looking for a way to level up your farm, check out Farmbrite’s farm management software!