National Post

Reshaping Future Generation­s of Farming Through an Intuitive Software Platform

- Michele Sponagle Visit climatefie­ldview.ca to learn more about howfieldvi­ewis shaping a new generation of farmers, present and future.

Agri culture is a cornerston­e of the canadian economy, contributi­ng more than $100 billion to it annually. Domestic farmers produce a wide range offield crops, ranging from flax and soybeans to corn and wheat. Around everything they grow, choices must be made about keyissues like the optimal time to plant, and how much seed, moisture, and fertilizat­ion are needed for healthy crops. Farming is a complex business with amultitude of moving parts.

To manage all of them, Field view, an advanced agricultur­al software platform, can help. It has been a game changer for farmers across Canada and is transformi­ng how they farm .“what it does is gather informatio­n from the fields about what’ s happening there. It monitors in real time things like biomass, environmen­tal conditions, and rainfall ,” says denise ho ck a day, Climate business lead at The Climate Corporatio­n. “The software keeps track of what was planted, where, when, crop yield, and moisture. Many farmers historical­ly had different ways of keeping track of those things, but it was manual, clunky, and not automated. If they did use technology, different software types were unable to talk to one another and the necessary data couldn’t be compiled all together.”

Managing fields with intuitive software

Fieldview is able to gather a wide range of data in one place. That’s essential when, as Hockaday points out, farmers need to make 50 to 60 decisions about multiple fields each and every year. The software was created for farmers, with input from farmers, but not exclusivel­y for them.

“It can also be used by those they work with — a retailer, an agronomist, or an advisor,” explains Ho ck a day .“it allows for collaborat­ion with everyone being able to read the data being recorded. Not only does it save on the manual work of collection, it happens immediatel­y.

You can have much more robust management and measuremen­t. We use technology to our advantage to enable that. Real-time data is powerful.”

With an accurate, up-to-date picture of what’ s going on with their crops, farmers can make better decisions and modify them right away as needed. Even as they move their tractors down the rows, the data is captured live and is accessible while they sit in the cab. The informatio­n can be retrieved from the cloud-based software platform from a laptop, tablet, or smartphone from anywhere, whether farmers are nearby or travelling. They can manage the logistics of their farm without physically being there.

Saving time and boosting efficiency

The software has been designed to be easy to use. Farmers who invest a bit of time up front will reap the benefits with time saving and more efficientl­y running businesses moving forward .“We hear on a regular basis how intuitive our platformis to use,” says Hock a day. “we help people understand what it can do for them, and then we actually provide support to help people get up and running. Someone will visit the farm to set up the equipment, if needed. They can see their informatio­n and get assistance with mapping any field right away.”

Fieldview also helps to ensure agricultur­e sustainabi­lity with efficient production and quality product .“Sustainabi­lity has been at the core of agricultur­e forever,” Hockaday notes. “This is a farmer’s livelihood. They’re in it for the long haul. They’ re stewards of land that may have been passed down through their families. Fieldview can provide more insights on how to continue to be sustainabl­e or to be more informed about sustainabi­lity practices.”

Sustainabi­lity has been at the core of agricultur­e forever.

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 ??  ?? Denise Hockaday Climate Business Lead,
Canada,
The Climate Corporatio­n
Denise Hockaday Climate Business Lead, Canada, The Climate Corporatio­n

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