Farm Record Keeping 2.0

The 14th Annual Acorn Conference

November 20, 2013

AgSquared Support Team Member - David Wides

Outline

1. Lets Define Farm Record-Keeping

2. Paper and Spreadsheets

3. AgSquared on the Farm

4. How to use AgSquared

The Question:

How do we define good

record keeping?

Definition

Good Record Keeping

=

Targeted and Organized

Record Keeping

Definition

Record Keeping Process: Targeting

1.What goal do I want to

accomplish?

2.What pieces of information do I

need to accomplish that goal?

3.Where in my farming process is

that information generated?

Targeted Goals

Agronomy: Maximize yield, optimize soil

fertility, maximize water use efficiency,

select cultural practices

Business: Increase efficiency of labor,

input, energy use, identify profit centers,

more effectively target markets

Reporting / Compliance: Organic, GAP,

taxes, customer communications

Workflow: Improve on-farm collaboration,

accumulate institutional knowledge

Record Keeping Process: Organizing

1.What is the easiest way to capture farm

information as it is generated?

2.What is the easiest way to keep that

information organized to enable later

use?

The Redundancy Problem

Crop-by-Crop

Records Calendar Map

Narrative (Notebook)

Easy to collect ≠ Easy to use

Management

Analysis

Planning Record Keeping

AgSquared on the Farm

How AgSquared Works

the software

AgSquared case studies

• Richard Kanak – Four

Sisters Farm

Cherry Valley, Illinois

– Using detailed records

to make informed

decisions about

varieties

AgSquared case studies

• Lara and Roger

Anderson – Farm

Where Life Is Good

River Falls, Wisconsin

– Beginning farmers

using AgSquared to

organize their

operation

AgSquared case studies

• Scott Thellman –

Juniper Hills Farm

Lawrence, Kansas

– Streamlining farm

management and

team coordination

Cost Tracking

AgSquared Case Studies

• Joe Bozzelli -

Five Elements Farm – Worthington, Pennsylvania

Expanding Farm business using

AgSquared to track Labor costs

for specific Crops throughout the

growing season

AgSquared Case Studies

• David Baker -

Primrose Valley Farm –

Madison, Wisconsin

Diversified Grower using

AgSquared for Tracking

Inventory of Important

Materials and Supplies

All farms all years

Up Next: Mobile App.

Up Next: Mobile App.

Thanks!

Questions?