Category: Farmplan

Less Stress, More Success with Farmplan

Posted on by bethapperley

As we enter March, the end of the tax year prompts a rise in activity on farms across the country as farmers and accountants work together diligently, tying up loose ends and ensuring documentation is accurate and compliant with regulatory requirements. In light of this upcoming milestone, we wanted to summarise some common pain points farmers encounter during this period, and how our Farmplan solutions can help alleviate them.

Understanding the Demands of Tax Season

During this time of year, farmers need to balance their day-to-day operations with increased communication with their accountants. Whilst this period can feel like a crunch point where these competing priorities are most felt, the pressures of this workload are often experienced in the weeks and months prior. Throughout the year, farmers must carefully monitor and record their earnings and spending to ensure the April tax year end can be managed efficiently. However, with many still resorting to manual record-keeping systems or outdated software to do this, it can cause even more issues when it comes to auditing and having everything they need in one place.

Recognising these issues, it is clear that farmers need support with this, giving them time back to focus on what matters most – their farms.

Embracing Farmplan Business Solutions

Transitioning to a new platform for accounting can feel daunting, but at Farmplan, we are dedicated to making the process smooth and manageable for farmers. Our cloud-based platform, Farmplan Business Cloud, already stands out in the industry as the benchmark for high-quality, hands-on customer support, ensuring that no farmers are left stranded and unsupported at any point of the year. With a team of agriculture experts, we have designed this software to only use relevant terminology and cater for agricultural activities.

From an efficiency perspective, Farmplan Business Cloud removes the need for farmers to manually enter their bank transactions and make time-consuming trips to the accounting office. The platform can receive information and transactions directly from the farm business bank (if granted) and enables accountants to seamlessly access all records from one centralised location. Moreover, the platform can be accessed anywhere and at any time by farmers, reducing the need to spend long hours in the farm office managing paperwork. These efficiencies ultimately streamline the crucial work that is needed between farmers and their accountants, improving, and speeding up collaboration across the board.

By leveraging Farmplan Business Cloud, farmers can benefit from a solution that enables them to manage their operations more efficiently and effectively, allowing them to streamline their processes, track their resources and make informed decisions.

We understand the challenges confronting farmers at this time of year and we are confident that we have the tools and support to help solve them, and our customers think so too. Andrew Dobin, owner of JA Dobin and Son, was initially hesitant to switch over to Farmplan Business Cloud, but after implementing the software he found his processes transformed:

“If you’re hesitating about switching, I’d say trust the Farmplan experts and give it a go. For me, it’s definitely been worth the move.”

By investing in Farmplan Business Cloud, farmers can embark on a journey towards less stress and more success in the next tax year and beyond.

For more information on Farmplan, and to learn about how we can best support you, please get in touch.

Lessons in Collaboration from AGRITECHNICA

Posted on by veritytomson

Piers Costley Vice President of Operations, Ag Solutions at Proagrica

Towards the end of last year, the Proagrica team had the privilege of attending AGRITECHNICA, the world’s leading fair for agricultural machinery. This event was particularly meaningful to us, as we were honoured with an invitation from John Deere to proudly represent Proagrica on their stand.

This experience proved invaluable, as it presented a unique opportunity to engage directly with our customers and other industry leaders. AGRITECHNICA usually serves as an industry melting pot for meaningful conversations and the fostering of new relationships, and this was the case yet again. I wanted to share my thoughts following another successful event.  

Our Time with John Deere

Our relationship with John Deere continues to grow from strength to strength, with the latest integration between the Proagrica Farmplan Gatekeeper software and the John Deere Operations CenterTM signifying even more progress. This tool has proven instrumental in alleviating the challenges farmers encounter when executing workplans, particularly concerning variable rate application maps.

Through this latest development, the team had the opportunity to join the John Deere stand at AGRITECHNICA and highlight this integration. The stand generated a huge amount of interest and footfall over the course of the event. It also served as the prime setting for practical demonstrations, catering to both existing and potential customers. These demonstrations illustrated the ease of the Gatekeeper tool and how it can deliver tangible value to farmers in the field, enabling them to optimise the use of their existing resources.

Beyond the Stand

Away from our activities on the stand, AGRITECHNICA was vast, with over 2,800 exhibitors and five stages. Many of our Proagrica partners were also present, including Ag Leader, Kubota, CNH, and AGCO. Engaging in discussions with these partners presented another valuable opportunity to underscore the importance of the Gatekeeper software in farm management, highlighting its capabilities and advantages. A central focus of these conversations was the integration prowess of the Gatekeeper software, given its ability to integrate with a wide range of industry-leading manufacturers and service providers. This feature empowers farmers to utilise devices and machinery that align precisely with their business needs.

Events such as AGRITECHNICA serve as platforms for exchanging ideas, showcasing innovations, and forging partnerships. Through these events, we can spotlight our work, and the value we can provide for farmers to thrive in this evolving agriculture ecosystem.

Looking back at the event, I would like to express how proud we are of our partnership with John Deere to date. It’s a collaboration that resonates deeply with Proagrica’s commitment to delivering genuine solutions that truly benefit our customers.

As we embark on our journey into 2024, we are eager to sustain our collaborative efforts with our valued partners such as John Deere. We are also committed to having a strong presence at industry events, including LAMMA 2024, which we have just attended.

We look forward to continuing to shape the future of agriculture through shared knowledge and collaborative partnerships.

To learn more about the value our partnership with John Deere can bring to you, contact us here.

Looking back at a year of innovation: An end of year message from Piers Costley

Posted on by veritytomson

As we approach the close of another year, I find myself reflecting on the key challenges and successes for the agriculture industry, and the customers we serve.

Piers Costley, VP of Operations

The dynamic field we work in ensures that no two years are the same, and this is the case once again when I look back at 2023. We continue to see significant pressures on farmers and growers to achieve efficiencies in the UK, as well as globally. Regardless of the size of the operation, we know our customers need support to maximise their performance now more than ever.

I take pride in the fact we have provided this support across the year through numerous product milestones, including the continued rollout of Farmplan Business Cloud, our latest advancements for Gatekeeper, and our Hardware and IT offerings going from strength to strength.

As our industry becomes more digital and connected, so must our solutions. Whilst offering future-fit support, we know we need to ensure that we take our customers with us on this journey. Our focus is to collaborate and work hand in hand with those who use our products, ensuring a constant dialogue so that our users benefit from the solutions we create.

Looking back on how we have listened and collaborated with our customers in 2023, I have to call out our successful Farmplan Business Cloud (FBC) Roadshow events. Our team held 12 in-person events  to educate and share the benefits of FBC. Meeting our customers face to face is the lifeblood of how we continue to create our innovative solutions, and receiving questions and dialogue firsthand is crucial. I can’t wait for the next series of these events that we have planned for 2024. Understandably, not everyone can always be there in person, and for those customers we were proud to have held several webinars too. I am delighted that over 600 users are already onboarded with FBC on the back of these events, and we look forward to welcoming even more of our customers to the platform in the new year.

Reflecting on Gatekeeper, we pride ourselves on how the customer voice has helped us develop this product from day one. Thousands of growers, agronomists and industry partners have been consulted to date, and this product continues to adapt to our customers’ needs. This year we were proud to unveil the latest integration between our software with the John Deere Operations CenterTM, allowing farmers additional tools to manage the demands of compliance and traceability.  Looking ahead to 2024, we will continue to develop Gatekeeper in line with the latest needs of the industry, enabling growers to increase yields and find efficiencies.

Finally, I want to call out an incredibly busy year for our Hardware and IT offering. 2023 has seen a huge amount of vital work carried out to support our customers, with our anti-virus software upgrades and our network installations in particular having extremely strong uptake across the year.

I close the year feeling incredibly optimistic for 2024. At Progarica Farmplan, our success is directly linked to our customers’ success. We remain committed to equipping farmers and growers with innovative solutions that enable sustainable growth for their businesses, and we cannot wait to continue this journey next year in full collaboration with our customers.

From everyone here at Farmplan, I wish you and your families a fantastic Christmas break, and a happy New Year.

Nuffield Scholarship

Posted on by veritytomson

Announcement of renowned Nuffield Scholarship

Proagrica has announced its sponsorship of the renowned Nuffield Scholarship, a UK scholarship focussing on nurturing innovation in the agriculture sector and driving positive change.

Caroline Davis, COO at Proagrica, says the company is excited to create opportunity for individuals within agriculture. “We are delighted to partner with Nuffield and be able to provide opportunity to passionate and talented individuals to make a difference in the world of agriculture. The agriculture and food sectors are facing tremendous challenges and this scholarship is the right platform to foster problem-solving innovations.”

In this, Proagrica’s inaugural year, the successful candidate as part of their research, will explore opportunities for US and UK farmers and growers to integrate nature-based solutions into their farming practices.

Each year, Nuffield Scholarships are awarded to approximately 20 individuals working in farming, horticulture, forestry, or any supporting industry. Each scholar spends at least eight weeks abroad to research a chosen topic. At the end of the scholarship, they produce a 10,000 word report which is presented at the annual Nuffield Farming Conference. Their valuable research adds to the ever-growing agricultural knowledge base and many scholars go on to become respected thought-leaders in the sector.

Mike Vacher, Director of the Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, welcomed Proagrica’s sponsorship. “Nuffield inspires people to make a difference in the world of agriculture. This is achieved by developing those individuals who will shape the future of agriculture and of our local and global communities. We are delighted that Proagrica is sponsoring a scholar to help us lead positive change in farming and food.”

For anyone interested in applying for this prestigious scholarship, applications must be submitted by 31st July. Following an interview process for shortlisted applicants, new scholars will be announced in late October.

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.nuffieldscholar.org/scholarships/application-process

New Year Message from Piers Costley

Posted on by veritytomson

Get more from your farm assets with smart tech

Why cloud-based solutions are gaining momentum amongst forward thinking farmers.

It is an undeniably challenging time for farm businesses of all sizes. In the face of relentless changes and multiple shocks, they are still striving to both perform and profit. Industrywide, agricultural businesses have been conducting their farming in more innovative and exciting ways. Farmers want to understand what’s working and what’s not, and how to get the most from the assets they farm.

Piers Costley, Managing Director at Farmplan, part of Proagrica, discusses why it is so important for farms to be able to record, track and understand their data – “only then will they be able to remain agile, forecast accurately and plan accordingly for whatever tomorrow may bring. But this requires both clarity and simplification”.

“Only with the right information at your fingertips can you make the right decisions at the right time, on everything from inputs and machinery to selling and compliance,” says Mr Costley. Simplifying and standardising data so that you can not only record it easily, but also use it across multiple platforms, sounds complex, but with the right tools can be anything but.

“Essentially, it’s about standardising core data and making farmers’ lives easier,” continues Mr Costley. “Farmplan Business Cloud is a good example of a tool that has been specifically written for a particular market. However, there are numerous examples in the industry of generic technology being applied to various markets, which then lack the focus, requirements and expertise that farming needs.”

“These smart tools know your pain points, know the stumbling blocks you come across, and aims to either eliminate or massively reduce those by being intuitive, collaborative and flexible. With your data standardised and at your fingertips, you can make decisions far more easily.”

Mr Costley adds: “These tools can highlight where the most potential lies, and identifies the parts of your farm that are performing well so you can make informed decisions. And because it is a cloud-based product, you can easily share your data with your chosen business partners for added value.

“Updating in-line with UK farming regulations, ensures these tools remain agile enough to accommodate diversification or expansion – they are designed to help your business thrive.”

Smart technology means farmers can get the basics right so that they can focus their efforts on what matters. Farmplan Business Cloud is incredibly simple to use, but has a level of sophistication below that, which means it is intuitive enough to ensure current and future requirements are met, such as those surrounding HMRC legislation.

“As farmers know only too well, the agricultural industry never stands still,” adds Mr Costley. “We have a range of intuitive cloud-based solutions on the horizon, which are easier to use for farmers, are more flexible on-farm, and allow data to be shared more easily with advisors and other required stakeholders, at the right time. Farmers face a challenging future environment but with the right tools they will be better equipped to efficiently manage their farms and be agile and ready to take advantage of the opportunities to come.”

Our commitment to sustainability

We are proud to be part of the Farmers Weekly led Transition Project which aims to drive awareness of the ways and means available to UK farmers in order to become more sustainable as BPS (Basic Payment Scheme) becomes a thing of the past.

Find out more about the Farmers Weekly Transition Project here.

Carbon Bank Project

Posted on by

Arable carbon credits from a Yorkshire farm sold to RELX as part of Carbon Bank initiative  

The world’s first arable carbon credits verified by BCarbon have been sold in a major new initiative that could reverse climate change by using farmland to pull harmful carbon from the atmosphere.

Unlike many carbon credit programmes, the project by UK-based Future Food Solutions sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and restores soil health by storing carbon in the ground, enabling farmers to combat climate change while continuing to feed the world.

Carbon credit trading is expected to hit $50bn dollars by 2030 and the Future Food Solutions scheme could unlock millions of tonnes of sequestered carbon credits by utilising farmland around the world.

The first tonnes of verified carbon credits have been sold to RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers, after being generated by a single farm on the Yorkshire Wolds in the UK.

Working with the British Consulate in Houston, USA, Future Food Solutions partnered with independent verification body BCarbon, which is based at Rice University in Texas, to create the Sustainable Futures Carbon Bank to sell carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market.

Through the Carbon Bank, farmers are encouraged to grow cover crops that pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. Cover crops are growing in popularity for many reasons in the UK and by planting between the regular food crop rotation, they don’t impact on the amount of food UK farmers can produce.

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How does it work?

Future Food Solutions conducts soil analysis before the cover crop is sown and then uses a series of rigorous tests to determine exactly how many tonnes of carbon has been removed from the atmosphere.

Much of this field data has been acquired in conjunction with Yorkshire Water and Proagrica, part of RELX, who have partnered with Future Food Solutions on catchment scale farmer engagement programmes in the UK.

“We are delighted to have played a part in the Carbon Bank”, says Jamie O’Sullivan, Group Managing Director at Proagrica.  “We have adapted our farm management software, Gatekeeper, to enable the capture of essential field data needed to give confidence that the system works. This data is fully permissioned by the scheme participants through our software. The opportunity for farming to fulfil its potential as a positive force not only to address climate change but to continue to supply safe, nutritious food has been brought much closer with this project. And we are proud that our parent company, RELX, is the first to purchase this innovative carbon credit as part of our global effort to achieve Net Zero”.

Although sequestration will vary because of weather, cover crop and soil type, on average a hectare of cover crop will deliver 2-3 tonnes of carbon to trade.  Farmers then receive money through the sale of their carbon credits.

Who buys the carbon?

The carbon credits are sold to organisations looking to offset their carbon footprint. More than a third of the world’s largest publicly traded companies have already made Net Zero pledges and demand for quality carbon removal credits is increasing.

Steve Cann from Future Food Solutions says: “This is a step change in carbon removal providing a real opportunity for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. The Carbon Bank offers global reach as soil stock in all farming environments around the world could provide significant capacity to become a huge carbon sink.

“The Carbon Bank means farmers in the UK and beyond can provide a solution to one of the biggest climate change issues, highlighted at COP26 in Glasgow.

“Plus, if we do it right, food gets better. Water and flood management improves because the cover crops transform below ground soil structure, which in turn helps to reduce leaching and water run-off and because carbon is being sequestered back into the soil from the atmosphere, the planet starts to heal as well”.

“We can get everybody to contribute by eating smarter and actively choosing to buy food products sourced from land where this remedial process is being undertaken by farmers.”

First credits from Yorkshire

The first verified carbon credits have come from Tom Mellor’s farm High above Bridlington, in the North Yorkshire Wolds.

Tom says: “Farming is about achieving a balance, similar to the challenge the planet is facing, with regard to climate change. If we take out more than we put back in, future generations will pay the price”

Tom also commented “Knowing now that farming can be the solution, not the problem is encouraging us to rethink both our practices and mindset”

The Sustainable Futures Carbon Bank aims to bring 10,000 carbon credits to the voluntary market in the next 12 months from other farms involved in the scheme across the UK and EU.

For more information on the Carbon Bank please visit sustainablefutures.uk.com/carbon-bank/

Carbon Bank Project

Posted on by Jenny George

Arable carbon credits from a Yorkshire farm sold to RELX as part of Carbon Bank initiative  

The world’s first arable carbon credits verified by BCarbon have been sold in a major new initiative that could reverse climate change by using farmland to pull harmful carbon from the atmosphere.

Unlike many carbon credit programmes, the project by UK-based Future Food Solutions sequesters carbon from the atmosphere and restores soil health by storing carbon in the ground, enabling farmers to combat climate change while continuing to feed the world.

Carbon credit trading is expected to hit $50bn dollars by 2030 and the Future Food Solutions scheme could unlock millions of tonnes of sequestered carbon credits by utilising farmland around the world.

The first tonnes of verified carbon credits have been sold to RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers, after being generated by a single farm on the Yorkshire Wolds in the UK.

Working with the British Consulate in Houston, USA, Future Food Solutions partnered with independent verification body BCarbon, which is based at Rice University in Texas, to create the Sustainable Futures Carbon Bank to sell carbon credits on the voluntary carbon market.

Through the Carbon Bank, farmers are encouraged to grow cover crops that pull carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil. Cover crops are growing in popularity for many reasons in the UK and by planting between the regular food crop rotation, they don’t impact on the amount of food UK farmers can produce.

How does it work?

Future Food Solutions conducts soil analysis before the cover crop is sown and then uses a series of rigorous tests to determine exactly how many tonnes of carbon has been removed from the atmosphere.

Much of this field data has been acquired in conjunction with Yorkshire Water and Proagrica, part of RELX, who have partnered with Future Food Solutions on catchment scale farmer engagement programmes in the UK.

“We are delighted to have played a part in the Carbon Bank”, says Jamie O’Sullivan, Group Managing Director at Proagrica.  “We have adapted our farm management software, Gatekeeper, to enable the capture of essential field data needed to give confidence that the system works. This data is fully permissioned by the scheme participants through our software. The opportunity for farming to fulfil its potential as a positive force not only to address climate change but to continue to supply safe, nutritious food has been brought much closer with this project. And we are proud that our parent company, RELX, is the first to purchase this innovative carbon credit as part of our global effort to achieve Net Zero”.

Although sequestration will vary because of weather, cover crop and soil type, on average a hectare of cover crop will deliver 2-3 tonnes of carbon to trade.  Farmers then receive money through the sale of their carbon credits.

Who buys the carbon?

The carbon credits are sold to organisations looking to offset their carbon footprint. More than a third of the world’s largest publicly traded companies have already made Net Zero pledges and demand for quality carbon removal credits is increasing.

Steve Cann from Future Food Solutions says: “This is a step change in carbon removal providing a real opportunity for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint. The Carbon Bank offers global reach as soil stock in all farming environments around the world could provide significant capacity to become a huge carbon sink.

“The Carbon Bank means farmers in the UK and beyond can provide a solution to one of the biggest climate change issues, highlighted at COP26 in Glasgow.

“Plus, if we do it right, food gets better. Water and flood management improves because the cover crops transform below ground soil structure, which in turn helps to reduce leaching and water run-off and because carbon is being sequestered back into the soil from the atmosphere, the planet starts to heal as well”.

“We can get everybody to contribute by eating smarter and actively choosing to buy food products sourced from land where this remedial process is being undertaken by farmers.”

First credits from Yorkshire

The first verified carbon credits have come from Tom Mellor’s farm High above Bridlington, in the North Yorkshire Wolds.

Tom says: “Farming is about achieving a balance, similar to the challenge the planet is facing, with regard to climate change. If we take out more than we put back in, future generations will pay the price”

Tom also commented “Knowing now that farming can be the solution, not the problem is encouraging us to rethink both our practices and mindset”

The Sustainable Futures Carbon Bank aims to bring 10,000 carbon credits to the voluntary market in the next 12 months from other farms involved in the scheme across the UK and EU.

For more information on the Carbon Bank please visit sustainablefutures.uk.com/carbon-bank/

How Farmplan is helping farmers to be more sustainable

Posted on by Jenny George

Data is a driver for massive change in farming, and more and more within the sector are seeking solutions that allow them to take full advantage of the benefits it brings. A new partnership between Farmplan, the UK’s leading agricultural software specialists, and Sustainable Landscapes, a landscape-based programme initiated by Future Food Solutions, demonstrates just what the future of sustainable farming can look like – and how it can mean a win-win for farmers and their partners within the supply chain.

“About eight years ago, we began to specifically examine resilience in supply chains for our major clients,” says Steve Cann, Director of Future Food Solutions. “Working closely with farmers demonstrated that their data is incredibly important, and that Gatekeeper, which many of them used, offered a value adding platform, as the more data farmers had, the better it would be for them in terms of managing their business.”

The goal of Sustainable Landscapes is to improve soil quality and water management for more resilient and profitable farming. In Gatekeeper, Steve found widely used software that recorded all the essential data for effective sustainability planning and execution. “We sat down with Farmplan and discussed how we could work together,” he says. “As a result, with the farmers agreement, we can now pull vital information directly out of Gatekeeper to perform a full carbon audit very quickly.”

This partnership helps farmers to improve soil health and farm in a more sustainable way, including the use of cover crops to cultivate biomass and increase soil organic matter (SOM) in their fields – a major sink and source of soil carbon. As Steve explains, a 1% increase in SOM per hectare allows that area of land to absorb an additional 240 tons of water.

“In one example, we saw a farmer increase their SOM from 2% to 6%,” says Steve. “They have close to 1,000 tonnes of water available in that hectare of land that would not have been there a few years ago. All of this is verified and driven by independent soil testing and assessment. We’re not marking our own homework. It’s a real win-win, creating a virtuous circle where farmers, water companies, and brands all benefit.”

For UK growers, this means being able to farm more sustainably and demonstrate compliance to their supply chain partners – all by simply using the data which they already capture as part of their existing practice. This extends to nutrient capture, offering a further financial benefit. For example, one farm tested their cover crops and discovered 305 kgs of N pulled in per hectare – a hugely valuable gain, especially with the current pricing.

“Fundamentally, this is data that’s already being recorded for compliance,” says Scott Millar, Account Manager at Farmplan. “This partnership just means farmers see an extra benefit from their work, from better utilisation of nutrients to more effective farm management. It’s an exciting prospect for UK farmers who are eager to derive more value from their business in a sustainable way.”