Are you adopting climate friendly farming practices? Make your data work for you with new reporting for Agreena farmers in Gatekeeper

We’re pleased to confirm that for those of your interested in adopting climate friendly regenerative farming practices on farm with a view to generating carbon certification with Agreena, you can now make use of a range of reports in system.

Thomas Gent, Market Lead for Agreena UK says “Agreena operates a world leading carbon farming program, working with arable farmers across the UK who are implementing climate friendly practices such as optimisation of nitrogen use and cover cropping. Agreena is able to work with you to generate carbon certificates which are a tradable asset providing a new income stream. Agreena is delighted to have formed a collaboration with Gatekeeper in order to make the data collection and onboarding process simple and easy.”

If you’re already a Gatekeeper user you can access these reports in the Gatekeeper Analysis Module which include Agreena Field List, Field Strategy and Soil Information.

For those not already using Gatekeeper and would like to explore your options for getting started please speak with our knowledgeable sales team on 01594 545000 or email farmplansales@proagrica.com

Improving pre-harvest connectivity for more profitable farms

For growers, pre-harvest is the perfect time to take stock. Once T3 and T4 have been done and the last of the fertiliser has been applied, how can you best prepare for harvest and that all-important post-harvest analysis? Adam Joslin, Customer Success Manager at Farmplan, part of Proagrica advises growers to go back to basics and focus on good data housekeeping.

Get into good habits with data

Keeping accurate, consistent, and complete records will give you a far better understanding of what’s going on in your farm business. If you want to optimise output and profit, you need to manage what you’ve got, and to do that, you need to be able to measure how you’re performing.

“If you want to get your farm business into the best shape possible pre and post-harvest”, comments Adam, “there are some key areas to focus on”.

Tidy up your data

To avoid running into any complications later in the year give your data a bit of a tidy up. Check to make sure you’ve exported or you’re ready to export your field list, your field boundaries are correct, and check the output names match the crops types you are going to be harvesting so the products are correct in the terminal and in Gatekeeper.

Take stock of your financials

“Ideally, the harvest data you’ll be bringing in should complete the picture of how your farm business is performing”, continues Adam. That will be the case if you’ve been building up an accurate and consistent set of records all year. Good records are essential for accurate reporting and analysis, and they are a strong foundation on which you can develop your farm business.

When it comes to the financials, look at what’s been entered in Gatekeeper throughout the year. Are your fertiliser and pesticide applications up to date? Have you recorded any fixed costs? Once you import your harvest data into Gatekeeper, it gives you a cost per tonne of production. This means growers can see the cost per tonne of inputs like pesticides and fertilisers, and by inputting sale prices and yield data, they can see what they are actually making on every tonne they are selling.

Jonathan Storey, who farms 500ac of arable crops in Norfolk, says the software has helped him use his resources better and keeps track of his numbers.

Farming is changing more than ever and with inputs going through the roof we need to manage every single unit going through the spreader and sprayer to make sure it is working as hard as it can, Gatekeeper allows us to do this and pulls it through to a gross margin field by field whenever you need it.

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Managing stock and doing some housekeeping of your stock data is also important. Check that the prices are against the right things and everything is in order so you can prepare for doing some cost analysis and gross margin reporting once the harvest is in.

Make sure you have connectivity with your combine

Farmplan Gatekeeper software enables seamless data exchange between machines and between machinery and manufacturer. “ Coming soon to Gatekeeper is Agrirouter, a wireless integration which will give seamless single point of connectivity, to a wide range of manufacturers” says Adam. “This will make it easier to bring data from the field to the farm office”.

Far from making farm management more complex, Agrirouter is being hailed as the next logical step in improving connectivity and collecting the data that matters.

It’s all in the analysis

For growers who want a better picture of how their farm business is performing, it’s all in the analysis. Gatekeeper has an analysis module which combines data from every part of the program  in every year so you can run reports on every aspect of your data, from what you’ve purchased to what’s in stock, what fertiliser you have applied, and much more.

“We always recommend that growers head here before and after harvest”, says Adam, “this will ensure they get a detailed look at performance in every area of their operations”.

Good data matters

If you import data into incomplete or inconsistent records, the reports you create aren’t going to be as valuable. That’s why going back to basics and getting into the habit of keeping good data is essential.

But it’s not just about collecting data, the data needs to mean something so growers can make informed decisions. Jonathan Storey adds that Gatekeeper helps him do just that.

“We have such sophisticated machines now that can deliver precision decisions but we

need software to be able to handle the data so it means something,” says Jonathan. “ Gatekeeper does this so we can make decisions based on evidence.  To be successful, we need to farm data as well as the soil.”

Make your year end transition easier with Farmplan Business Cloud

As the year end approaches, Anne Cianchi, Product Manager at Farmplan, the UK’s leading agricultural software specialists, shares some timely advice on how farmers can manage their money in uncertain times.

Harness the right accounting software to get ahead 

The year-end process can be a daunting and time-consuming one, but Anne assures farmers that having the right tools and support can help. “With Farmplan Business Cloud there is no complicated year end process to be run. Furthermore, financial advisors can be given access to run their own reports and make the required year-end adjustments directly in the software, leaving you free to get on with running your business.”

“But it’s not just about the simplicity of the year end process,” Anne continues, “Farmplan Business Cloud also allows you to take stock of all the information available to you. From analysing price trends to comparing enterprise performance, there is a wealth of information easily available to help each farm make well informed decisions going forward”.

Make everyday business tasks easier with Business Cloud 

Forget the clunky spreadsheets and paper records, Business Cloud is a complete accounting solution designed specifically for farmers. Here are just some of the benefits.

  • Time saving 

Time consuming and complicated data entry tasks become effortless, so farmers have more time to do what they do best. Whether on the farm or in the office, they can access and share their data from any device, anywhere, and automate those time-stealing tasks. 

  • Seamless collaboration

Business Cloud allows farmers to stay in control of their data and choose who can access what, from family members to trusted advisors. Keeping data safe and secure ensures they’ll always be compliant with current regulations. 

  • Make informed decisions

Where is a farm performing well? What needs to happen so the business can grow? Business Cloud allows farmers to analyse their business in as much detail as they need, so they can answer these questions and more. 

Not only that, but the software is capable of handling data for all types of enterprise, from traditional farm enterprises to farm diversification projects, helping farm businesses grow with ease. With the added function of being able to automatically bring transactions in from the bank and post them direct to the ledgers, managing money in one place has never been easier. 

Stress-free digital financial management

As of April 2022, all VAT-registered businesses were required to adhere to HMRC’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) regulations. 

These regulations mean businesses need to keep digital records of all transactions that make up the figures they report in their VAT return.

For farm businesses who are in their first year of using software to manage their finances, Farmplan provides reassurance that it’s not as stressful or complicated as it may seem.

“ For some farms, the MTD requirement might have felt like a big leap,” says Anne. “However by making use of the resources and the support available from Farmplan the transition to MTD software will not only ensure compliance with the new rules but will also bring so many other benefits at every level of your business.”


“We have lots of experience in the farming sector and our systems are tailored to the needs of farming businesses,” Anne continues, “ We are always on hand to talk to farmers, through our on-line and telephone support network”


Farmplan is an agent of Plaid Financial Ltd., an authorised payment institution regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2017 (Firm Reference Number: 804718). Plaid provides you with regulated account information services through Farmplan as its agent.

Web Grower

Simple, fast crop recording on the go

Gatekeeper Web Grower is the next generation in handheld recording allowing you not only to view field records but also capture inspection notes, create work plans and complete them whilst on the move. This is all managed through a web exchange process that passes data to and from your main Gatekeeper site. When you are back in the office you will be able to import the recorded data by simply clicking a button.

*Web Grower is available with a Gatekeeper subscription.

What are the benefits of Web Grower?

  • View field records including previous applications
  • Share and collaborate with colleagues on the farm
  • Confirm work done
  • Add crop inspection notes

Gatekeeper Web Grower will operate on all current smartphones, tablets and web-enabled devices that are able to run HTML.5 and have JAVA enabled.

If you would like to get started today, call our sales team on 0159454500 or complete a call back form and we will be in touch shortly.

Start your journey towards simple, fast crop recording on the go.

A-MAZE-ing Diversification Project

Becky Roper at Flanesford Priory explains more about their latest diversification project and how it has benefited their business.

Gatekeeper, Farmplan’s crop management software, is designed to enhance understanding of crop performance, helping farmers to improve yields and make informed decisions… or is it? For some farmers across the UK, Gatekeeper has become a useful tool for something a little different!

With Gatekeeper’s mapping and precision farming capabilities, the software can digitalise a maze layout in relation to the field it will be drilled in to. Via plot points and geo-referencing the maze artwork, the design of the maize maze can be converted into a data boundary, which can then be interpreted by a number of the industries in-cab control terminals.

Our team have been busy working with some of our customers to bring a range of artistic layouts to life recently.

Watch the below video to find out more about Flanesford Priory’s latest diversification project.

Maize Maze

Find out why you should start your maize diversification project today!

Do you want to find out more?

Contact our team of experts for help

Email

farmplansales@proagrica.com

Get started today to find out more.

Call

Sales:
01594 545000

Offices

Visit one of our locations around the UK:

Ross-on-Wye

Norfolk

NEW Gatekeeper Integration with John Deere

NEW Integration “a real turning point” 

Andrew Wolff, Arable Product Manager, Farmplan

In 2006, Gatekeeper boasted the only UK software with integration to the John Deere GS2 2100/2600 controllers. Since then, the two companies have launched a raft of successful collaborations with John Deere’s later in-cab controllers and online offerings.

Now, Gatekeeper will once again spearhead the industry, as it launches the integration with My John Deere’s work planning module this month.

The move will see Gatekeeper showcase its versatility again, as it will become the first software provider in the UK to integrate with John Deere’s Operation Centre Work Planning API, which allows the export of work plans.

Andrew Wolff, Arable Product Manager at Farmplan, says of the development: “Now, users in Gatekeeper can add, amend and pass on Gatekeeper work plans wirelessly to the My John Deere system.”

“This completely streamlines the workflow process, from recommendations to work plans and having it checked by operators in My John Deere before then sending it to the cabs – it’s a real turning point.”

But even beyond ease of use and time saved, Andrew says there are huge operational advantages: “Work plans issued from the office can now be modified on the fly by operators dealing with the ever-changing working environment, and that’s going to change the entire system for the better – I’m looking forward to seeing the positive difference this will make to every step of the process.”

To learn more about Gatekeeper, Farmplan’s crop recording and field management solutions for growers of all sizes, agronomists and consultants, please click here or contact the team on 01594 545000 / farmplansales@proagrica.com

Carbon Bank Project

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

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/