Software for Agriculture

According to the ABS, of all industries the agricultural industry contains the fourth largest number of small businesses. Evidence shows that small and medium businesses (SMBs / SMEs) are the economy’s lifeblood. They make up over 99.7% of all businesses, employ half the total workforce and account for the vast majority of new jobs created in the past decade. This makes the agricultural industry highly significant in the economic picture of countries in the Western World.

What if we could boost the productivity of all farm- and agriculture-related small businesses worldwide? This is a significant number of small businesses, which would have a massive impact on all economies. Imagine if farmers could speed up time-consuming or repetitive tasks, get better insights into their businesses and improve sales through better paddock management, tracking livestock movements, managing milk production, handling purchases and sales, tracking inventory and the like. This would allow them to reduce scarce resources by avoiding unnecessary spend through lack of visibility of their operations.

Well, the good news is you can! By finding the right software, your business can achieve a dramatic improvement in its performance. And that’s good for everyone…

Types of agricultural software

There are a vast number of software alternatives open to companies in the agricultural industry. These range from software products used in farming; to weather station software used for rainfall monitoring; to climate assessment software; to software used in the feed manufacturing. Just within farming alone, there are software products for livestock management- cattle, dairy, sheep, horses, pigs, goats, alpacas; software used in the horticulture industry- crop and feed management, vegetables, grapes, avocados, fruit orchards, nuts, turf, flowers, nurseries; software products used in the supply of goods to farmers; and software for farm produce distributors. 

It is also useful to distinguish standalone or separate software (more often used by small business) from solutions that integrate a range of modules into a combined software package. In addition, one can separate online / web based applications from packaged software products installed on your own PC / server.

Popular types of agricultural software include:

• Livestock recordkeeping software
• Crop recordkeeping software
• Farm accounting software
• Land / field mapping software
• Farm planning software
• Weather software
• Feed management software
• Plant and equipment management software
• Fisheries and aquaculture software
• Quality management software
• Precision farming software
• Produce distribution management software
• Supply chain management (SCM) software
• ... and many others

Why use agricultural software?

The best way to think about software is in terms of your business objectives. Business must lead technology, not the other way around.  What are the most important activities in your business? What are the challenges and frustrations you face in these areas? Where are the opportunities to improve your speed, cost, and quality? 

If these questions are difficult to answer, due to the fact that you don’t have the visibility that you require of your business operations, then you should seriously consider investigating software alternatives that will provide you with the necessary tools to manage your business. It may be that you are finding it impossible to manage an increasing number of cattle grazing in your fields. Or that you are not able to budget for your fertiliser purchases over the coming year.

The right software helps your business by improving the quality and flow of information, which in turn boosts both efficiency and effectiveness.  Software can give you a better picture of where your money is going, how productive your livestock are, the expiry date of chemical inventories, and many other such insights. And it helps this information flow quickly to where it is needed.

Which agricultural software is right for me?

Regardless of your industry, size, or specific situation there is almost certainly a product out there that’s right for you. The challenge is finding that ideal choice amongst the tens of thousands of software packages on the market.

That’s where Software Shortlist comes in. We aim to help you find the right software for your business.

1. Review packs: Purchase independent reviews of popular software types, including accounting, timesheets, livestock management, and email marketing.

2. Directory: Browse our extensive software directory for free and explore your options

3. Online comparisons: Take a free, online assessment of your needs and be automatically matched with relevant solutions

4. Get A Shortlist: Free referral service that matches you with a shortlist of relevant providers. Simply submit your requirements and then, after a short telephone call to clarify any details, we use our extensive knowledge and networks to connect you with quality solutions that meet your requirements.