The use of paddock recording by farmers is still very much done by traditional methods. The popular method of paper recording ie. In a farm diary, has many limitations and although the benefits of using technology are clear, not many NZ farmers have been brave enough to take up the challenge and use paddock recording programmes such as Production Wise.
This report surveys four diverse farmers for their opinions about paddock recording and then uses a large Canterbury dairy operation as a case study to trial the use and benefits of using a cloud based computer programme to record paddock information.
Farmlands Co-Operative is a market leader in on farm service and farm advice. Using a case study from Canterbury Grasslands Limited, a proposal will be submitted to management to outline a system so that all TFOs are trained in the use of paddock recording technology to encourage the shareholder to maintain accurate records of all paddock inputs.
The success of this study will be when a farmer can see how easy it is to use and how much more information can be retained on farm and available for use not only by the farm itself, but for other contractors such as seed supplier, fertiliser supplier or chemical supplier. If this programme is rolled out across all of Farmlands NZ, it gives the company major advantage in customer service.
Wayne May
