Welcome to our December update. With Brexit on the horizon and new lockdowns in place, we are certainly still not short of uncertainty still. Hopefully with the news that vaccines are just around the corner marks the beginning of the end, even if we still have a few months left to negotiate before we can get back to some kind of normal.
Last month we attended the online Agri-Scot, it was a very different experience speaking to people by messenger and video call compared to having people pop onto the stand for a coffee and chat. It was a good day and we launched more information about Agri-Ignite, our farm software.
Introducing Agri Ignite
Agri Ignite provides farmers with a simple consultant led web and mobile app to complete the following:-
- Cattle Records
This is a cloud based system so it can work anywhere online or offline and this month we now have an android and IOS app available for people who subscribe to our software. This will enable BCMS movements to be recorded and created in the shed, the field or at the market from your phone or at your computer. Gone are the days of having a scrap bit of paper with lots of numbers in your boiler suit. Agri Ignite is also enabled for Scotmoves.
- Accounts Appraisal
Xero can be integrated into Agri Ignite. This enables farmers to see realtime costs and it impacts on the performance of the farm. For example, you can see the gross margins which can be customised to individual enterprises. Don’t have cloud accounting? We can analyse year-end accounts as well.
- Enterprise Performance and Benchmarking
At a glance dials to show how you are performing financially and consultant support is available if you want advice or information on how to improve this performance.
- ICAS data capture & Mapping
The inclusion of mapping within Agri Ignite helps farmers to see what needs to be done in each field. As IACS is based on land area, Clients can access maps (cropping etc) of their IACS claim area on Agri Ignite to enable them to confirm that it is correct. We successfully used the system in 2020 after a very quick build and we will use it again for processing the 2021 IACS’s
- Other Professionals
While the program is designed for farmers, it also includes a “professionals” package which enables a consultant or accountant to have their own package and client list. This professional package takes all the basic information about a farm and allows the user to place it into a template. A template can then be produced to show this information easily but consistently. There are also a wide variety of other tools, such as surveys and questions that allow farm data to be captured easily.
If you want to speak to us about Agri Ignite, just call the office on 01461 600540 or email [email protected]
5 | Agri
5 | Agri is the company behind Agri-Ignite. A partnership of five independent agricultural consultancy businesses based in Scotland and the North of England. Each partner brings their own skillset to supporting the wider farming industry. This enables Owen Farm Services to draw upon a range of specialist advice from within the group. 5|Agri is made up of
- CA MacPhail Consulting
- RJ Livestock Ltd
- AgriFood ltd
- JH AgriConsultancy
- Owen Farm Services
As a partnership, 5 | Agri are working on various projects such as the Targeted Selected Treatment (TST) with the Moredun Institute to develop a portal on Agri Ignite to enable the recording of weights and growth of sheep to better target treatments.
Brexit
Finally Brexit. While Brexit has already happened the transition period ends on the 31st December 2020. At the time of writing there is still no decision but what is for certain is that there will be changes for agriculture. It was announced this week that there will be a ban on live exports. While this won’t affect many farmers directly the proposal also includes a reduction in the time an animal can spend on transport. The guidance for this was updated last week.
As ever, if you have any questions or queries please call the office on 01461 600540 or email [email protected]
From all of us at Owen Farm Services and 5|Agri, please have a safe and enjoyable Christmas and fingers crossed for a better 2021 when it arrives.
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