Integrated Crop Management System
AGROTRADE
Nowadays farmers tend to use modern technology to boost production and improve the efficiency of farming in conditions of limited resources. GPS-monitoring systems for vehicles, mapping, remote monitoring of crops are already becoming the industry standard in crop production. Following large businesses, sensors and drones are used by medium and small scale farmers.
The reason is quite simple: technology helps farmers spend less, but earn more. However, Ukrainian companies use IT systems, which instead of being a complex solution with a number of technologies, they're actually some programs with conflicting generalized data, which gets into the system late and doesn't provide complete picture of the actual situation. This negatively affects the entire production process management.
The experienced farmers-innovators assure that integration of a dozen different solutions into a single platform, on the contrary, increases the manageability and provides exponential increases in production efficiency. How does this work in practice? What are the difficulties encountered by manufacturers implementing an integrated crop management system? What is the effect of such a solution for business? In search of answers, we headed to the Agrotrade company, which this spring launched a large-scale implementation of the integrated crop management system Cropio and achieved good results in only a short time.
The reason is quite simple: technology helps farmers spend less, but earn more. However, Ukrainian companies use IT systems, which instead of being a complex solution with a number of technologies, they're actually some programs with conflicting generalized data, which gets into the system late and doesn't provide complete picture of the actual situation. This negatively affects the entire production process management.
The experienced farmers-innovators assure that integration of a dozen different solutions into a single platform, on the contrary, increases the manageability and provides exponential increases in production efficiency. How does this work in practice? What are the difficulties encountered by manufacturers implementing an integrated crop management system? What is the effect of such a solution for business? In search of answers, we headed to the Agrotrade company, which this spring launched a large-scale implementation of the integrated crop management system Cropio and achieved good results in only a short time.
Definition
An integrated crop management system is a complex solution using several technologies combined into one information platform. The main advantage of an integrated system is the interrelated data. One will not cultivate more land than the actual area of the field. One will not allocate more seeds than it is actually needed. Fertilizers are for only when necessary, but not because it's stated in outdated textbooks or obsolete technological maps.
Today, it's not enough for the manager to just plan agricultural works, to reflect the consumption of fertilizer, fuel or seeds, to distribute the equipment for these works, and then to record the actual implementation in the program. The manager wants to know the precise composition of the soil in the fields, which seeds, fertilizers and in what proportion they need to be applied, when and how to fertilize plants, etc.
The manager needs a complete and reliable picture of the state of the crops in the fields located in different regions, the exact size of the cultivated land, data on problem spots and areas. For a successful agribusiness management it's necessary to know the history of the land several years prior to the analysis, to observe the work of machinery and personnel in the fields in real time mode, to arrange the cost accounting and to distribute these costs proportionally to the volume of the performed work.
Due to the simultaneous analysis of a large number of indicators, ranging from actual and historical data on air temperature and precipitation from the nearest meteorological stations, to current performance data from GPS-logger sensors, the integrated crop management system meets most of the requirements set by modern ag top managers.
Today, it's not enough for the manager to just plan agricultural works, to reflect the consumption of fertilizer, fuel or seeds, to distribute the equipment for these works, and then to record the actual implementation in the program. The manager wants to know the precise composition of the soil in the fields, which seeds, fertilizers and in what proportion they need to be applied, when and how to fertilize plants, etc.
The manager needs a complete and reliable picture of the state of the crops in the fields located in different regions, the exact size of the cultivated land, data on problem spots and areas. For a successful agribusiness management it's necessary to know the history of the land several years prior to the analysis, to observe the work of machinery and personnel in the fields in real time mode, to arrange the cost accounting and to distribute these costs proportionally to the volume of the performed work.
Due to the simultaneous analysis of a large number of indicators, ranging from actual and historical data on air temperature and precipitation from the nearest meteorological stations, to current performance data from GPS-logger sensors, the integrated crop management system meets most of the requirements set by modern ag top managers.
Large-scale implementation
Integration of the system in Agrotrade's farms coincided with the appointment of Viktor Kukharchuk, Head of the Agro-Industrial Department in February. He received his first experience with the integrated crop management system 5 years ago. At that time, Cropio was a crop control program using NDVI data. Viktor Kukharchuk recalls that at that time the functionality was pretty limited. With that in mind, like other customers, he offered developers some options for improving the system to meet the actual needs of producers. These proposals were discussed and introduced in order of priority depending on the level of importance and relevance.
"Later we started working with NDVI on yield forecasting and we loaded the technological map, the operations we wanted to see in the system itself. Our main goal was to move away from paperwork and do it interactively. Each agronomist had to have a tablet and he was to write off these materials right after using fertilizer, seeds or plant protection products directly on the field. Then the accounting office just printed out these documents for him to sign," says Viktor Kukharchuk.
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Later we started working with NDVI on yield forecasting and we loaded the technological map, the operations we wanted to see in the system itself. Our main goal was to move away from paperwork and do it interactively. Each agronomist had to have a tablet and he was to write off these materials right after using fertilizer, seeds or plant protection products directly on the field. Then the accounting office just printed out these documents for him to sign,
Agrotrade performed the introduction of the new system in several stages. First, the central office gathered all most interested specialists in this process: economists, accountants, IT department. The Cropio employees gave a presentation on the opportunities offered by the integrated management system. It was stated straightaway that the program is perpetually developing, its functionality is being improved upon by analyzing customer requests. After the final decision was made, a four-hour conference brought together all the cluster leaders, agronomists, engineers and security services to discuss the details of the transition from the familiar 1C system to Cropio.
Director of the IT Department, Sergei Orlov shared that various approaches to the implementation of the system were on the table. For example, one of them was to test it out on one farm, and then within 1-2 years to implement it in the entire holding. But still, the knowledge obtained by Viktor Kukharchuk in the process of working with integrated management systems in other companies, as well as the experience of Agrotrade specialists in studying such systems, convinced the leadership to go for a large-scale implementation. That is, the project comprised all cultivated areas (65 thousand hectares), the machinery was equipped with special trackers and machinery GPS-monitoring system was installed.
Director of the IT Department, Sergei Orlov shared that various approaches to the implementation of the system were on the table. For example, one of them was to test it out on one farm, and then within 1-2 years to implement it in the entire holding. But still, the knowledge obtained by Viktor Kukharchuk in the process of working with integrated management systems in other companies, as well as the experience of Agrotrade specialists in studying such systems, convinced the leadership to go for a large-scale implementation. That is, the project comprised all cultivated areas (65 thousand hectares), the machinery was equipped with special trackers and machinery GPS-monitoring system was installed.
Sergei Orlov, Director of the IT Department
As part of the system implementation, a monitoring center was established in the agricultural holding. Now it consists of 9 operators (in the central and regional offices), who analyze the situation in the company's fields 24/7.
The monitoring center expert, Roman Grinko, said that the main function of the center is to monitor the work of machinery and operators. One operator controls on average 80 units of machinery.
"Previously, we worked with the Argo system, but it processed only the previous day's information. We could not see anything in real time. With the launch of Cropio, the introduction of tasks for machinery simplified significantly, the process was accelerated. Also, we see all the complete data on the fields, even by crops. If the operator works without any order, an official investigation is carried out. Subsequently, the problem is solved and a task is created for this machine," Roman Grinko said.
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Previously, we worked with the Argo system, but it processed only the previous day's information. We could not see anything in real time. With the launch of Cropio, the introduction of tasks for machinery simplified significantly, the process was accelerated. Also, we see all the complete data on the fields, even by crops. If the operator works without any order, an official investigation is carried out. Subsequently, the problem is solved and a task is created for this machine,
The accounting center receives the primary information (from the previous day) from all enterprises of the holding. All documents coming here, including invoices, are registered in the 1C database.
The program, implemented in Agrotrade, consists of three basic modules:
Crop condition (Crop Health)
Work planning (Operations)
GPS monitoring (Telematics)
Let's take a look at them in details.
MODULE 1. MONITORING OF CROP HEALTH
Beginning of work
The main thing, which should be uploaded into the program for the start of work, are the field maps of the enterprise and, preferably, historical information about them — the crop rotation scheme, the actual yield in the previous 2-3 production seasons. Fields are drawn manually or imported from electronic files in three clicks. The service supports the most common formats — ESRI Shapefile and Google KML (although it digitizes the boundaries of the fields, circled by a marker in a Google Earth image).
The rest will be done by the program itself — it will send requests to dozens of satellite systems, weather stations and sensors to download the archive of high-resolution satellite images, historical crop vegetation graphs (archive since 2002), meteorological information for the past 10 years, relief maps, heights and slopes for each field.
The rest will be done by the program itself — it will send requests to dozens of satellite systems, weather stations and sensors to download the archive of high-resolution satellite images, historical crop vegetation graphs (archive since 2002), meteorological information for the past 10 years, relief maps, heights and slopes for each field.
As a result, the following day after loading more than 65 thousand hectares in the system, Agrotrade received detailed information on each field, in real time.
At the first stages of integration, when data on physical fields was transferred to the program, inconsistencies on land plots were discovered. The boundaries of some fields did not converge, so they had to compare the land plots in accordance with the cadastral number and, consequently, the fact of using the land.
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Now we clearly see where our machinery works and on whose land. Later, the industrialization started very quickly: we installed autopilots, GPS navigation systems, additional cables and so on. These were administrative challenges, which had to be resolved very quickly,
Assessment of crop condition
The information on the state of crops in the fields is updated regularly on the basis of images taken by over 10 satellite systems of medium (250 m per 1 pixel) and high (10 and 15 m per 1 pixel) resolution.
During the use of the demonstration version of the system, NDVI images enabled Agrotrade to identify very weak fields with late seeding dates. To make them even, starting with these fields a new technological map was developed. Also, they harrowed within a short period of time there, changed the rate of nitrogen addition, and provided the plants with more air under the roots. According to the head of the agro-industrial department, it was now possible to get 30% more from the harvest in these fields. Moreover, thanks to the Cropio data, the weeds on some fields were examined, where upon a large amount of glyphosate was added.
During the use of the demonstration version of the system, NDVI images enabled Agrotrade to identify very weak fields with late seeding dates. To make them even, starting with these fields a new technological map was developed. Also, they harrowed within a short period of time there, changed the rate of nitrogen addition, and provided the plants with more air under the roots. According to the head of the agro-industrial department, it was now possible to get 30% more from the harvest in these fields. Moreover, thanks to the Cropio data, the weeds on some fields were examined, where upon a large amount of glyphosate was added.
Economic effect
Now, each agronomist responsible for specific fields, monitors information about crop condition online. In real time, he sees what crop falls behind in development, what factors affected the losses, what can be done with the affected fields. As a result, agronomists do not need to examine all accountable fields in a row, instead they only visit the problematic points.
Agrotrade handles over 65 thousand hectares of land in Kharkov, Sumy, Chernigov, Poltava and Dnepropetrovsk regions. The average area of the field is 76 hectares. One specialist is responsible for 25-30 fields, sometimes located in different areas, hundreds of kilometers apart. The system allows for saving on field trips up to USD 0.5 per hectare a year.
This figure includes a reduction in costs for fuel and labor — a separate department of specialists who inspect crops, analyze and systematize data on crop condition, assess the size of problem areas, factors that caused losses, prepare reports for the company's management, etc.
The program automates the entire process, simplifies tasks and reduces their number to the minimum. As a result, these functions are simply distributed among the agronomist and the operator.
All the data on crop conditions is available in real time to the staff of the central office. When there are questions about crop development in individual fields, agronomists are asked to conduct a check-up in the problem area and make a report. Company employees are provided with corporate smartphones, where special applications are installed. These applications are used by agronomists to make scouting reports with pictures, describe the problem and give their recommendations for solving them. The central office instantly receives such reports on each field in the main account of the program, which they find very convenient.
Agrotrade handles over 65 thousand hectares of land in Kharkov, Sumy, Chernigov, Poltava and Dnepropetrovsk regions. The average area of the field is 76 hectares. One specialist is responsible for 25-30 fields, sometimes located in different areas, hundreds of kilometers apart. The system allows for saving on field trips up to USD 0.5 per hectare a year.
This figure includes a reduction in costs for fuel and labor — a separate department of specialists who inspect crops, analyze and systematize data on crop condition, assess the size of problem areas, factors that caused losses, prepare reports for the company's management, etc.
The program automates the entire process, simplifies tasks and reduces their number to the minimum. As a result, these functions are simply distributed among the agronomist and the operator.
All the data on crop conditions is available in real time to the staff of the central office. When there are questions about crop development in individual fields, agronomists are asked to conduct a check-up in the problem area and make a report. Company employees are provided with corporate smartphones, where special applications are installed. These applications are used by agronomists to make scouting reports with pictures, describe the problem and give their recommendations for solving them. The central office instantly receives such reports on each field in the main account of the program, which they find very convenient.
Viktor Kukharchuk about the economic effect of system usage
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As for the savings, it will be visible starting from next year, as the entire structure of the sown areas will be optimized. All logistics will change. Here is a raw statement. We want to reduce fuel consumption. We take 80 liters and reduce them by 10. This is actually very easy to do, because we do not have crops such as potatoes, which need 200-250 liters of diesel fuel per ha. We can go down to 50 liters. However, if you take even 10 liters, it's 700 tons of fuel per year, which we will not need to buy. 700 tons at a price of $1/l — it's over $700 thousand. We save the money only due to logistics change which includes a whole set of things enabling you to save. Cropio is just the tool to do it,
Main results
It should be separately noted that the system allowed for solving all these issues related to the difference in actual and planned areas, the discrepancy of crops in the fields, under-sowing and other issues that form huge gaps in the conditions of Ukrainian realities.
However, the main effect of implementing the crop monitoring module is that information about the current situation in the company's fields is no longer a mystery, but is available in 24/7/365 mode. Now Agrotrade does not rely on the human factor and does not wait for dozens of reports from the fields for days to assess the condition of crops. This increases control and management of the production process.
However, the main effect of implementing the crop monitoring module is that information about the current situation in the company's fields is no longer a mystery, but is available in 24/7/365 mode. Now Agrotrade does not rely on the human factor and does not wait for dozens of reports from the fields for days to assess the condition of crops. This increases control and management of the production process.
MODULE 2. AGRO OPERATIONS
The main advantage of integrated systems is that such programs help unite all relevant agricultural data from different sources, establish links between them and build a digital model of enterprise fields. With such a model in the full access on the computer, the farmer makes decisions much faster than if the data was stored in his head, notebook or dozens of separate programs.
Agrotrade company now plans and performs all agro operations and other works in the fields, taking into account the peculiarities of the field relief and the current crop condition. What results does this give?
Firstly, in early spring the condition of winter crops in large areas can be quickly assessed and the fields that require re-sowing or simply additional treatment are identified, for example applying of nitrogen fertilizers.
Secondly, based on the historical satellite data, relief and slope maps as well as soil tests maps, productive and problem areas of the field are determined and, hence, the seeding norm is adjusted and fertilizers application rates are distributed so that this brings maximum effect to each area.
Firstly, in early spring the condition of winter crops in large areas can be quickly assessed and the fields that require re-sowing or simply additional treatment are identified, for example applying of nitrogen fertilizers.
Secondly, based on the historical satellite data, relief and slope maps as well as soil tests maps, productive and problem areas of the field are determined and, hence, the seeding norm is adjusted and fertilizers application rates are distributed so that this brings maximum effect to each area.
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In 2-3 years, in addition to getting a harvest forecast, based on our data, we will be able to determine what the fields need or what technology should be applied. We determine for ourselves the structure of the sown areas for the next year. We determine the risks that exist in each region, remove certain crops or reduce the production. This will greatly reduce the onsite management workload, influence people's mobility, control over fields, the speed of certain operations performance. This in turn will give a greater effectiveness to each unit of machinery. Wheat and rapeseed were sown by arrays. Next year each crop will be sown the same way,
Controlling the application of seeds, fertilizers and plant protection products allows for reducing their misuse and incorrect use, which usually ranges from 10 to 30%. According to the American PrecisionAg Institute, the use of variable (differentiated) application rates allows for saving at least 10% on fertilizer per hectare annually. The system proved to be efficient: at the ammonium nitrate price of UAH 7500 per ton for winter wheat fertilizer, over UAH 23 thousand was saved on area of 560 hectares.
Last, but not in the least, is that harvesting begins only in fields with dry grain. With the help of a special system tool, the company's specialists sort the fields according to the vegetation index and choose the lowest NDVI crops at the start of the harvesting campaign. As a result, only moist grain is dried, and it is also transported and stored separately from the bulk of the crop.
MODULE 3. TELEMATICS
The Telematics module integrates the company's already existing GPS tracking system into Cropio. Besides the standard functions, which are characteristic of almost all similar programs. This includes technology management, traffic control and fuel consumption, the Cropio Telematics module enables a comparison of the quality of the machinery operation with the current state of crops in the field and connecting the machinery to the operations, created for each field individually.
According to Aleksandr Filatov, the leading engineer of Agrotrade GPS systems, about 300 units of machinery are currently equipped with GPS-trackers (tractors, combines, trucks, lease and passenger transport).
"The program itself demonstrated good performance in keeping the database of loggers and filling it in. We generally refused to enter any SIM-card numbers, ID-numbers, tracker numbers, models, firmware, etc. into the database. We refused to do this all in Excel, as it had been done before. With regards to GPS-loggers, it's convenient to work with filters, searching for information on one, two or several types of requests. In the program, telematics is well displayed, the connection of trackers to machinery has been carefully designed. The system immediately shows whether the tracker is active or not," explains Aleksandr Filatov.
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The program itself demonstrated good performance in keeping the database of loggers and filling it in. We generally refused to enter any SIM-card numbers, ID-numbers, tracker numbers, models, firmware, etc. into the database. We refused to do this all in Excel, as it had been done before. With regards to GPS-loggers, it's convenient to work with filters, searching for information on one, two or several types of requests. In the program, telematics is well displayed, the connection of trackers to machinery has been carefully designed. The system immediately shows whether the tracker is active or not,
In general, it's still difficult to calculate the direct financial benefits from the GPS monitoring integration, but common sense suggests that the prevention of repeated processing, sowing or missed areas, increasing the responsibility and attentiveness of machine operators to the tasks and used equipment, and increase of the effective speed of machinery cannot cause loss.
The director of the IT department, Sergei Orlov, adds that the company equips GPS trackers not only on their own machinery, but also the rented ones, which are involved in harvesting.
The director of the IT department, Sergei Orlov, adds that the company equips GPS trackers not only on their own machinery, but also the rented ones, which are involved in harvesting.
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In the online mode, we transfer data from our elevators, where these machines are coming from, and we calculate tons, kilometers. That is, we pay, including our contractors, based on the system data,
Imagine the situation: in the system you see the image of the field with a problematic area of the correct geometric shape. Such zones are rarely formed under the influence of weather conditions, they often appear as a result of the agro operations performance errors or because of the characteristics of the relief. The system enables to rewind the time back and gives precise information when and under what circumstances this problem zone appeared, and who exactly conducted the operation that caused the problems in the field. It strongly disciplines drivers and machine operators.
We were given details of a similar situation by Alexander Goncharov, the director of the agricultural company Kolos, where the Latifundist team came to learn about the practical aspects of Cropio implementation. The farm, which cultivates 3,000 hectares, is part of the Agrotrade structure. Among the produced crops are winter wheat, soy, sunflower, corn and buckwheat.
During the herbicide treatment in one of the Kolos soybean fields, the sprayer broke down. The hose came off, and the mechanic detected the problem only when the sprayer was already at the edge of the field. Three days after spraying while viewing NDVI images, the agronomist noticed that part of the field in the images is bright green, unlike the rest of the crops.
We were given details of a similar situation by Alexander Goncharov, the director of the agricultural company Kolos, where the Latifundist team came to learn about the practical aspects of Cropio implementation. The farm, which cultivates 3,000 hectares, is part of the Agrotrade structure. Among the produced crops are winter wheat, soy, sunflower, corn and buckwheat.
During the herbicide treatment in one of the Kolos soybean fields, the sprayer broke down. The hose came off, and the mechanic detected the problem only when the sprayer was already at the edge of the field. Three days after spraying while viewing NDVI images, the agronomist noticed that part of the field in the images is bright green, unlike the rest of the crops.
We came to the site, and there really were weeds in the untreated parts. Additional treatment with Bazagran + Harmony was performed immediately. According to Aleksandr Goncharov, thanks to the program data, 70% of the crop was saved in this field. The yield is projected to be 2.5 t/ha, since it was not possible to completely solve the problem with weeds.
As a result of the the transport monitoring system integration in Agrotrade company, the status of all field work is shown in the context of each field, field groups, individual operations, equipment and people. The work plans for the day are created and the history of all operations is tracked. The fuel consumption of each machine and the operation of each driver are monitored in the online mode.
As a result of the the transport monitoring system integration in Agrotrade company, the status of all field work is shown in the context of each field, field groups, individual operations, equipment and people. The work plans for the day are created and the history of all operations is tracked. The fuel consumption of each machine and the operation of each driver are monitored in the online mode.
"The engineering service, for instance, started working more efficiently. While it previously took 3-4 hours to replace the wheel, now two hours is the limit. Previously, the mechanic operator first tried to solve the problem, then called the engineer, then he came and they fixed it all together. Now, if there is a malfunction and the machinery stops operating, the system immediately notices it. The dispatcher and the company managers receive the notification, the dispatcher communicates with the engineer. The engineer in his turn goes to the site with the details of the malfunction, and the process runs much faster," said Alexander Goncharov.
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The engineering service, for instance, started working more efficiently. While it previously took 3-4 hours to replace the wheel, now two hours is the limit. Previously, the mechanic operator first tried to solve the problem, then called the engineer, then he came and they fixed it all together. Now, if there is a malfunction and the machinery stops operating, the system immediately notices it. The dispatcher and the company managers receive the notification, the dispatcher communicates with the engineer. The engineer in his turn goes to the site with the details of the malfunction, and the process runs much faster,
Individual sensors display the names of the people working in the shift, when they started work and when they finished. The working width of each implement, the operating parameters of each equipment are entered in the program.
For example, the cultivator Wil-Rich has a working width of 8 m, the traveled distance is multiplied by the working width, and we receive the total working area of the machine. Within the framework of one agro operation in the case of the vehicle track intersection, the program uses the rule of the first track — self-intersection and intersections between the machines are discarded, the clear covered field area is calculated, that is the work productivity.
The detailed reports generated by the program, have precise accuracy, and the automatic alert tool helps to monitor all violations in the work of machinery and machine operators. If the vehicle left the designated territory (for example, the driver went out to do extra work on a neighbouring farm's field), the machinery operates without a plan, its speed does not match the set parameters or the GPS signal is absent during the set period of time, then the responsible employees immediately receive automatic notifications of these events and react quickly.
For example, the cultivator Wil-Rich has a working width of 8 m, the traveled distance is multiplied by the working width, and we receive the total working area of the machine. Within the framework of one agro operation in the case of the vehicle track intersection, the program uses the rule of the first track — self-intersection and intersections between the machines are discarded, the clear covered field area is calculated, that is the work productivity.
The detailed reports generated by the program, have precise accuracy, and the automatic alert tool helps to monitor all violations in the work of machinery and machine operators. If the vehicle left the designated territory (for example, the driver went out to do extra work on a neighbouring farm's field), the machinery operates without a plan, its speed does not match the set parameters or the GPS signal is absent during the set period of time, then the responsible employees immediately receive automatic notifications of these events and react quickly.
We check the alert button in practice together with Vitaliy Kirko, who works as a logistics dispatcher for the Kolos company. The specialist controls 26 units of machinery and serves three farms at a time. We ask the director of the farm to artificially trigger the alert: the tractor MTZ 55 with the harrow ZPG must leave the field without an appropriate order. Vitaly shows the machinery track: MTZ tractor left the enterprise at 13:21 p.m., then got to the field within 15 minutes and started working. Just a few minutes after the telephone call and an "unauthorized" exit from the field, the alert is triggered in the system, which is displayed on the computer screen, and the responsible employees receive notifications via e-mail or as a text message.
Vitaliy Kirko, logistics dispatcher for the Kolos company
We check the alert button in practice together with Vitaliy Kirko, who works as a logistics dispatcher for the Kolos company. The specialist controls 26 units of machinery and serves three farms at a time. We ask the director of the farm to artificially trigger the alert: the tractor MTZ 55 with the harrow ZPG must leave the field without an appropriate order. Vitaly shows the machinery track: MTZ tractor left the enterprise at 13:21 p.m., then got to the field within 15 minutes and started working. Just a few minutes after the telephone call and an "unauthorized" exit from the field, the alert is triggered in the system, which is displayed on the computer screen, and the responsible employees receive notifications via e-mail or as a text message.
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Every day we have programming. Last night by 5 p.m., the agronomist had to give the order to the senior operator as to which machinery should be working and in what fields. If a tractor that has not been programmed starts working, then the alert system turns on, and we react to it,
Vitaliy Kirko, logistics dispatcher for the Kolos company
Integrated Crop Management System in practice
Yield forecast
Another important aspect is that Agrotrade uses the yield forecast calculated by the system, not only to assess future profits, but also to reduce theft and losses during the harvesting campaign.
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Cropio analyzes 10 fields that are most similar in characteristics, our fields and those of other farms. Based on a comparison of these fields and target group indicators, the system generates a yield forecast. Our forecasted yield this year matched, we even received 5-7% more. Individual fields and their condition before harvesting were a perfect match. If the system showed that the field dried out, and its vegetation index decreased to the minimum, then it was from this field that we started harvesting,
At the moment the yield forecast function is far from ideal, but as the amount of data in the system increases, the program improves calculations, and the forecast becomes more accurate. However, in relative terms, the assessment almost always corresponds to the real fact. If crops in two fields develop equally during the season, the crop yields in these fields do not differ. There are certain cases, but they're rare exceptions.
Agrotrade uses this principle during harvesting campaign. Since information about the harvested crop immediately enters the system using the tool "harvest weighing report", security personnel in real time determines the fields where the actual yield differs from the forecast. The team goes to the field and usually finds a logical explanation for the situation.
Agrotrade uses this principle during harvesting campaign. Since information about the harvested crop immediately enters the system using the tool "harvest weighing report", security personnel in real time determines the fields where the actual yield differs from the forecast. The team goes to the field and usually finds a logical explanation for the situation.
The future of technology
According to the top managers of Agrotrade, the company faced a number of organizational and technical problems during system implementation. It is important to understand that there is no crop health management system that will work miracles. Such programs are only a tool in the right specialist's hands. Technologies cannot completely replace the human touch, but they can significantly help reduce the influence of the human factor.
Now the main task of the agricultural holding programmers and Cropio specialists is to integrate the system with 1C databases. In the future, the agro-company wants to receive all data from the program to calculate the entire business economy: organize a quality fuel accounting, pay salaries, implement integration of land plots and much more.
In Agrotrade, they expect to use the mobile application of the system more efficiently in the future.
Now the main task of the agricultural holding programmers and Cropio specialists is to integrate the system with 1C databases. In the future, the agro-company wants to receive all data from the program to calculate the entire business economy: organize a quality fuel accounting, pay salaries, implement integration of land plots and much more.
In Agrotrade, they expect to use the mobile application of the system more efficiently in the future.
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It is important for us that agronomists in the fields can notice the problems that arise, or the absence of these problems, and record the situation on the sight. They can mark such problematic points in the mobile application, change the crop, create an alert about the disease or that a certain pest appeared, mark the boundaries of the fields. Although we do not use many functions, we will do it in the future,
Now there is no Telematics data in the mobile version of the integrated system. This information can be viewed only through a browser on a tablet, a laptop or a desktop computer. The application now includes the functionality of satellite monitoring, agro operations and scout reporting.
Based on Agrotrade's experience, the only advice for management is to be prepared to learn a lot and persistently demand the same from others. No system will work in place of you,, and the effectiveness of any software depends entirely on the way it is used. Remember, innovation systems need to be introduced when management and owners are 100% prepared for the change, confident in their abilities and have enough willpower to make the company more effective against internal resistance.
The Agrotrade employees are now learning, getting used to the system, and helping each other to use it correctly. The process is not easy. However, the main thing is that there is an understanding that they work as a team and for the betterment of the overall results.
Based on Agrotrade's experience, the only advice for management is to be prepared to learn a lot and persistently demand the same from others. No system will work in place of you,, and the effectiveness of any software depends entirely on the way it is used. Remember, innovation systems need to be introduced when management and owners are 100% prepared for the change, confident in their abilities and have enough willpower to make the company more effective against internal resistance.
The Agrotrade employees are now learning, getting used to the system, and helping each other to use it correctly. The process is not easy. However, the main thing is that there is an understanding that they work as a team and for the betterment of the overall results.
Ilya Esin, Latifundist.com