Farmers Edge has released its comprehensive R&D Roadmap which showcases their product enhancement and innovation plans through 2019.
What’s the goal of this Roadmap?
“It all comes back to our mission which is to create profitability for our customer using data driven decisions, it’s a continuation of our overall strategy,” stated Jamie Denbow, Global Digital Ag Lead at Farmers Edge.
Jamie Denbow, Global Digital Ag Lead at Farmers Edge
So far, Farmers Edge has introduced
19 new tools this year and is expecting to release an additional 90 in the coming months.
“The focus of our Roadmap is to provide farmers with a year around, full farm management approach.
“Think of it as a puzzle, each tool we develop is like adding a piece. When the puzzle is finished, it’s a complete farm management solution all in one user interface,” Denbow elaborated.
Any insight on what’s to come?
Farmers can expect to see crop growth, disease, pest prediction and more models available remotely through the Farmers Edge mobile application.
“We’ve developed a number of tools to assist farmers when it comes to in-crop solutions. The convenience of having live data in-hand allows users to utilize accurate information to aid in the decision process,” explained Denbow.
Farmers Edge's Crop Growth Stage Tool for corn
For example, Farmers Edge tools provide information that narrows down the specific problem areas in a crop to the exact location.
“Our solutions provide information to limit the number of acres that need to be sprayed. This is good for the environment, the farmers pocket book, and their time while still generating the protection where it’s needed.
“I want to spray a pest or a problem, I don’t want to spray an entire crop,” stated Denbow.
These tools also have large implications for crop consultants.
Denbow pointed out, “with our solutions, someone that manages 20,000 acres for various customers can pay more attention to the problem fields and spend less time in the fields that are growing perfectly.
“This would provide better service for all customers. Now people can scout smartly, increasing the number of acres they can cover and actually covering these crops better than they were in the first place.”
Personally, Denbow is excited to release their Harvest Manager tool this fall.
“Imagine a grower is sitting in the combine cab and can watch not only their yield come in live, but have that generated into a live profit map. The power of that data forming and to be able to see the outcome of all the decisions made through the year is massive.”
When can growers expect more tools to be released?
Usually, Farmers Edge has two major release dates in March and November, but they also launch tools based on farmer needs.
“Most tools are launched just prior to being needed throughout the season. Anything that has to do with harvest like our Inventory Management, Harvest Manager or Profits-on-the-Go would all be launched just-in-time for the start of harvest.
“A lot of the crop, insect, and disease development models will be launched in the upcoming month because that’s when farmers will need it,” explained Denbow.
The time spent on the development of solutions varies based on the complexity of the tool.
“For example, our Nitrogen Management tool for corn has been over two years in the making. On the other hand, since we already have an array of weather stations installed in North America we’ve got ourselves set up for the building of different crop growth stage models, which is usually a four- to six- month initiative.”
The ease of integration and data management in one user interface is what drives the benefit for customers.
“Utilizing our solutions creates a one-stop shop, fully comprehensive, full farm data management device.
“We know the grower and we know what growers are looking for, so we’re building products that make sense for them. From the time farmers hit their fields in spring, until after harvest, we have developed tools to allow for better decision making based off accurate data,” proclaimed Denbow.