In June they announced they won the ongoing patent infringement suit against AGI SureTrack in both Canada and USA; they also launched two exciting partnerships in the US; one with National Sorghum Producers and the other with GEVO as part of their Climate-Smart Farm-to-Flight project; in Canada they announced a pilot project with Saskatchewan Municipal Hail Insurance to enhance hail business intelligence through their InsurTech tools.
Their new direction leans on their nearly 20 years of in-field grower experience. With over 200 innovative tools, predictive crop models, and two laboratories (one located in Winnipeg, Man., and the other in Grimes, Iowa), Farmers Edge is focused on what they do best — end-to-end digital agronomic solutions. That’s why Farmers Edge has launched FarmCommand Pro which is tailored to ag retailers and agronomists across North America.
FarmCommnad Pro is packaged and positioned as an enterprise solution that will help retailers and agronomists, make better recommendations for their growers, while also increasing efficiency and business operations, giving them more time to focus on their customers.
“We’ve had the farmer version available for almost 20 years and we’re really proud to now offer FarmCommand Pro to retailers and agronomists who want to provide a superior customer experience — so they can focus on what they do best,” says Kris Kinnaird, Farmers Edge Director of Strategic Partnerships who is also a crop farmer in southwest Manitoba.
FarmCommand Pro is an easy to use, agronomic dashboard which includes intuitive precision agronomy features for zone mapping and soil sample tracking and the ability to make recommendations. This helps to create better and more accurate recommendations. This ready to deploy platform allows retailers who are working with growers and agronomists to input their data quickly, removing costly downtime usually associated with a software change.
Farmers Edge has been partnering with Canadian retailers like Richardson Pioneer, Parrish & Heimbecker and independent agronomists like Fortified Agronomy for years, and has brought this past experience in working closely with retailers to the FarmCommand Pro platform.
And as you know, retailers have challenges which can consist of complex supply chain, seasonal demand and balancing timely services, sales and support during critical crop stages. On top of that, taking the step to digitize their operations is not only daunting but can be a costly, time-consuming endeavour when handled in-house. Having coders or web designers is not the norm for independent retailers and is not their expetise. “If retailers are spending time and energy trying to build a reliable tracking system for scouting farmers’ fields, communicating those recommendations, housing farm customer field history, or any other administrative variable to the grower data — then retailers are taking time away from really helping their farm customers,” explains Kinnaird.
Kinnaird goes on to mention, “We’re focused on helping retailers and agronomists implement our Digital Plus solution to enhance product, data, and go-to-market strategies. We’ve developed a storefront solution for ag retailers to complement their physical stores and our agronomy software and soil labs in Grimes, Iowa and Winnipeg, Man., offer competitive pricing, fast turnaround and advanced data collection from a single provider.”
These digital agronomic tools are scalable, costeffective and can be seamlessly integrated into existing business models. Additionally, the company has expanded capacity at their Canadian laboratory in Manitoba to allow ag retailers and growers to access plant tissue and soil testing services, enabling faster results for timely crop management, and avoiding the need to send samples to labs located over the border.
“Combining our superior customer service platform with outstanding lab services under one roof greatly helps retailers and agronomists enhance their service offerings, increase operational efficiency and provide the best customer experience,” says Eric Sievers, Farmers Edge Technical Agronomist.
The in-house laboratories and agronomic tools allow you to build depth zone maps using satellite imagery, georeferenced soil test results and more, while also aligning with 4R recommendation methodology. Sievers adds, “We have a lot of experience in the technology space, and using our system means there’s no gap between farm technology, end-to-end lab testing and agronomy. Our expertise with variable rate and customized nutrient management is second to none.”
Farmers Edge is exhibiting at this year’s Ag in Motion, July 16-18 in Saskatoon, Sask., (booth 480) and then at Ag Smart in Alberta (booth 247). They will be hosting demos of their digital tools, FarmCommand and FarmCommand Pro. The company has also released a new pricing structure, that allows growers the freedom to customize their solutions to their specific needs.
From new retailer solutions, increased laboratory services across North America, updated pricing and exciting partnerships, Farmers Edge is picking up momentum this year. To learn more about the company visit their website farmersedge.ca or contact info@farmersedge.ca
