Digital or analogue — What qualities does a good field index need?
Your field catalogue is your constant companion throughout the year, regardless of whether it is kept as Excel lists, handwritten or in crammed file folders. Perhaps you’re still managing your field maps on an analogue basis and are considering managing them digitally in future? Digitalisation offers a range of options in agriculture, such as supporting the documentation requirements in accordance with the cross compliance regulations.
No doubt documentation is already routinely carried out using field maps in your farm and is integrated into your working processes. However, it may be worth re-examining your system during the quieter winter months. Digitalisation in farming and utilising digital field maps can be of great benefit, especially for smaller farms without additional labourers. A digital field catalogue can be used efficiently with one or more labourers if all workers can document online directly from the field.
Benefits of digital field catalogues?
Analogue field maps become confusing over time and are prone to errors. The digital version can create a solution here. The agricultural software allows the documentation to be set out in a clear way and easily managed using a PC, tablet or smartphone, whether you’re at the office or away. The data in this case is generally stored using a Cloud system, meaning it is secure even in the event of damage to your computer. This method of documentation is also independent of any given location. All agricultural activities can be performed on location using Agrarsoftware by several employees. From soil cultivation and fertilisation to crop protection and harvesting, all data can be recorded. This data can be used to automatically calculate the sowing rate or fertiliser application. The scheduling can be used for multiple fields, while the link with weather data simplifies planning agricultural processes. In addition, the digital field maps can be used for cross compliance-confirming documents that contain everything you need in the event of a check. A major advantage of digital field maps, however, is that they offer an overview of all fields at a glance, without digging through mountains of paper or Excel lists.

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If a decision has to be taken between digital and analogue, the focus rests on easy, intuitive operation in order to minimise the sources of error. The various agricultural software programs available often include several additional functions besides pure field management. Depending on the provider, additional crop rotations can be planned, application maps created and business analyses performed. Automated documentation of agricultural activities or field planning may not only simplify work, but also increase the efficiency of your farm. Once all’s said and done, when selecting suitable agricultural software programs, it is important to decide on a farm-specific basis which applications are particularly beneficial for the farm.