Post Fieldays

The Fieldays have come and gone. Considerable numbers visited our site and we had many good conversations with very interested farmers, advisors and consultants. None-the-less, it will be a while yet and quite a bit of following up before we know how fruitful the whole exercise has been.

Going to the National Fieldays is an expensive exercise, especially if you are, like us, headquartered in the South Island. There's travel, transportation of equipment plus accommodation and the cost of the site. It all adds up. I noticed in last weeks "Farmers Weekly" (21 June 2010) that some of the farm equipment people are starting to question the cost of representation at the Fieldays and the timing of the event. They are questions that have to be answered. There is a difference between demonstrating to groups of dedicated and interested potential clients and wasting time satisfying the curiosity of people who are only there to look and who have no intention of buying. To this end it could be that the National Fieldays have grown too large for their own good. Maybe there is more value to be had at the smaller field days such as the Southern; Central Districts and Northern Field Days. It's something we will give serious thought to.

To be fair, one of the real values of the National Field Days is networking with other folk in the Agricultural Business. For that splinter of time, we are all in the same place and there are dynamics that can be made use of.

National Field Days

It's that time of year again. As we have done for a number of years, we are setting off up north to the 42nd National Field days. Our site is in the Premiere area in the main pavilion (Site PF26).

We've had field days since the beginning of agriculture in this country and it's interesting that the basic format, from what I've read and observed over time, hasn't changed much. The content has but not the basic format. For something to have survived for so long means that someone must have got it right all those years ago or alternatively, we are still farming and doing things with a nineteenth century mind set. I prefer the former explanation. I love field days, meeting people and chewing the fat. Net working and dreaming of what might have been. There's a social benefit that isn't calculable. It was none-the -less interesting to read the KPMG Agribusiness Agenda report which suggested farming in New Zealand was based on "Outdated" Agricultural Science dating back to the 1960s and 70s. It also included a suggestion that if we don't pull up our farm socks, we could be overtaken and left behind agriculturally by other fast developing countries. That's a bit of a worry!

As much as I hate the thought, it could be time to have an in-depth look at Field days and Agricultural Shows to assess their worth and explore the possibilities of a 21st Century way of accomplishing the same objectives.

Any Suggestions?

Are New Zealand Farmers the best in the World?

Are New Zealand farmers the best in the World? A recent remark on international television to this effect set one thinking. Is it arrogant to believe that we, the inhabitants of the most recently settled country in the world, are better farmers than those whose agricultural history goes back 10,000 years and more?

The TV comment was made whilst referring to our low cost dairy industry where, by international standards, production per animal is relatively low. It is somewhat ironic in that it is our arable industry in which measured production has broken world records and a ploughman has recently become the world champion .


If we are to retain this lofty international perception , New Zealand farmers can’t rest on their laurels. In terms of world production we are miniscule and if we are to continue to compete and prosper, we will have to focus our management skills on producing high quality products.


In one highly populated country where they need all the food they produce, they practice three tier farming on the one piece of land, i.e. Coconuts at the top level, Cocoa at the second level and Vegetables at ground level. They've been doing that since time began. In Kyrgyzstan near the city of Osh, which is said to be older than Rome, a crop of wheat undersown with white clover yielded seven tonnes per hectare. That was off land next to one of the strands of the old Silk Road, land that has been farmed continuously since those times. It was a yield that would have been regarded as good by New Zealand standards for the time. The generations who farmed those lands, and who will farm them in the future, deserve some recognition for their outstanding innovative and sustainable farm management practices? As a young country, our sustainability is still to be tested.

In some New Zealand farming circles there was an oft expressed belief that farmers within the EEC must be less than able in that they needed subsidies to prop them up. In these more enlightened times there has been a realisation that many of those farmers are really smart operators. They farm and have adapted to a subsidised environment and they know how to maximize their opportunities. They know more about “Profit Centres”, Return On Investment and the laws of “diminishing returns” than many New Zealand farmers. Outstanding recording systems and Key Performance indicators from those records are embedded in their thinking.

So whilst we may lavish in the mantle of being tagged “the best farmers in the world”, we must realise that the competition out there is tough. We must also realise there are others in the food chain who have contributed to the perception and it may be, the farmers who are in fact the weak link in the chain. Many of the contributors are unheralded, underfunded and go unnoticed. They include our Scientists, Consultants, an innovative servicing industry and a stable and functioning infrastructure. All things considered however, and despite the current drought, the greatest contributor to our competitive advantage is our climate.

What’s this about farmers being the “weak link” in the chain?

The fact is our farm management skills are very variable. Ask yourself, why is it that one of our largest dairy farming conglomerates has collapsed? Why is it that finalists in the Lincoln Foundation Farmer of the Year” competition achieve bottom line results two and three times above the national average for their industry type? The answer in these instances is management, bad and outstanding. Good Farm Management is one of the things a farmer can do something about. Accurate and timely decision making based on real facts combined with critical thinking does make a difference! This is often referred to as "keeping your finger on the pulse" and best of all, it's not painful or expensive.


In New Zealand we have some great farm management software, including LandMark (which incidently has also been described as amongst “the best in the world”). The last sited independent research on computer use on New Zealand farms showed that these tools are not being used effectively by farmers. This is a pity. The tools are there and If we are to give substance to our perceived global reputation, then the time to get going is now!


John Lay

March Newsletter

Dependent or Independent – That is the question? Look at the disruption when Telecom’s XT network went down for the second time in recent months. Even the power outage north of the Waikato a few weeks ago shows how services we have come to depend on and take for granted can let us down. (God help us if we are up in the air when, or if, air-traffic control or GPS navigation systems let us down) Whether we like it or not, the technological giants of the world are driving us into an era where mobile convergence of services and visual communication is the norm. The cell phone is a good example of this. Providing one has good eyesight or a set of spectacles at the ready, they are a gee-whiz tool. Apple’s iPad, announced in recent weeks may overcome the need for spectacles. Some experts are talking about the possibility of internet “Brown Outs” as the global network becomes overloaded, mainly through social networking. In the last week, hackers attacked the Australian Government Web infrastructure and brought it to a halt. Even Kevin Rudd was off-line for some time. As we use these technologies more and more, we become deeply dependent on them. When they let us down, all hell breaks loose. Another online service growing in popularity is the so called “Software as a Service” (SaaS) computer facility. This is where both the software, and your personal data, are centralised, on a computer, somewhere else in the world. With appropriate authority, such programs can gain access to your bank and trading accounts and present that data for analysis into information by the user or a “Trusted Agent” such as an Accountant. It is being hailed as the new generation software. Of course, to make use of such a facility one must have a fast and reliable internet connection. Now there’s a question. Dependency? It’s not such a big deal if your social services are off air for a while but is this what you want your business to depend on? As of now, i.Agri produces LandMark software which sits on a client’s computer along with all the financial and farm management files. Data is processed into information on the spot whether on line or not. If one wishes, and the internet is functioning, files can be transmitted to a destination of choice, or downloaded from a bank at ones leisure, even at dial-up speeds. The user has total control over all that’s going on. So Why is i.Agri taking another look at Software as a Service (SaaS)? Yes I did say another look because we experimented with it ten years ago but with dial-up networking being the norm at the time, the service was too slow to function effectively. The situation today is better but not by much. We do have nation wide broadband coverage with satellite, but even that may become a basket case in terms of speed and latency limitations before long, and we do have Government “Proposals”. Government Broadband Proposals Government proposals through their Ministry of Economic Development that indicate within ten years, 97% of New Zealand Households and Enterprises will have access to broadband speeds about 100 times faster than the old 56Kbps dial up service and approx 9 – 10 times faster than most satellite broadband services in this country. The above proposal is distinct from the Government’s intention to provide Ultra-fast broadband to 75% of New Zealand households in the next 10 years by installing a “fibre-to-the-premises” broadband service with downlink speeds, by the writer’s reckoning, 2000 times as fast as the old dial up speeds. Of course we all know where 75% of the population lives. Advantages & Disadvantages Let’s have a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages as we see them for i.Agri and Clients: From a Client perspective: Advantages: 24/7 access to the latest software – no need to worry about updates or service packs or Versions or Software maintenance. They’re all taken care of by the vendor (i.Agri). Data loss, storage problems and backing up would be the responsibility of the service provider. Access to one’s business information using any online computer from any place in the world. An ability for users of Apple and Linux operating systems to operate the LandMark software. Allow aging computers, as long as they can log into the network using broadband, to use the most up to date software and computing technology as all the processing is managed by a fast computer elsewhere. No reconfiguring and re-installation problems. If one buys a new computer just hook into the internet and it’s all go. Disadvantages: The need for a fast reliable internet connection. (If the internet is down (or browned out) everything stops and the remedy is out of your control. Having one’s data off site may be a concern. Although the risk is small because security is good, no one can guarantee the system can’t be hacked or data mined. From i.Agri's perspective: Advantages: It’s easier to maintain and keep up to date software on one central server. Easy to service national and international clients Easier to provide 24/7 helpdesk assistance. All clients are singing from the same hymn sheet. Clients do have a choice and can still opt out of the system. Disadvantages: Large upfront cost and an ongoing overhead cost. Free If you want free advice, without commitment, on any rural computing or technical issues contact us 0800 617 788 or send us an email here Fallacy It’s a fallacy to believe that all farm software does the same thing. If you are intent on reducing your software costs, check out our subscription charges against our competitors. www.iagri.com Make sure you compare apples with apples. Pass it on Forward to a Friend

Farming Smarter - First Blog

This is our first Blog. We produce software but have considerable experience in farming and farm management so will use this blog to comment on farming, the farming industry and the use of software to improve farm performance.