Complete Crop Recording Software

[l'ordinary bonville]

I have just started using Greenlight Grower but find it very poor to use.

You cannot record a sowing on the mobile app but you can record a whole plethora of useless field activities, like apply sunscreen, dead wooding, fire breaks.

Why make it hard to do the obvious things we really need to record?

I also find it cumbersome if you spray a number of fields but slightly alter rates between fields. It seems you have to then record every individual field as a separate record, rather than adjust rate per field.

Also how do others record harvest quantity into store?

We have an unwieldy process of handwritten weights over the weighbridge and then make up a spreadsheet in the office. Every year I end up wasting hours correcting errors between staff in office and farm. And don't always truly trust exactly what's in store.

It would be nice then to somehow record forward grain sales contracts, then physical movement, then paperwork and finally payment. That way we wouldn't lose sight of the cash side and always know how much grain is available to sell.

Do any of the packages do this?

 

[D14]

I have just started using Greenlight Grower but find it very poor to use.

You cannot record a sowing on the mobile app but you can record a whole plethora of useless field activities, like apply sunscreen, dead wooding, fire breaks.

Why make it hard to do the obvious things we really need to record?

I also find it cumbersome if you spray a number of fields but slightly alter rates between fields. It seems you have to then record every individual field as a separate record, rather than adjust rate per field.

Also how do others record harvest quantity into store?

We have an unwieldy process of handwritten weights over the weighbridge and then make up a spreadsheet in the office. Every year I end up wasting hours correcting errors between staff in office and farm. And don't always truly trust exactly what's in store.

It would be nice then to somehow record forward grain sales contracts, then physical movement, then paperwork and finally payment. That way we wouldn't lose sight of the cash side and always know how much grain is available to sell.

Do any of the packages do this?

We were in the same situation as you with this so in the end put automated terminals on the weighbridge so that each tractor has a fob. The driver scans this in and out so it takes the error out of them writing it down in a book. The only thing they can get wrong is not use the weighbridge of course! So then the weighbridge send a file every 10 mins to an office pc via dropbox. This comes as an excel spreadsheet so that just gets collated into a daily file and then subsequently a crop file for the year. If the crop is wet when coming in then all we do is use the hgca weight loss calculator for drying and we find it quite accurate and generally within a couple of percent. The weighbridge is ministry tested but this has a 35kg fluctuation that is allowed within the annual test certificate. So if its out by 10kg for example over 200 trailers that starts to create an error which suddenly gets much bigger if you are drying from 18% down to under 15% because there will be discrepancy on the drying weight loss. Really you need to not weigh into store until after any drying has occurred.
Also we find even grain that comes in dry gets a bushel weight increase after its cooled so that can also alter numbers slightly so really you won't know until you have emptied the shed. So finding some farmers software to do all for you but be accurate is impossible. Probably the mills etc have automated systems for the intake so perhaps look at what they are using.

One thing we do notice regularly is the hgv trailer weighers can be considerably out against the weighbridge. Its not unusual to find 250kg difference on 29 tonne load between the truck weigher and weighbridge.

 

[Hampton]

I like glgm, but have a look at farm matters. 30 day few trial, very simple software

 

[Captain Mainwaring]

Ironically the Cropwalker program that Greenlight is meant to supercede was actually fairly useful for stock control, just not able to do update anything away from the office. Muddy boots no longer support the old software which is a shame as greenlight, whilst relatively simple and intuitive, is far too basic to be an adequate replacement. Gatekeeper is probably the best option.

 

[yellow belly]

Not converted from crop walker may have missed the chance but been too busy farming to sort the change over
Why companies cannot cater for the seasonal nature of farming

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

We were in the same situation as you with this so in the end put automated terminals on the weighbridge so that each tractor has a fob. The driver scans this in and out so it takes the error out of them writing it down in a book. The only thing they can get wrong is not use the weighbridge of course! So then the weighbridge send a file every 10 mins to an office pc via dropbox. This comes as an excel spreadsheet so that just gets collated into a daily file and then subsequently a crop file for the year. If the crop is wet when coming in then all we do is use the hgca weight loss calculator for drying and we find it quite accurate and generally within a couple of percent. The weighbridge is ministry tested but this has a 35kg fluctuation that is allowed within the annual test certificate. So if its out by 10kg for example over 200 trailers that starts to create an error which suddenly gets much bigger if you are drying from 18% down to under 15% because there will be discrepancy on the drying weight loss. Really you need to not weigh into store until after any drying has occurred.
Also we find even grain that comes in dry gets a bushel weight increase after its cooled so that can also alter numbers slightly so really you won't know until you have emptied the shed. So finding some farmers software to do all for you but be accurate is impossible. Probably the mills etc have automated systems for the intake so perhaps look at what they are using.

One thing we do notice regularly is the hgv trailer weighers can be considerably out against the weighbridge. Its not unusual to find 250kg difference on 29 tonne load between the truck weigher and weighbridge.

Where did you get the terminals and fobs from?

 

[Jetemp]

Best store intake software I have used/seen is by a company called oliversoft. It’s called blackcat. Some of the major player use a full version but he can do a version to suit what you need. With correct information put in to start it will automatically calculate drying losses and then produce reports giving final field yields etc etc. it can use fobs to weigh in and out if required.

The bloke that wrote is very receptive to what you need and will change things in the software to suit what you want. I can give you his contact details if you would like! I believe @Clive and @Woldgrain Storage use versions of his software along with many others!

James

 

[Boysground]

I have been using GLGM for a couple of years now. The sync to crop walker was turned off this week which may be frustrating for some. At last manure management is starting to appear. I have been told it was coming all the time I have been using it.

I agree it is a huge omission that drilling cannot be entered on the app.

@Clive has mentioned he is working on an alternative.

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[Hampton]

I have been using GLGM for a couple of years now. The sync to crop walker was turned off this week which may be frustrating for some. At last manure management is starting to appear. I have been told it was coming all the time I have been using it.

I agree it is a huge omission that drilling cannot be entered on the app.

@Clive has mentioned he is working on an alternative.

Bg

I don’t get this. Surely instead of entering 1st sept as the new crop date you just enter the drill date? That’s what I do

 

[Boysground]

I don’t think it’s changed recently, there is no functionality in the app to enter drilling information, seed variety, lot number quantity and dressing. It has to be done on the main website. I find it annoying when I am working with no internet connection.

Bg

 

[Clive]

Best store intake software I have used/seen is by a company called oliversoft. It’s called blackcat. Some of the major player use a full version but he can do a version to suit what you need. With correct information put in to start it will automatically calculate drying losses and then produce reports giving final field yields etc etc. it can use fobs to weigh in and out if required.

The bloke that wrote is very receptive to what you need and will change things in the software to suit what you want. I can give you his contact details if you would like! I believe @Clive and @Woldgrain Storage use versions of his software along with many others!

James

Cab highly recommend Phil and Blackcat

 

[Clive]

I have just started using Greenlight Grower but find it very poor to use.

You cannot record a sowing on the mobile app but you can record a whole plethora of useless field activities, like apply sunscreen, dead wooding, fire breaks.

Why make it hard to do the obvious things we really need to record?

I also find it cumbersome if you spray a number of fields but slightly alter rates between fields. It seems you have to then record every individual field as a separate record, rather than adjust rate per field.

Also how do others record harvest quantity into store?

We have an unwieldy process of handwritten weights over the weighbridge and then make up a spreadsheet in the office. Every year I end up wasting hours correcting errors between staff in office and farm. And don't always truly trust exactly what's in store.

It would be nice then to somehow record forward grain sales contracts, then physical movement, then paperwork and finally payment. That way we wouldn't lose sight of the cash side and always know how much grain is available to sell.

Do any of the packages do this?

Gatekeeper wil do what you say there re contracts and delivery into and out of store but it doesn’t connect to weighbridge so you will be doing a lot if double data entry and I really can’t recommed gatekeeper as it’s far too expensive and way to over complex and dated now

I’m hoping to have a replacement next year

 

[Woldgrain Storage]

Best store intake software I have used/seen is by a company called oliversoft. It’s called blackcat. Some of the major player use a full version but he can do a version to suit what you need. With correct information put in to start it will automatically calculate drying losses and then produce reports giving final field yields etc etc. it can use fobs to weigh in and out if required.

Yes, we use Oliversoft's Blackcat system.

• It links into our weighbridges to give us live stocks,
• calculates nett weights
• links our lab to the stocks to record analysis on every load in or out of store
• links our lab and weighbridges to a silo plan, recording each silo's weights and analysis
• records silo hygiene and hazardous impurities for TASCC purposes
• gives us email reports for each grower, merchant and haulier in terms of stocks, movements and qualities
• tracks transfers between growers and merchants
• automates all invoices to growers, merchants and hauliers
• automates coordination of intake haulage with a movement planner
• tracks planned movements in and out of the store
• provides automated weighing using barcoding technology

We do have more or less the full version, just without the field by field record keeping (that a grower might use) and the number plate recognition link with the weighbridges (that we may use in future).

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

I'm guessing Blackcat doesn't do field records.

I actually have Agleader controller for spraying with decent records, a spreadsheet for planned sowing and fertiliser and a spreadsheet for the grain store. I'm just trying to get to a single piece of software to do it all.

Greenlight is unfriendly enough that I won't use it, since it doesn't do everything

 

[Woldgrain Storage]

I'm guessing Blackcat doesn't do field records.

It can do, but it is primarily designed as stock-keeping software with bolt-on options.

We have a silo plan with 58 silos, which are filled during harvest. Each silo has a notes box to record hygiene, maintenance, fumigation etc etc

Your version of Blackcat could be a farm map, with 58 fields, which are emptied during harvest. Each field could have a notes box to record drilling dates, spray timings, agronomy etc etc

The principle is no different.

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

I

It can do, but it is primarily designed as stock-keeping software with bolt-on options.

We have a silo plan with 58 silos, which are filled during harvest. Each silo has a notes box to record hygiene, maintenance, fumigation etc etc

Your version of Blackcat could be a farm map, with 58 fields, which are emptied during harvest. Each field could have a notes box to record drilling dates, spray timings, agronomy etc etc

The principle is no different.

I get it.

Thanks I will contact them

 

[Clive]

Not really suitable as crop recording software. It’s weighbridge and stock control really

Speak to Phil - he’s one of the most helpful people you will meet

 

[Jetemp]

@il’ordinary bonville, yep black at is purely a grain intake/grain stock management tool. But bloody good at it!

James

 

[warksfarmer]

Does anybody have the phone number for blackcat as Google’s not helping me for some reason.