Award winning farmers quick to adopt technology

11 July 2014

Award winning farmers quick to adopt technology

Early adoption of the Ag Hub farm management software was an ingredient for success in a Tikorangi dairy farming operation, described by judges as an outstanding example of best dairying practise, winning the 2014 Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

The region’s first Supreme title was presented to Gavin and Oliver Faull, Faull Farms Limited, and their sharemilkers, Tony and Loie Penwarden. The Faull Farms Limited/Trewithen Partnership also collected the Ballance Agri-Nutrients Soil Management Award, the LIC Dairy Farm Award, the Massey University Innovation Award and the PGG Wrightson Land and Life Award.

Ballance Farm Environment Awards judges were impressed with the determination of the partners to achieve best practise in all areas, noting the outstanding adoption of technology and innovation.

Faull Farms director, Oliver Faull said the partnership took a long-term approach to minimising the farm’s environmental impact. In an effort to better understand the farms’ soils and how they impacted the business, they had implemented Ballance Agri-Nutrients’ Ag Hub at Faull Farms.

Ag Hub is a modular online farm management system that collects and displays automated data, so that farmers have just one place to go for information and insight about their farm.

“We identified that, as our operation grew, small changes could result in material gains. Ag Hub helped us to become more ‘scientific’ in the management of the farm and minimise guess work.

“Ag Hub has helped to reduce our fertiliser application through more tailored applications to paddocks. It also enables us to accurately record effluent redistribution onto pastures by tracking the rates, duration and concentration of application from our effluent smart hydrants. This means we can maximise effluent redistribution onto pastures responsibly, which has reduced the need for application of fertiliser,” said Mr Faull.

As a director of Faull Farms, Mr Faull believed Ag Hub’s cloud based platform was helping the partnership make management decisions that were based on transparent, up-to-the-minute information.

“Management wanted more timely information for decision making. The owning company is based in Auckland but because Ag Hub is cloud-based software, we can access the information from anywhere.

“As the team on the farm gets bigger Tony, our sharemilker, gets further away from the coal face so Ag Hub provides him with a good internal control,” said Mr Faull.

A base package of Ag Hub is available without charge to all Ballance Agri-Nutrient shareholders. Shareholders also have the option of subscribing to additional modules specific to their farming operations.

ENDS

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