Smart agriculture technology: How new solutions are reshaping crop planning
Want to improve your crop planning, build trust with growers, efficiently scale your business and enhance your operations? Digital crop planning tools make it easy.
If you’re an ag retailer that relies on traditional crop planning methods, a world of digital optimization opportunities awaits. We are in the midst of a digital transformation in agriculture. This gradual digitization of agriculture has yielded a ton of innovative digital farming solutions and smart agriculture technology. These new resources for agronomists and growers are revolutionizing crop planning, improving crop management and crop production. Simply put, they’re leaving traditional methods in the dust. If you want to streamline your data to improve the efficiency, accuracy and profitability of your crop plans, it’s time to go digital.
Table of contents:
Why digital crop planning solutions are needed
Demand for digital agriculture solutions is growing
Digital crop planning improves efficiency, accuracy and profitability
What digital crop planning software can deliver
How to navigate solution exploration
Essential features to look for in a digital agriculture planning tool
What you can do with TELUS Agronomy
We’re doing big things with agronomists worldwide
Why digital crop planning solutions are needed
In a dynamic field like agronomy, you need tools that adapt as quickly as you do. Traditional crop planning approaches can be inefficient and yield questionable results. Traditional methods require you to:
Work with time-consuming manual processes. These can be repetitive, inefficient and error-prone – think manual record management, data entry, reporting and plan customization for each grower you serve.
Rely on fragmented data. Using spreadsheets and/or disconnected tools to monitor different aspects of your ag operations can be challenging and leads to data silos. This hinders access to the data you need to analyze to make informed crop plans.
Work longer hours at your desk. Manual crop planning processes can monopolize your time and energy which could be spent directly with growers, building a relationship and foundation of trust.
Make plans you may not be fully confident about. When you don’t have easy access to accurate and insightful data to support your plan recommendations, selling them to growers is a challenge and a pain point.
Demand for digital agriculture solutions is growing
Agronomists, and the growers they serve, have so much to gain from the adoption of modern digital crop planning tools. They’re designed to streamline your data, improve workflow, help you scale and impart more confidence in your plan recommendations.
75% of farmers in North America are currently using, or will adopt, at least one new digital technology to improve operations.
McKinsey & Co. Global Farmer Insights 2024, Oct 16, 2024
With most farmers in North America currently using or willing to adopt at least one new digital technology to improve operations, the timing might be perfect to demonstrate how your agronomic software can streamline the crop planning process and drive better outcomes for your new and current clients for the season ahead.
The U.S. has the highest adoption of operations-focused technology, with 61% adoption of digital agronomy.
McKinsey & Co. Global Farmer Insights 2024, Oct 16, 2024
Growers seek out crop plans they can count on because their livelihoods depend on them. With the highest adoption of operations-focused technology (61% adoption of digital agronomy), your current and potential clients in the U.S. are poised to embrace the use of digital agronomy tools because, frankly, they need them.They yield more, and more reliable, data to learn from. Retailers that can drive the best insights from their agronomic data in the most efficient way will earn trust and dollars from their clients year after year.
For digital agronomy, yield monitoring and optimization is the most widely applied use case. In North America, yield monitoring is the top digital agronomy technology, with 60% of farmers saying they use it.
McKinsey & Co. Global Farmer Insights 2024, Oct 16, 2024
When it comes to which digital agronomy tools farmers are reaching for, yield monitoring and optimization are most widely used (60% of farmers currently use it). Yield data is essential for effective crop planning. You can use digital tools to analyze past yields and predict future outcomes to provide growers with tailored plans that maximize profitability. If you provide yield data insights and tools for optimization, you’ll be better positioned to deliver high-value recommendations. This creates a unique opportunity to build loyalty and trust with your growers by showing them tangible improvements to their bottom line.
38% of farmers use one or more farm management software systems to store and manage their operation’s data – 28% do so on paper.
Data Bridge Market Research. Global Crop Scouting Precision Farming Market – Industry Trends and Forecast to 2029, Oct 2022
If you want to deliver custom crop plans to your clients, it’s crucial to reflect carefully on plan deviation and harvest results. Doing all this the old fashioned way with spreadsheets and/or multiple tools is inefficient and unnecessary when technological advancements can make it quick and painless. For your clients that currently use more than one system or tool to store and manage their data (38% of farmers), including those who do so on paper (28% of farmers), there’s a lot for them to gain from a streamlined system that manages everything in one place. By using streamlined agronomic software, you can deliver high-quality, customized plans that meet your growers’ evolving expectations and help them achieve their goals.
Digital crop planning helps improve efficiency, accuracy and profitability
No one can be everywhere and do everything, all at once. Digital crop planning tools can help you streamline your workflow for greater efficiency and accuracy. They’re the solution your business needs to yield better, more insightful results in less time – and create the best plans for your growers.
If you want to get your time back, feel more confident in your crop planning recommendations and get back in the field where you’re needed most, a digital crop planning system is the solution you need.
What digital crop planning software can deliver
When you lean on digital crop planning tools, you can:
Turn this year’s insights into next year’s growth. Leverage data on crop performance, soil metrics, products used and market trends to guide strategic planning for the upcoming year.
Create custom, scalable plans. Tailor your crop plans to meet the unique needs of each farm you serve and adapt them as needed.
Collaborate while crop planning. Work closely with growers to develop and adjust the plans that will deliver the results your grower is looking for.
Strengthen grower relationships. Build and maintain trust with growers through a collaborative approach; detailed and personalized plans; and the ability to forecast profits, break-even points and input costs.
Collect and reflect on data in real time. What if you could bring your data from the field to your fingertips? Being able to document your field observations and view and share them in real time is critical.
How to navigate solution exploration
If you’re ready to find the perfect digital crop planning tool for your ag retail business, here are some initial steps to take:
Identify your core business needs. Make a list and check it twice. Explore what the ideal solution for you needs to address beyond crop planning, such as enhancing grower relationships, improving efficiency and providing support all season.
Compare your options. Be sure to evaluate solutions based on their ability to offer year-round support – from crop planning to scouting, soil sampling, variable rate fertility and end-of-season analysis.
Evaluate compliance capabilities. Look for a solution with a robust compliance engine that ensures recommendations align with local, state and organizational standards.
Partner with a provider that other companies trust. Choose a trusted vendor. You’ll need one that offers a scalable, adaptable solution designed to meet your current and future needs.
Essential features to look for in a digital agriculture planning tool
There are a lot of digital agriculture planning tools out there. When it comes to comparing them and choosing the right one for your ag retail business, here are the key features and capabilities to look for:
Integration with existing systems. Don’t get stuck in data silos – find a tool that can integrate with the systems you already use so nothing gets lost.
Customizable planning templates. Your growers want plans built just for them. Look for a tool that offers customizable templates and personalized plans.
Budget and scenario analysis. You’ll want to be able to present multiple crop plan options with clear cut costs, yield predictions and planting variables. You’ll also want to be able to pinpoint the scenarios that break even vs maximize profitability.
Real-time collaboration and update capabilities. If you work collaboratively with growers, you’ll need a tool that lets you work directly with them as you plan.
Actionable insights. You’ll want easy access to historical data and reporting to inform your future plans.
A user-friendly interface. No one has time to waste navigating confusing interfaces that slow down workflow. Request a product demo or interface walkthrough before committing to a digital solution.
Scalability. Look for a tool that can grow with you, handle increased volumes of data and onboard new growers.
Mobile accessibility. Look for a mobile-friendly tool that enables you to roam free and gather on-the-go updates and access data in the field.
What you can do with TELUS Agronomy
TELUS Agronomy brings all your agronomic data together in one unified system. From crop records to scouting, sampling and variable rate fertility - everything you need is at your fingertips.
If you're ready to improve your crop planning, we’re ready to help. We can enable you to easily deliver accurate, data-driven and customizable crop templates and plans for your growers in minutes.
“TELUS Agronomy’s crop planning tool makes my job easier, and yet we are working together just as closely and sharing information more quickly. My growers place a lot of trust in me, and I don’t take that for granted. I wouldn’t have introduced them to the TELUS Agronomy system if I didn’t have the confidence it would make crop planning and orders a whole lot easier for them.” - Clark Harman, Crop Consultant, Land View Inc.
Give your crop plans deeper roots
Discover Land View's success with TELUS Agronomy.
With TELUS Agronomy you can:
Streamline, collect, analyze and action your data insights.
Work where you want, whether at your desk and in the field.
Enhance conversations and relationships with growers Enjoy our customizable, personalized and easily shareable plans and templates. You’ll also be able to highlight multiple plan scenarios and pinpoint potential profits for growers instead of focusing solely on input costs.
Deliver personalized plans that you and your growers can count on.
We’re doing big things with agronomists worldwide
Agronomists around the globe are working smarter with our digital agriculture tools. We’re constantly gathering their feedback in order to make their workflow even easier by enhancing TELUS Agronomy’s tools and features.
Let’s solve crop planning together
Schedule a TELUS Agronomy demo
1-3: McKinsey & Co. Global Farmer Insights 2024, Oct 16, 2024.
4: Data Bridge Market Research. Global Crop Scouting Precision Farming Market – Industry Trends and Forecast to 2029, Oct 2022.
