For South African software firms with a focus on agriculture and logistics sectors, John Deere has unveiled its online operations centre solution, a centralised farm management platform that collects machine, logistic and agronomic data to help farmers and their advisors to make more informed decisions
The company has added a new sub-menu called ‘More Tools’ to the online platform, which enables third-party software providers that already have existing relationships with farmers using John Deere equipment, to link their products to the centralised database.
Local farmers can collaborate with their preferred local partners on this platform that aims to open up a wider array of software tools and farm management systems to the domestic market.
Wayne Spaumer, technology specialist at John Deere, said, “The advantage of the operations centre platform is that it allows farmers to choose exactly who they want to transfer their data to and to do so seamlessly via a convenient, centralised online platform. This means they can take existing information and data that they have collected with their existing software providers and make it available to new application providers and farm management systems, should they wish to gain new insights into existing historical data.”
John Deere provided more information on how South African software providers can access the operations centre platform at its booth at the upcoming NAMPO show from 14-17 May.
Farmers can also access the John Deere operations centre via the mobile app, which enables access to farm information from anywhere at any time. Advanced tools allow farmers to see what is happening on their farms while also allowing them to share data with advisors and partners, which can then be used to gain valuable insights over time. Advanced software tools enable farmers and their partners to analyse and edit data, make more informed and collaborative decisions, and optimise their logistics and day-to-day operations to boost yields and increase profitability.
“Achieving optimal efficiencies and reducing waste can have a large impact on overall yields,” said Spaumer. “Using advanced software and analytic tools allow farmers to reduce the chaotic and often inefficient process of having to coordinate and manage farm activities over the phone or via lengthy meetings, which can often cause delays in work and a drop in productivity.”
The operations centre equips users with tools that make data interpretation easier to understand by providing a bird’s-eye view of the farm in both real-time and via historical data. This allows farmers to be more agile when adapting to changing conditions and make quick decisions based on immediate insights provided by robust data.
