FarmLogs

Overall Opinion: Farming is a profession that most people don't associate with technology. The reality is that farming operations can benefit from advanced tools. FarmLogs brings together an entire set of useful tools in one convenient platform. FarmLogs is used by a third of the farms in the United States to manage their operations. This is not surprising when one considers all of the tools the software provides. It is the stated goal of the program's developers to help farmers increase efficiency and profitability. Features of the software include the analysis of field conditions. Farmers can tell at a glance if fields are dry. It might be hard to believe that an app for a mobile phone can replace a rain gauge, but that's exactly what FarmLogs does. There is a note taking function that allows farmers to input their own custom data as they are scouting crops. Current data can also be compared with data from previous years. An area where the software excels is in the analysis of farm markets. A comprehensive marketing plan can be created with the software. This plan will assess markets and let farmers know the ideal time to sell. The program can also give farmers an estimate of what their crop is worth at a given time. Satellite imagery is included with the software so that farmers can quickly identify any potential threats to their yield. Being able to act quickly when a threat arises can mean the difference between a profit and a loss. The basic app is free to download from Google Play and the App Store. It does offer in-app purchases that can become very expensive. Some features cost as much as $200. That might be a hard price point for very small farms to accept. Obviously, the app was designed with major farming operations in mind. One significant downside of the software is that many of its functions require the use of GPS. This can drain the battery of a mobile phone quickly. Even so, the benefits of the program far outweigh the disadvantages. Farmers could easily recoup their investment in the app thanks to more profitable management practices.

Pros: Real-time analysis of crop conditions Marketing advice which includes recommendations on when to sell Valuation of crops

Cons: GPS usage drains phone battery Not worthwhile for very small farms Very expensive in-app purchases