How to Develop a Digital Strategy for Your Farm

The agricultural industry uses information and techniques from the past, but it is also making great strides toward the future with the addition of technology. Most operations have a crop management system and/or a farm data management system already in the works. While these are both important systems to have, these systems are only as good as your operation’s digital strategy. Continue reading to learn more about digital strategies for your farm and the steps to follow to develop one yourself.

Why do I need a digital strategy for my farm?

A digital farm strategy is when you have a plan for organizing, storing, sharing, and securing your collected farm data for use in reducing costs and risks while maximizing the revenue of your operation. With all the farm data management software available, you can easily work towards developing a digital strategy to help you plan, manage, and implement changes from the information provided by your collected data. Utilizing collected data has proven to be beneficial to farming operations, which is why developing a digital strategy for your farm is important in helping you maximize your operation’s potential.

What are the data management considerations for developing my strategy?

Data management is a key part of developing your digital strategy. When choosing your crop data management system, take your equipment brand(s) and machine technology into consideration since sharing and transferring data across different brands of equipment and software systems can be difficult. It's vital to make sure you have the correct software system to read and use the data that is collected from your precision agriculture equipment.

While this data capability is a key piece to consider when developing your strategy, it is also important to take data storage, sharing, and legal aspects into account. Whether using on-farm or cloud data storage, ensuring all your data is properly backed up and secure is crucial. Before choosing an online or cloud method of storage, it is important to understand the legal agreements of the company you are using, such as data privacy.

What steps should I take in developing the digital strategy for my farm?

Developing a digital strategy does take some time and consideration. While we can’t answer every question for your operation specifically, we have compiled a list of steps you should go through that will cover all the things you should consider and include when developing a digital strategy for your operation.

• Decide which precision agriculture technologies you will use for your operation.
• Identify the data you wish to collect with precision agriculture technologies.
• What are the objectives of the to-be collected data?
• What digital tools and data will be used to meet these objectives and why?
• If you are using digital tools, which ones?
• Who (person and/or entity) do you plan to share collected data with? List all.
• Do they require all data to be shared with them? If not, what data should be shared with each person and/or entity?
• How will data be shared internally? Externally?
• What is your plan to store and secure data? How will you back up your data?
  • Local storage examples: laptop, external hard drive, server
  • Cloud Storage examples: Google Drive, Dropbox
  • Agriculture cloud platforms: John Deere Operations Center™, Climate FieldView™
• Are you capable of reviewing and understanding your data agreements? If not, do you have reliable resources to help?
• How will you evaluate your strategy and define the success of your operation?

What John Deere tools and software can help me collect my data?

John Deere offers an entire fleet of precision agriculture equipment and software to help you collect and organize your data. A receiver and display are going to be key pieces to start collecting your in-field and application data from each part of the crop season including fertilizing, planting, spraying, and harvesting. Crop management technologies are going to be important software systems for your operation’s data. With John Deere Operations Center™ you are able to see all of your machine and crop data in one easy-to-operate location. John Deere My Transfer™ Mobile App helps to provide a seamless portal to and from the Operations Center™ for immediate access to all your business information.

What other digital farm strategy resources are available?

If you are looking for more resources for your digital farm strategy, the trained Precision Specialists at your local Koenig Equipment can help you from selecting the right precision agriculture equipment and software to understanding how to access and interpret your farm data in order to set your goals for your digital strategy. Visit Koenig Equipment today to learn more about the importance of a digital farm strategy.

Additional Resources:

John Deere Operations Center vs. Climate FieldView

How Does John Deere Precision Agriculture Technology Provide Data Management Solutions?

Farm Statistics, Metrics, & Figures that You Need to Know

What is Precision Agriculture?