Autosteer in your tractor might have been one of the first “big things” in farm automation, but Jake Joraanstad, CEO of Bushel, says the company’s latest innovation may be the next big thing in automation.
Bushel Farm is the only farm management software to offer automated grain contract entry, a groundbreaking functionality that benefits both farmers and grain buyers.
“Our view is that this is the biggest leap forward and the first time that we can automate the crop marketing side of farm businesses,” he explains. “I like to think of this as the third generation of automation and a powerful tool for farmers.”
Farmers can now automate entry of grain contracts in Bushel Farm, with over 2,600 facilities in the Bushel network. Much like machine data connection, this is possible by connecting accounts through connections already available.
“Our vision is to make this the most automated tool for the farmer,” Joraanstad says. “One of the challenges in farm management software has been the numbers, with basically everything done manually.”
Big benefits
Bushel Farm’s advanced software lets farmers spend less time in front of the computer and more time in the field. The top benefits for them are:
-
reduced manual data entry
-
detailed financial overviews
Once the Bushel Farm account is connected to a farmer’s accounts with grain buyers in the Bushel network, all past and future contracts with those buyers automatically feed in the new contracts feature of Bushel Farm. “Our agribusiness customers frequently tell us that transparency builds trust,” Joraanstad says.
“Improving farmers’ access to their contract information is a win-win for both agribusiness and farmers,” he says. “The powerful contract automation feature of Bushel Farm wouldn’t be possible without the digital infrastructure we’ve built to digitize, permission and accelerate the flow of information through the agriculture supply chain.”
ONE AND ONLY: Bushel Farm is the only farm management software to offer automated grain contract entry, a groundbreaking functionality that benefits both farmers and grain buyers.
With the platform automatically generating a grain marketing position by crop, farmers can make more informed and confident marketing decisions.
“If farmers know they want to be 50% sold by July, then they can find the opportunity to sell to that originator,” he states. “That is the conversation we want to help enable between our grain elevators and commercial customers on the agribusiness side, with the farmer who’s making those decisions.”
Bushel Farm is set to benefit grain businesses as well, with improved grain origination and stronger farmer relationships. “The efficiencies and transparencies created will create win-wins for both farmers and agribusiness,” Joraanstad says.
Get connected
This feature is now available for farmers already in the Bushel Farm network, with existing subscribers able to connect their accounts using the “connect” button in the contracts or marketing feature of Bushel Farm. The permission-based controls allow farmers to only share the data they want to, through permissioned access to elevators and co-ops.
If a farmer does not have a Bushel Farm subscription, a 30-day free trial of any of Bushel Farm’s three plans is available for new users. “You can pick your tier and see how it is. And in those 30 days, I think a lot of farmers will be impressed with the simplicity,” Joraanstad says.
“The tracking tools allow farmers to track rainfall and growing degree days per field, they can find out planting dates and the 10-year average on a certain field, these are just benefits that work on top of connecting machine data and productivity.”
The Bushel Network reaches more than 40% of grain origination in the United States and Canada, resulting in one of the largest technology networks among farmers and grain buyers in the U.S. To get started with Bushel Farm on your operation, check out the Bushel Farm online.
