Keep Your Edge With AgriEdge
On the 20th anniversary of the Syngenta whole-farm management program, participating growers take stock of the time and money they saved through using AgriEdge.
Most growers agree that the value they receive from digital technology on their farms increases each season. Just ask Gregg Johnson, who grows corn, soybeans and cotton in Louisiana. When he first saw the online mapping feature of AgriEdge® — the Syngenta whole-farm management system — nearly 20 years ago, he immediately recognized its potential and became a customer. Today, Johnson looks forward to using the mobile version of the AgriEdge app when his family runs four 12-row planters in two parishes.
“We don’t have a staff who keeps records for us,” Johnson explains. “With the mobile version of AgriEdge, I can pull up the field we’re in and enter the seed type as well as the chemicals and rates we’re using while we plant, instead of entering it into the computer later on. It’s made our operations so much easier. I can get home, connect to Wi-Fi and update our records instantly.”
“When I can pinpoint my cost every day and do not have to dig through handwritten records, it really takes the pressure off during audits,” Cecil says. “AgriEdge keeps track of the pounds, ounces and pesticides we use and a lot more. It’s hard to put a price on the time we’ve saved over the years with this program.”
Digital Advances
AgriEdge has a long history of being a great tool for automating data entry, giving growers an accurate cost analysis of their inputs. But the whole-farm management solution didn’t build up its 20-year history — covering 25 million acres of farmland that 8,000 growers manage — by standing still. New features will be added soon.
Brent Lackey, head of crop protection marketing-to-settlement at Syngenta, was part of the team that originally brought AgriEdge to market. He cites a cost-sharing model as one of the most unique features that drove early adoption.
“The goal was to incorporate capabilities for sharing costs with growers to offset the risk in producing a crop,” Lackey says. “Users were able to trigger new price points and calculations in a way that incentivized them to try something new, which brought even more value to growers.”
Upgrades are underway to increase speed and adaptability, says Trevor Cook, AgriEdge lead for the western commercial unit at Syngenta.
“We’re about a year and a half into a massive rebuild that will increase speed and make the digital products of AgriEdge consistent across all platforms,” he explains.
Recognizing that data privacy is important to customers, Syngenta makes security a top priority. “We put a lot of emphasis on helping growers manage and share data how and with whom they desire, but we put a lot of thought into our privacy policy, too,” Cook says. “We make sure our AgriEdge growers know they own their data.”
“Being able to move growers into the 21st century with a system that enabled them to better manage their farms was a step change,” Lackey says. “With AgriEdge, we never stop working to provide a holistic solution for growers that will make their operations more productive and successful.”
“We don’t have a staff who keeps records for us,” Johnson explains. “With the mobile version of AgriEdge, I can pull up the field we’re in and enter the seed type as well as the chemicals and rates we’re using while we plant, instead of entering it into the computer later on. It’s made our operations so much easier. I can get home, connect to Wi-Fi and update our records instantly.”
After first introducing what would become AgriEdge to Southern growers in 2001, Syngenta expanded the program nationwide in 2012. That’s about the time Kentucky-based grower Gary Cecil signed on. Today, Cecil considers AgriEdge an indispensable tool for food-safety audits on his watermelon and tobacco farm.The goal was to incorporate capabilities for sharing costs with growers to offset the risk in producing a crop.
“When I can pinpoint my cost every day and do not have to dig through handwritten records, it really takes the pressure off during audits,” Cecil says. “AgriEdge keeps track of the pounds, ounces and pesticides we use and a lot more. It’s hard to put a price on the time we’ve saved over the years with this program.”
Digital Advances
AgriEdge has a long history of being a great tool for automating data entry, giving growers an accurate cost analysis of their inputs. But the whole-farm management solution didn’t build up its 20-year history — covering 25 million acres of farmland that 8,000 growers manage — by standing still. New features will be added soon.
Brent Lackey, head of crop protection marketing-to-settlement at Syngenta, was part of the team that originally brought AgriEdge to market. He cites a cost-sharing model as one of the most unique features that drove early adoption.
“The goal was to incorporate capabilities for sharing costs with growers to offset the risk in producing a crop,” Lackey says. “Users were able to trigger new price points and calculations in a way that incentivized them to try something new, which brought even more value to growers.”
Upgrades are underway to increase speed and adaptability, says Trevor Cook, AgriEdge lead for the western commercial unit at Syngenta.
“We’re about a year and a half into a massive rebuild that will increase speed and make the digital products of AgriEdge consistent across all platforms,” he explains.
Recognizing that data privacy is important to customers, Syngenta makes security a top priority. “We put a lot of emphasis on helping growers manage and share data how and with whom they desire, but we put a lot of thought into our privacy policy, too,” Cook says. “We make sure our AgriEdge growers know they own their data.”
Learn how #growers take stock of the time and money they saved through using AgriEdge over the past 20 years.
As with any technology, advancements are only productive when they meet customer needs. AgriEdge enhancements are chosen by listening to growers who use the system.
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“Being able to move growers into the 21st century with a system that enabled them to better manage their farms was a step change,” Lackey says. “With AgriEdge, we never stop working to provide a holistic solution for growers that will make their operations more productive and successful.”
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