Precision agriculture software varies widely depending on what crops your farm offers as well as what specific needs best suits your company. Your computer operating system comes into play as you will need software that works with your present system or you will have to upgrade the entire system to fit the software. Make sure that the software is network-ready for multiple sharing over departments and branches.

Many software systems will contain information that you don't need so don't pay for options that do not work for you. Select a software system that will grow with your farm. Alternatively, upgrading your present software with new functions may be the best option if you have a system that is already working for you. Look for these features when choosing accounting software for precision farming:

1. Locate the agricultural mapping software that is right for your farm.

2. Work with precision agriculture software programs you already use.

3. Contact a representative about software on precision farming to get your questions answered.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find precision ag software programs providers with programs you can use

Software programs come in all shapes and sizes and there is a price tag that goes with that. Check the features of the software you are considering and purchase what your institution needs.

I recommend: SST offers farm management software including crop planning and budgeting and in-field mapping. Martens Farms 123 Farms Works offers everything you need to grow a successful farm from GPS from mapping to crop planning.

Choose precision ag software solutions updates to the system already in place

If your present software is working for you, consider upgrading it to add a few features that you need instead of replacing the entire system. There may be a small charge to upgrade but this would be minimal compared to replacing the entire system. Find out if the new necessary features are available with your present software. Alternatively, choose a software program that adds these features but integrates with the program in place.

I recommend: Case IH advanced software works with yield monitoring and mapping managing your farm precisely as you want. CattleMax offers a free trial version of their software so try before you buy. The free 30-day trial is fully functional so you test all the features before you pay for this software.

Choose agriculture mapping software systems that have live customer support

The best software in the world is no good to you if you cannot reach someone to answer questions when that need arises. Software has an online guide but sometimes that is not enough when you run into a difficulty. Choose software systems with live customer support features to get the most out of program.

I recommend: AG Data provides the entire suite of Blue Skies farming software. They provide email tech support with a turn around time of usually two hours. Agricultural Data Systems (ADS) offers farming software and a customer support phone number. You can also reach them by email for non-urgent questions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  When you purchase your precision ag software you may want to consider having a professional install the software for you. Although there is a charge for this service, they will have you up and running quickly and they will deal with any software installation issues so all you have to do is operate your system.