Count the number of pieces of farm equipment you have on your farm. It likely adds up quick.
Of that whole fleet, do you remember when each was serviced? Do you remember what the last fix was and when it was done? Could you walk right to that information so you know when it’s time to put that piece of equipment back in the maintenance rotation?
Possibly not, but according to the developers of Farm Shop Connect that’s where their app comes in.
WHY IT MATTERS: There’s a long list of productivity apps out there promising to help you organize your life. Now, farmers have a virtual planning tool so that all their equipment maintenance information can be carried with them.
How app organizes equipment and tasks
Farm Shop Connect is a digital farm management tool to help ensure farm equipment is being properly maintained and keep track of things — all with just the device most farmers today are carrying in their pockets: a smartphone.
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The Farm Shop Connect app keeps track of records on equipment, vehicles and buildings, and ensures tasks to manage it all are assigned accordingly.
For example, a farm owner or manager can quickly view when a piece of equipment needs its next maintenance interval and who they want to assign to handle that job. Another function allows the operator to assign general tasks for any employee to take on.
Potato farmers win Manitoba ag tech award
The concept won a recent innovation award for Manitoba potato farmers Brody and Kantara Robertson.
The brother and sister app founders took home the top spot in the ag tech category during the Manitoba Ag Days Innovation Showcase in Brandon in January.
“We started it in 2023 with the goal of creating a software to just replace pen and paper,” said Brody Robertson, “to get away from the whiteboard and put it all into one location.”
The app allows the user to tag tasks to specific resources and create a service record based on the work that was required.
The tool can be especially helpful when things come up after the work day is done, the founder noted.
“It’s been an efficiency tool for us,” added Robertson. “You’re not having to be there in the morning at the shop explaining to your guys all the tasks that you want done that day.”
Desktop version and additional features
For users who would rather work at the comfort of a larger screen, the employer account of Farm Shop Connect has a desktop version.
There’s also a place in the app for keeping track of vehicle registrations and notifying when a date for heavy truck safety is approaching.
“It’s been really exciting to win first in the ag tech category,” said Robertson of his app’s recent award. “Being on this side of it as an exhibitor has been a really cool experience.”
Farm Safety Connect is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play for their respective devices.
