What Is the Must-Have Software Feature for Farmers?

Data over the past three years has shown us that farmers are increasingly using field data management software on their farms. But, what does it mean to be a software user? How extensively are farmers using the software features available and what are they most interested in using in the future?

In December of 2019, Stratus surveyed over 1,500 farmers across North America on their use and perceptions of the field data management software brands on the market today.  Understanding how farmers intend to use the software, the benefits they expect to receive, the features they are most interested in and the factors that will ultimately drive their decisions on which software to use is critical information for the development and marketing of digital ag solutions.

Software use in both Canada and the US is on an upward trend – there are more users of field data management software platforms and use of many software features is also increasing.

The chart below depicts the top 4 most used software features in North America.  The use of imagery to identify variability and monitor the in-season vegetation health of crops increased significantly in 2019.   

In order to develop and market field data management software platforms that will meet the needs of farmers, we need to understand not only what features they are using today, but also what they might be looking for. 

The chart below depicts two software features that few farmers are using, but many are interested in.  Are these unmet needs in the market for which software developers should focus?

The 2019 report is currently available, and planning is already underway to repeat the annual study again in December of 2020.  The findings of this report will enable field data management software providers to focus their product development teams and evaluate the effectiveness of their marketing strategies; thereby providing the information they need to implement strategies to grow.