Charlie Farrington

The director of agri-tech firm Pear Agri, Charlie Farrington, is hoping his new software will revamp the way farmers grow and sell their crops.

Farrington joined the firm last summer, but is now revamping the business, starting with the creation of a cloud-based system for farmers, agronomists and contractors.

While still under development, the software could hit markets later this year and will provide an app for tablets, phones and computers that can log data in real-time.

“With the way technology and regulations are moving, there are obvious benefits of automated crop management software,” said Farrington.

“Using modern cloud-based software saves time and reduces the risk of errors, taking away one of many burdens that farming professionals face at busy times of the year.'

“I realised there was a need to progress the software that was being used – farmers and agronomists need mobile apps and cloud-based software – and eventually joined the business with John Edwards last summer.”

One function of the software will be in spraying. When the agronomist creates a spray recommendation, the farmer, and contractor, will be automatically notified of a new task to complete. Using the app in the field, the spray operator can add in factors such as the weather and timings, to the recommendation and this will update the farmer's records and inform the agronomist it has been completed.

Available via a web version and offline desktop, mobile and tablet apps, the programme also offers machinery costings to calculate operation expenditure, as well as financial and assurance reports, including year-end valuation and gross margins.

Farmers will be able to get a first glance of the pre-release version at this year’s Cereals Event.