Tuesday, 14 June 2016 07:55

More co-op farmers going digital

Written by 
More Fonterra farmers are using cellphones to keep track of their businesses. More Fonterra farmers are using cellphones to keep track of their businesses.

More Fonterra farmers are using cellphones to keep track of their businesses, the co-op reports.

Farmer use of information from their co-op smartphone apps has doubled in the past year.

While its Farm Source website remains popular for reporting and comparisons at month end, Fonterra mobile apps are now used more often for checking key day-to-day data. Farmer mobile apps have made 13,000 unique user downloads.

General manager operations and farmer services Evelyn Seewald says getting information to farmers faster is a priority.

"Farmers are rapid adopters of digital technology onfarm and have led the design of our apps with their feedback.... Farmers who previously swore they'd never need a smartphone now tell us they can't imagine life without it.

The apps enable farmers to access key milk production and quality information and receive business updates. And they deliver quality assurance and service data.

"Having quality and production information at their fingertips allows farmers to make timely onfarm decisions and get alerts to potential quality issues any time, anywhere."

Fonterra has three apps available for download for its farmers or users nominated by farmers: a milk production and quality app (2014), a news app (2015) and a monthly plant check app now being piloted.

Apps — the details

Three apps are available to co-op farmers or their nominees:

· The On Farm app provides farmers with key milk production and quality information and allows them to update their milk collection times

· The My Co-op app gives co-op news and financial information, and Farm Source Store rewards and offers

· The Monthly Plant Check app, being piloted this season, will transform a task previously done using a paper manual.

More like this

Entitled much?

OPINION: For the last few weeks, we've witnessed a parade of complaints about New Zealand's school lunch program: 'It's arriving late.' 'The portions are wrong.' 'I wanted caviar.'

Fonterra mulls options - sale or IPO

An outright sale of Fonterra’s global consumer business is more likely than a float, says Forsyth Barr senior analyst equities, Matt Montgomerie.

Fonterra updates earnings

Fonterra says its earnings for the 2025 financial year are anticipated to be in the upper half of its previously forecast earnings range of 40-60 cents per share.

Featured

Let the games begin!

New Zealand's largest celebration of rural sports athletes and enthusiasts – New Zealand Rural Games - is back for its 10th edition, kicking off in Palmerston North from Thursday, March 6th to Sunday, March 9th, 2025.

The future of beef breeding

Progeny testing at Pāmu’s Kepler farm in Southland as part of Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Informing New Zealand Beef programme is showing that the benefits of hybrid vigour could have a massive impact on the future of beef breeding.

Editorial: GMO furore

OPINION: Submissions on the Government's contentious Gene Technology Bill have closed.

Chilled cow cuts enter China

Alliance Group has secured greater access for chilled beef exports into China following approval of its Levin and Mataura plants to supply that market. With its first load of beef from Levin clearing Chinese customs in early January and a shipment from Mataura recently arriving in China, journalist Leo Argent talked to Alliance general manager safety and processing Wayne Shaw.

National

Certainty welcomed

There's been very little reaction to the government science reform announcement, with many saying the devil will be in the…

Science 'deserves more funding'

A committee which carried out the review into New Zealand's science system says the underinvestment will continue to compromise the…

Machinery & Products

Landpower win global award

Christchurch-headquartered Landpower and its Claas Harvest Centre dealerships has taken out the Global After Sales Excellence award in Germany, during…

Innovation, new products galore

It has been a year of new products and innovation at Numedic, the Rotorua-based manufacturer and exporter of farm dairy…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

No buyers

OPINION: Australian dairy is bracing for the retirement of an iconic dairy brand.

RIP Kitkat V

OPINION: Another sign that the plant-based dairy fallacy is unravelling and that nothing beats dairy-based products.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter