NEXT Machine Management was developed by BayWa AG subsidiary FarmFacts, in cooperation with machinery manufacturers AGCO, Krone, Kuhn, Lemken, Rauch and Pöttinger. The module enables automatic documentation and transfer of data between machinery of different brands. The data is being stored in the cloud-based farm management system NEXT Farming LIVE.
Data exchange
Next Machine Management utilises data transmitted via an agrirouter to facilitate planning, production and documentation processes using machinery from various manufacturers. The module can be used with every machine that is connected to the agrirouter.
FarmFacts has now enhanced the module. A telemetry solution has been introduced to enable farm managers – provided their machinery is equipped with the relevant technology – to monitor the locations where their machines are deployed and to obtain a live snapshot of machinery data, such as current utilisation, output and spreading quantities.
This makes allocating machinery to jobs easy, meaning the entire fleet can be deployed more efficiently, and processes can be professionally monitored.
Application maps
A few improvements have also been made to the existing software solution, which are to save farmers and contractors time when documenting the work that has been carried out. At the touch of a button, extensive legally required reports on the measures implemented on fields can now be created more quickly.
Jobs can be transferred easily to machines, enabling optimum utilisation of capacities and effective farm management. A particular highlight is the ability to transmit waylines or prescription maps to machinery with GPS steering systems so that the fields can be farmed site-specifically.
Farmers can plan their field work in the office, then transfer the information to the machinery terminal – regardless of its manufacturer, type or location – and later use the data received from the machinery to automatically document the work that has been carried out on the field.
Data points such as a location ID and time stamp, and parameters such as speed of travel, diesel consumption and spreading quantities (e.g. fertiliser or crop care products) are automatically captured and documented in the farmer’s NEXT Farming LIVE account. FarmFacts says the data belongs exclusively to the account owner. No data is shared with third parties without the owner’s consent.
NEXT Machine Management license costs € 249
The cloud software NEXT Farming LIVE is available anywhere in the world, provided there is internet access. Growers can purchase a NEXT Machine Management license for a yearly fee of € 249 (291 US dollar) per license / machine from FarmFacts.
According to FarmFacts, the NEXT Machine Management module can be combined with various other tools, e. g. for prescription maps, wayline management, etc. Users who already purchased the NEXT Machine Management module can use the new features at no extra cost as long as their hardware supports the LIVE transmission of live telemetry data.
