LAMMA 2022: Frontier to introduce new app and support for sustainable farming practices
Visitors to the event on 4th and 5th May will be able to see live demonstrations of the new app, developed by Frontier’s digital team and its precision farming division, SOYL. In it, farmers can see field and crop data on-the-go as well as use a range of scouting tools to log farm features, crop performance metrics and agri-environment projects.
Its development comes as a direct result of Frontier’s commitment to investing in more digital solutions for farmers, particularly as a means of supporting sustainable crop production practices and evidencing activity for compliance purposes. Any observations captured seamlessly sync with the MySOYL desktop application in Frontier’s MyFarm platform, which will also be on display via interactive screens.
“The purpose of the app is to put everything at a farmer’s fingertips while they are in the field, so they can include real-time observations alongside the data they are already capturing,” explains Frontier’s head of customer digital solutions, Tom Parker. “We’re thrilled to be able to bring it to LAMMA so visitors can test the features for themselves, as well as understand how it interacts with MyFarm so all the information is in one place.”
Frontier’s sustainability and digital experts will be joined on stand by advisors from SOYL, as well as specialists from its environmental division, Kings Crops. Together they will collectively share Frontier’s seven-step sustainable crop production model with visitors, within which digital tools have a key role.
“Technology has an increasingly important part to play on farm,” says Tom. “There’s greater pressure to optimise farming practices to be more resilient – this is coming from policy makers but also supply chains and consumers. It’s not just a case of adopting new approaches, growers are expected to provide more evidence they are doing them and seeing results too.”
This sentiment is also shared by Frontier’s sustainability lead, Jim Stotzka, who agrees that digital tools as part of a sustainable farming system can offer huge benefits.
“We know many farmers will be feeling overwhelmed at the industry changes coming through and it’s understandable,” explains Jim. “While some have already started their journey to more sustainable farming, others aren’t sure where to begin.
“There are a lot of good opportunities ahead so it’s vital we link growers to them, and having useful, reliable, practical digital services can make all the difference when it comes to a holistic, whole-farm approach. We want to support farmers so they can make the most of the data they capture, whether that be measuring successes, making comparisons or simply recording and benchmarking the work they are doing.”