Suppliers of field indexes with a wide range of functions are now represented on the market. But what does a land use planning index really need? top farmplan explains what you should look out for when choosing a land use planning index.
Field indexes have been used in agriculture for a long time. Many farmers have already documented their measures such as fertilization, application of pesticides and soil cultivation for their individual fields in the past. In some cases, complex Excel lists were developed for this purpose, which over time became increasingly confusing and error-prone. In the meantime, a large part of the common field indexes is available online for PC, cell phone and tablet. We have summarized the most important advantages over the old versions for you:
Data backup
To one or the other perhaps already happened: If, for example, the office PC breaks down and no backup has been made beforehand, the entire field card index is gone. Many providers therefore support so-called cloud systems. The data entered is then not stored locally on a device, but externally on a server. This means that the data can be accessed from different devices and there is no risk of data loss.
Editing on the move
The cloud system makes it easy to make changes to a punch list while on the move using a cell phone. This is especially useful when several employees of a company maintain measures or when several companies are managed via one file. Another unbeatable advantage is the time saved. No more extra trips to the office are necessary. Entries can be made directly on site, so that the risk of forgetting a measure is significantly reduced.
Create CC-compliant documents
With the common land use planning indexes, you can also create CC-compliant PDF files from the measures you have entered. With just a few clicks, you have all the necessary evidence quickly created and available in the event of an audit.
It’s easy to lose track of everything when you’re dealing with all the arable land indexes. Many providers advertise exciting additional functions. But what does a land use planning index actually depend on?
When choosing your land use planning index, make sure it is easy to use. Especially if several people are to work in your index, it should be intuitive and easy to use. Many additional functions sound interesting and useful, but in case of doubt, they only cause confusion. Also, make sure that your punch file is CC-compliant. Otherwise, you will have to maintain your data twice, which will result in more work.
Our tip: Look at the company size of the provider. Price also plays a role, but cheap is not always better! Suggestions for improvement, technical problems and comprehension questions – good service is simply important with an ackerschlag index. Large companies often score points with rapid further development, but not infrequently outsource their service to external service providers. For you as a user, this can mean a real ordeal. Small companies are often easy to reach, but can’t keep up with the workload. Medium-sized companies, on the other hand, usually offer both a service that is close to the customer and a continuous development of their services.
We wish you success in your search for a suitable punch list for your business. You can also find more useful articles on the topics of land use planning and digitization on our blog.
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