Just 100 years ago was dominated by the German economic structure of agriculture. A farmer supplied in 1900 just four people with food. Today, a German farmer to feed 133 people in theory. A tremendous increase in output, which was made possible by advances in mechanization and plant breeding, through better pesticides and -dünger.
And the returns must continue to rise. The world population is growing, scientists believe that the number will increase to be supplied per farmer in the next 35 years on 200th But breeding and farming practices are considered to be exhausted and offer little more potential for higher yields in Germany.
Precision Farming by intelligent software
One way is in Germany has yet coming, called “precision farming”. Through the intelligent use of sowing machines, harvesters or fertilizer spreaders are more precise farming fields blank. Use of software, which documents the work of farmers, are potential savings visible, for example in the use of pesticides or by a more precise sowing. According to Bitkom now use 19 percent of the peasants digital applications to document their fieldwork.
The majority of them, however, is still working completely classic with lots of paper and shelves full of folders. The problem: The overview of the vast arable land is missing. This could increase their income, farmers, if they let go of their machines targeted. Pesticides can be sprayed precisely where they belong and in sowing the individual seeds would spread so that everyone has the highest potential to germinate. This reduces costs
whether the purchase of a combine harvester for an analogous working farmers, for example, is really worth -. Or whether it is better to borrow this, is up to his gut feeling. But that will no longer remain so with the so-called precision farming long.
Software solutions for digital Farmer
Trecker.com and 365FarmNet are two young companies who are struggling with their documentation software for the favor of German farmers. The common goal: to improve the economics of farmers
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The Benuzteroberfläche of Trecker.com:. Each field is detected by the quantity of the processed seeds or fertilizer
The startup Trecker.com launched at the 2012 Humboldt University Berlin. Miro Wilms and Benedict Voit developed with her team first software for companies that farm equipment and personnel to farmers borrow, for example, during harvest time.
In the meantime, however, the startup focused on the development of its agricultural software for operational management. With their farmers can capture all the data of their fields, such as the type and amount of fertilizer, crop rotations and income. This costs and profitability can be better survey.
The user interface of 365FarmNet:. Here the farmer can see which fields, are what cereals
From an average of ten percent cost savings reported their test clients, so Trecker.com. The ease of use is important to the developers here. The software brought Trecker.com in November 2015 to the market. A few dozen German-speaking farmers of all sizes, they are already using. According to own statements Trecker.com could already operate profitably in a few months, but will initially continue to grow. For now, where many farmers finally take the step into the digital era, it comes to opening up the market.
The competitor 365FarmNet sitting in Berlin next few roads. The company’s software has more features. The farmer can document all the activities around his corn and rye fields and soon in his cow and pig houses.
Unlike Trecker.com, which currently offers a software as a complete solution, a software builds 365FarmNet modular system. The basic modules for plants economy, animal husbandry and the long term, biogas plants can be booked individually by the farmer. Based on this, there is in each case various functions such as automatic calibration of field equipment for optimal distribution of fertilizer.
Approximately 4,500 farmers in Germany use the system for agricultural management already. This makes them much further than their competitors. But that is no surprise: Behind the company, which describes itself as a startup, is the German agricultural machinery manufacturer Claas, a global leader
What software can prevail
Still,.? has not yet decided the unequal race. The software of both companies relies on cloud and GPS. Both are aimed at long-term commitment to farmers. Trecker.com wants to score with simplicity: “We just want the important functions.” Some farmers are therefore already changed from 365FarmNet to them
UI 365FarmNet: Here, a single field can be chosen, for example, to plan the next harvest. ” / p>
Cost: maximum of one euro per month per hectare of agricultural land. Larger companies pay a lower average hectare price. Set up the software on the PCs of the company and on the smartphones of workers, cost about 1,000 euros for each operation. In order to convince the farmers, the use in the first two months are free of charge. After that year contracts are concluded. Universities provides Trecker.com their product free of charge.
365FarmNet offers its basic module for the management of the arable land at no charge. The decor is simple and the user to take over themselves, the company said. For all additional functions must hectares example, depending on the size of company, are paid. For the block module for cultivation and variety planning the price is, for example, at 30 cents per hectare per month.
Privacy is a criterion
The plug-ins that offers 365FarmNet are represented by the close cooperation possible with other companies. For example, with the agricultural machinery manufacturer Amazone or the seed dealers Agravis. If a farmer Additional serviceice how the calibration of its equipment or the calculation of fertilizers, he agrees automatically that his data is transmitted to the respective partner companies. According 365FarmNet only the data would be released that are necessary for the calculation.
Consumer advocates, for example, by the organization German Watch, however, warn of massive data collection of farmers. Aggressive and targeted promotional activities of agricultural companies could be the result. In addition, the farmers were pushed to new investments, since the software finally worked only with certain machinery, pesticides or certain seeds.
Trecker.com therefore wants to do without cooperation. “If you can get as a free software, it is probably not the user, but the product,” says of Trecker.com overlooking the competing product. Here are no data is played back to farm equipment manufacturer or seed distributor. The software works independently of manufacturer. Trecker.com speculates that EU standards come into force, the machine soon anyway prescribed uniform in accordance with ISO guidelines. Then the software could continue to build on this standard without the cutting on certain products. Until then, are once additional functions such as a weather analysis planned.
The sound has become rougher
Whether the student startup Trecker.com against the group-funded competition 365FarmNet can hold up to then? Trecker.com was self-financed by Target Partners in November 2014 invested 2.1 million euros. In 365FarmNet Class is invested 100 per cent. He is assisted by more than tenfold to funds available. The team of nearly 60 staff currently counts 365FarmNet that of Trecker.com about 40.
Both have farmers in the team and work closely with representatives of practice together. Actually, the market is big enough for both of them, the companies say. In Germany there are about 280,000 farmers, and still approximately 275,000 potential customers. And the great competition, for example FarmLogs and Granular, sitting in the US. These two US startups have collected in the last year in financing rounds double-digit millions of dollars, including Google Ventures
Nevertheless, the German two competitors not pay -. The sound has become rougher. Why else would the company Trecker.com should have let admonish? On the second day of the Agritechnica, the world’s largest agricultural fair in Hannover, Trecker.com reached a warning from measuring neighbors. The accusation: you have “the simplest software of agriculture” advertised the illegal superlative. Alone at the size of the stands was visible, that is played in different leagues.
365FarmNet spoke afterwards though by an oversight that it really came to the warning. Previous company did not want the legal action, however. Trecker.com responded humorously with a “censored” stickers to the letters s and t. For the startup of the fine 1,500 euros was annoying, but at the same time brought an increased media attention a. “That was good for our self-confidence,” said the company. The incident clearly showed that Trecker.com have established itself as a company
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