Author: Geoface

The global market for farm management software is expected to double by 2026, while only 30% of farms in Lithuania have implemented or plan to start using precision farming solutions. The developers of the Lithuanian smart app Geoface argue that, despite established habits or fear of change, farms will not avoid digitalisation due to legal regulations, cost benefits and the attitude of the younger generation.

The world’s growing human population and the need to feed it, the demands of sustainability and the drive for value for money are driving agriculture to find ways to get the most out of every hectare. Farm managers have to make decisions here and now, which calls for automated farm management solutions. Smart farming systems are gaining in popularity, which helps to store farm data in one place, predict yields, monitor machinery and equipment, carry out mandatory reports, etc.

The global market for farm management applications is expected to double by 2026. Today it stands at $2.1 billion and is expected to grow to $4.2 billion by 2026 (source: www.marketsandmarkets.com). Europe accounts for about 10% of the total global market and Lithuania would account for an even smaller share, but the use of farm management applications is expected to grow rapidly. Growth is mainly driven by the modernisation of farms, the changing generation of farms, government support programmes and various legal frameworks.

In the Lithuanian market, only around 30% of advanced farms have installed or plan to start using precision farming solutions such as RTK signals, fertiliser maps, other software and automated driving. Unfortunately, many farms still document their work in a notebook or do not analyse it at all. The main reason is fear of innovation. Some Lithuanian farms are still distrustful of digital solutions – they are expensive, the benefits are not tangible, there is a lack of skills, and there is a fear of losing data.

Jonas Bakšys, Director of Geoface, a company developing a smart farming programme, says that smart systems are an inevitable tool for farms. “Not only does it help to manage farm information, calculate costs, forecast yields and income. It is a necessity and the norm when farm data becomes another important resource to achieve a profitable farm result,” says Jonas Bakšys.

With rising prices for machinery and equipment, fuel, crop protection products, fertilisers and labour costs, farms are forced to think about how to earn more. For example, smart farming systems can help reduce fertiliser inputs efficiently. Integrating aggregated field data and using nitrogen fertiliser maps can save up to 15% of nitrogen, which reduces costs, lowers the risk of crop spoilage and improves grain quality.

Sustainability is and will continue to be of particular importance for farm decisions. Farmers are subject to a wide range of requirements to farm sustainably, sustainably and organically. By 2030, agriculture will need to reduce pesticide use and risks by 50% and fertiliser use by at least 20%. Mandatory accounting to monitor pesticide use is on the increase. This is also helped by the declaration functionality of the smart system, where declarations of the use of plant protection products have been mandatory since last year.

One of the more important conditions for digitisation is the age of the farm manager. In Lithuania, statistics show that only 17% of farm owners are under 40 years of age, even though more and more young people are directly involved in farm management. Young people are willing to work in a different way from the way their parents and grandparents worked. And they are older too – once they have tried a programme, they do not want to go back. Farms, especially the younger generation, need digital solutions to store and make use of farm data. More and more farms are deciding to farm more efficiently and connecting to smart farming systems.

Jonas Bakšys, Director of Geoface UAB, is pleased with Geoface, a unique application that Linas Agro Group has been developing for the Baltic market for several years, which helps to combine the needs of crop farms into one convenient smart farming tool in Lithuanian, Latvian and English.

“The experience of hundreds of farmers and the concrete expectations they express every day have been used to develop the Geoface app. Launched in 2019, the system already has more than 2,300 users signed up. In the second half of 2022, twice as many new users have joined as in 2021, and in January 2023 as many as five times more than in January 2022. In Lithuania and Latvia, we are spending a lot of time on improving the functionality of the app, as well as on customer consulting and training,” says the CEO of Geoface .

What do you need for the best farm management program?

As we move towards digital tools, we expect them to be a help first and foremost, not an additional hassle. Simplicity is therefore the most important thing for a farm management application to have. The right apps are designed to minimize the number of clicks required, by putting all the steps in a way that farmers can understand and use, and by providing all the tools they need to make farm management more convenient. We do this by constantly consulting with farmers of all sizes, agronomists, agricultural scientists, and global best practices. What are the specific benefits and opportunities for our Geoface users?

Convenient field contribution

In order to get started with smart agricultural management applications, we are always asked to specify our fields. The most common way to specify fields is to use the “drawing” tool to draw the field boundaries. This method is slow and unattractive. In Geoface you will of course find this method too, but it is much more modern. For example, importing fields from the EAA with a few clicks of a button. Another convenient and interesting way is by selecting the desired fields on the provided map according to the previous year’s

declarations. Geoface offers a total of 6 different ways to contribute fields to the application. From the very first experience of using the application, we want to show that Geoface is different. Geoface is focused on convenience and simplicity.

Field monitoring with FAPAR (NDVI) index

Once the fields have been loaded, one of the most well-known features of such applications becomes available to you – remote field monitoring on a map. A regular satellite map is displayed where you can conveniently mark your fields. Once marked, you can see the area and the block number, and, using the FAPAR (NDVI) index, you can monitor the vegetation status of the field. Using modern technology, satellites, spectral cameras, and sophisticated algorithms, we are able to monitor and record changes in the vegetation of a field every three days. After processing the algorithms, we share the pictures with you, enabling you to monitor problem areas in the field. When you see huge irregularities in vegetation, you can look for problems in the drainage system, in the soil, or elsewhere.

It’s not just fields and their vegetation that you can see on the Geoface map. Geoface allows you to activate drainage schemes, pinpoint your exact location, and save drainage systems by reclaiming their estuaries. You can also use a handy exploration tool where you can mark points in the field and assign photos and comments to them. This allows you to monitor your crops or mark important problems such as stones and potholes and share this information with other farm staff.

Quick and easy task planning

The main function of farm management software is work planning. In Geoface, all types of farm work (sowing, fertilizing, spraying) are planned in the same sequence using a standardized template. Customers find the farm work scheduling to be one of the most intuitive and easiest-to-use features of Geoface. The biggest advantage is the high flexibility to adapt to real farm situations. Our planning is done en masse. Automatically selecting all fields of a single crop, with the possibility to exclude some fields from the work plan.
Another much-loved feature of Geoface is the input of the actual quantity used. On the farm, plans rarely correspond to reality. We have therefore developed a function that allows you to enter the actual amount of material used when the work is finished. When you enter the actual quantities of fertilizer or other materials used, everything will be automatically recalculated. This will record the actual quantities used, recalculate and record the real rates and real costs.

Sowing planning

In Geoface, you choose your seeds and fertilizers from an extensive list of products from all major suppliers. If you don’t find the product you are looking for, you can either add it to the list yourself or inform the Geoface team to add the product you want. In the sowing section, you will find the recommended sowing rates as well as a sowing rate calculator where you can use the seed parameters to get the sowing rate you need. You can also add the required nutrients and micronutrients to the planned sowing.

Fertilization planning and variable rate nitrogen fertilization maps

The list of fertilizers is even more extensive, and you can also add products that you cannot find here. Once you have planned, you will also see the amount of active ingredient per hectare, both for the field and for all the planned works combined – no need for a calculator. Also, all fertilizer applications made are automatically transferred to the fertilizer logs, which you no longer need to keep separately. This log is permanently available and can be downloaded in PDF format.
Using the satellite (FAPAR) information described above, we provide a unique opportunity to fertilize your crops with nitrogen at variable rates. Using sophisticated algorithms and after you specify the total, minimum, and maximum fertilizer rates per hectare, we will recalculate the fertilizer rate for the hectare.