Farmwise and Eco Prospects: A Sustainable Partnership for Agricultural Innovation
Who are Eco Prospects?
Eco Prospects is a company that specialises in providing ‘best solutions’ to farmers regarding soil quality and crop nutrition. The company gives expert advice on grassland management, regenerative farm practices and farming environmental schemes.
Director, Ben Goad, has over 20 years’ experience giving independent consultancy services to farmers on nutrient management planning, soil management and GPS sampling.
The Challenge
Rising costs of energy, fertiliser and feed combined with environmental regulation and government funding policy have meant that a thorough understanding of farm inputs has never been more important. Ben says ‘I need a reliable system to manage the data and help me to focus on nutrient efficiency, controlling pollution risk and providing optimum fertiliser recommendations.
‘My existing software was becoming a bit clunky with features I didn’t require. I needed something that was easy to use, that would also incorporate the relevant data specific to my area of work targeting soil and crop nutrition.
The Solution
Through a Google search, Ben discovered Farmwise and found exactly what he needed in a nutrient management tool. Not only did it provide a historical database for his farm customers, but was extremely flexible, providing opportunities to adjust his nutrient advice to suit the particular farm needs.
Ben has endless praise for the Farmwise team, he said, “They are always friendly and answer any questions courteously and enthusiastically. The team have an in depth knowledge of their product and the industry. It’s well researched and they know exactly what they’re talking about.”
Ben added “ The beauty of it, is, that it doesn't try to do everything, its sole purpose is nutrient efficiency. It's a one-stop shop so you can work out all of the issues that you've got with soil and crop nutrition.”
The Results
After his initial contact, Farmwise were soon able to set up a Trial Farm Account, allowing him to fully test the product. Having established the right package for Eco Prospects, Ben was able to get to work, which has already brought significant savings to his clients. Ben quotes one example where, following soil sampling of all the fields on a farm, the data showed the farmer needed no mineral fertiliser other than nitrogen and could also save money on his liming plans.
Ben would recommend Farmwise above all its competitors ‘Its like comparing chalk and cheese’ he said. ‘It’s a powerful tool with still more potential’. ‘I can’t wait to get to know it better as I am sure there are more features that I haven’t used yet!’.
Ben Goad Director
