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Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..
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7150
Posted 1/11/2009 14:12 (#566461)
Subject: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



About 10 to 12 years ago, I got tired of all the myriad little spreadsheets and stuff I had to drag back up to put together a crop plan, track previous input costs, find chemical formula rates and mixes, keep grain sales and inventory, well you know what I mean. I wanted a program where I could keep all that stuff in one place. I had searched for fully integrated farm packages, but I found they appeared to demand more bookkeepin time than I wanted to give them. I wanted somethin simple and separate from my QuickBooks that I really liked. Something that gave me quick access to all my basic information. Couldn't find it, but I found FileMaker Pro. I got busy.

Each year, I was able to keep adding new modules that did all kinds of simple little things and made my life easier. It has sorta become a hobby for me. Here's the thing: every farmer or banker that's seen it asks where I got it, they want a copy (except one close friend who really likes all his little helper spreadsheets). And I think that's how most farmers are; we like what we're used to, but he is the exception it seems. I've got several guys that are waiting for me to develop a version for them. This would take A LOT of time. I thought if some of you guys would be good enough to give me your response I would have a better feel as to whether it is a thing to pursue or junk that is only good for me.

I'm going to show you some screen shots. It can only handle 4 types of crops of your choice. The first shot is the main menu:



(Main Menu.png)



(Field Planning.png)



(Herbicide Order.png)



(By Package.png)



(Per Farm.png)



(Chem List.png)



(Pkg Detail.png)



(Pkg List.png)



(Equip Detail.png)



(Equip List.png)



(Storage List.png)



(Stor Detail.png)



(Bin Detail.png)



(Harvest Detail.png)



(Invtry Detail.png)



(Invtry List.png)



(Mktg.png)



(Crop Detail.png)



(Sale Detail.png)



Attachments
----------------
Attachments Main Menu.png (63KB - 511 downloads)
Attachments Field Planning.png (83KB - 505 downloads)
Attachments Herbicide Order.png (40KB - 543 downloads)
Attachments By Package.png (84KB - 563 downloads)
Attachments Per Farm.png (59KB - 473 downloads)
Attachments Chem List.png (58KB - 496 downloads)
Attachments Pkg Detail.png (64KB - 412 downloads)
Attachments Pkg List.png (88KB - 498 downloads)
Attachments Equip Detail.png (53KB - 525 downloads)
Attachments Equip List.png (54KB - 454 downloads)
Attachments Storage List.png (51KB - 484 downloads)
Attachments Stor Detail.png (55KB - 506 downloads)
Attachments Bin Detail.png (49KB - 465 downloads)
Attachments Harvest Detail.png (64KB - 462 downloads)
Attachments Invtry Detail.png (43KB - 501 downloads)
Attachments Invtry List.png (91KB - 470 downloads)
Attachments Mktg.png (55KB - 566 downloads)
Attachments Crop Detail.png (93KB - 500 downloads)
Attachments Sale Detail.png (72KB - 484 downloads)
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dpilot83
Posted 1/11/2009 14:52 (#566497 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: Re: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



What do you mean by "a thing to pursue"? Do you mean something to pursue in terms of commercially producing and selling it? It looks interesting....
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7150
Posted 1/11/2009 15:16 (#566523 - in reply to #566497)
Subject: Thanks for looking



Well... yes, I think so. Trouble is, upgrades, support and everything else takes more time that I would want to give away from farming. But, as you can see, it needs a lot of polish. Most of us are used to certain formats in software that this doesn't have, yet. But I've thrown it out here for opinion and am expecting for it to get beat up kinda bad.

For one thing, the best features are not obvious in a static screen shot, such as:

1) the "Harvest Detail" window shrinks the wet bushels to the dry bushel moisture you have specified for each storage facility (if you desire).
2) each batch of grain loads entered for a field can be split arbitrarily as needed.
3) there is a separate sheet that you can summarize and shrink to dry bushels, load by load, whether you are hauling from a field or a bin, and is kept as a permanent record.
4) there are detailable lists for everything from landlords to fertilizers to product suppliers to grain facilities that holds all the pertinent data you might need about those items.
5) the marketing screen has an option for landowner sales also, for those that need to keep track of such things.
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7150
Posted 1/11/2009 14:54 (#566501 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, part II



What you can't tell from the screen shots is that every selection in "Field Planning" is selected from a drop down list. Once I select a variety of seed, it already knows the population I use for that seed and when I give it the portion of acres for that field, it computes the number of bags needed, computes the cost and tells me how many acres are left to seed in the field if any, and allows me to make as many choices of varieties as needed to complete the field. The insecticide section works the same and so does the herbicide section. The following herbicide and seed orders are generated from what I enter for each field when you choose to preview those reports from the Field planning List screen which is not shown.

The entire program follows this regiment. I never have to enter any numbers twice. When I start a new copy for the following year, all the lists remain allowing the prices, varieties or supplier stats to be easily updated.

What you see here is a VERY small portion of the entire program. There are too many facets to show it all.

Edited by 7150 1/11/2009 15:46
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Omar
Posted 1/11/2009 15:12 (#566513 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..


Elmira, Ontario

What you're doing looks good, but I'm not farming so take that for what it's worth!

Before you sell any copies, take a long, hard look at yourself and decide whether you want to make the transition to supporting and developing for someone else. I deal in the spreadsheet world and only develop for myself, my boss, and our sales crew. If it takes one hour to do something for me, it will take 2 hours to do it to the level needed by my boss, and 10 hours to be good enough to support the salespeople. A big part of developing for others is understanding what they really want.

If I run into a problem using my own spreadsheet, it's not a big deal. I see the problem and can easily fix it on my own schedule. If a salesman has a problem, I need to spend additional time troubleshooting it, and fixing it, then verifying I didn't break something, then making sure I can get the latest copy rolled out to everyone. Do that a couple times in one day, and people will start wondering about your application.

Even bigger than support would be deciding what to work on. It won't take long before someone asks for a feature that sounds good but won't work unless you redesign the program. "4 crops? But I need five. Can you do that for me?" After upping this to seven crops, you finally decide to make this a relational table thing with unlimited crops. Oh crap, now the printed page formats don't work anymore. Or, "my business name ('Father and Son Farming Illinois, Indiana and Every Other State Starting with "I"') won't fit in the title section." Or, "I want to be able to download the records to my iPhone and update them there. Can you do that?"

I'm not trying to discourage you. I'm just suggesting you take a look and decide if you have the patience to deal with the needs and limitations of others using your program. If you're able to do that, you've got a great head start!

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7150
Posted 1/11/2009 15:27 (#566534 - in reply to #566513)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



LoL ! YOU ARE EXACTLY RIGHT! It would turn into a nightmare fast. I wouldn't try it without some type of savvy guru partner that would be willing to immerse their self in it. I already have the job I want, but I feel badly for the guys that want a copy of this thing and I know better than to give them a copy of what I'm running. Your thoughts mirror mine precisely. Thank you.
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McCartman
Posted 1/11/2009 21:17 (#566953 - in reply to #566534)
Subject: Re: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



Why not? If you don't wish to expend the resources into supporting the program, sell it cheap and make absolutely sure that everyone who buys a copy knows that they are "on their own". I'm sure there are a number of people who could figure the thing out. Maybe take time through the winter to put together a quick manual that describes each module and how to use it to send with the package. Beyond that, they're on their own.
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Hayburner
Posted 1/11/2009 23:02 (#567091 - in reply to #566953)
Subject: Re: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



You could also start a forum (like Agtalk) pretty cheaply for user support, or even a simple one page FAQ. The program looks great, and highly customizable. I am assuming you used Filemaker Pro to put together the pages you showed above. If so, I think this would be a hot item. I was thinking about using it for Fleet management as soon as I saw it, or customizing it for other uses. On the other hand, Omar made some good points. I have provided a lot of software support for some time, and at times it can get irritating very fast.
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7150
Posted 1/14/2009 09:26 (#569862 - in reply to #567091)
Subject: Re: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



Yea, you're right, but I don't think I'm the software support type of guy.
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Bo Duke
Posted 1/11/2009 16:19 (#566599 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..


IA

What you have developed looks like a neat program.  I agree with what Omar said on the business side of things.  My previous experience dealing with gis software support is it is very hard for people to grasp things over the phone especially when they have limited experience with the program.  Obviously there are programs that allow someone to take over another users computer but then the end user doesn't learn anything on how to think through the problem on their own when the next issue arises.  Unfortunately sometimes it is easier to keep things that you develop to yourself unless there are the necessary resources to have your sideline business.  Its really cool that you developed that program on your own.

 

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yeller
Posted 1/11/2009 19:14 (#566778 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..


This looks very good, I think that this could be great for a lot of people, if you decide to develop this let me know.
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thor
Posted 1/11/2009 23:08 (#567097 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..


northern MN
7150, I too have been working with a group of spreadsheets I have developed. At one time I had the local farm bus management team come to my home to sell me on their program. I showed them what I was trying to accomplish with my spreadsheets. When I showed them what they had to offer for me to change they basically closed their books and stated That I was looking for more than they could offer. 15 yrs later I am contemplating a career change as my son is close to ready. I would like to get into some type of ag management instruction for young and troubled farms. I am not very savvy with a computer but what you have done looks like what I have tried to do with multiple sheets. It looks well thought out I would be willing to do tests for you as my system is simple enough to allow me time to work with yours as well. Providing it is simple enough It certainly looks like it could be the future. if interested you can email me.
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7150
Posted 1/12/2009 00:17 (#567165 - in reply to #567097)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



Hi Thor-

I don't have access to your email. You DO have access to mine. Send me one.
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pilotasco
Posted 1/12/2009 09:19 (#567355 - in reply to #567165)
Subject: Re: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..


NW MN
That appears to be very thought out. Adding more crops would be good and be more marketable but I think it would help many people in record keeping they way it is too.
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7150
Posted 1/13/2009 10:39 (#568749 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: One final comment



Thank you for the encouragement guys, I really appreciate it. I've had some emails about it, also.

I think what I need to find is some farm-raised young FileMaker guru that has aspirations of being the driving force behind a new software application. I'm not the guy to develop this thing, but I would be more than supportive of someone that is. My door is wide open.

I won't pretend this thing is the answer for every grain farmer, but for those of us that like the simplicity of Quicken or QuickBooks for our financial software, I'll assure you, they would really enjoy this.

If any of you know someone that might fit what I'm lookin for, give 'em my email.

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ih1086
Posted 1/16/2009 23:18 (#573416 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



Grawn Michigan
If you had it for sale you would have sold one tonight.  Im 30 yrs old and have been using multiple spreadsheets including one i built to adjust wagon volume of wet corn to dry bu.  My way is slow and cumbersome.  I want a simple easy to work with progam like this.  i dont have time or smarts to build one like this and no one offers something simple and cost effective.  It would be fun to work with your and see what happens.  I hope ypu find somone to work with on this.  I think you have hit a homerun on this.  Just may need to have nore than 4 crops.
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ads-pipe
Posted 1/16/2009 23:45 (#573453 - in reply to #573416)
Subject: RE: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



NC Iowa
I agree This is Awesome If ever for sale I am there
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7150
Posted 1/17/2009 22:12 (#574524 - in reply to #573416)
Subject: Thank you for your input.



I'm curious; many of you have said it needs more crops. It can handle four basic crops with multiple variants of each type, such as: CORN: white, waxy, IP, Blue, etc. Or in the case of SOY BEANS, you may have- #1 yellow, tofu, seed, etc.

or do you mean it needs- CORN, BEANS, OATS, WHEAT, BARLEY, ALFALFA, CANOLA, PUMPKINS ?

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7150
Posted 1/18/2009 01:34 (#574696 - in reply to #573416)
Subject: Try this for wet bushel conversion:



Most elevators around here use .014 shrink to allow for loss. I think actual shrink is around .0117, but I use .0125 for farm storage. I don't handle it as much as they do.

Try this in your spreadsheet:

(1 - (((Wet Moisture - Target Moisture)*100) * Shrink Factor)) * Wet Bushels

Hope this helps...
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deeredriver
Posted 1/18/2009 12:50 (#575005 - in reply to #574696)
Subject: RE: Try this for wet bushel conversion:


Alma NE
im just starting out with a little land so this would be ideal for a beginer to keep track of everything from th get go im intrested in a copy too
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semosandfarmer
Posted 2/17/2009 21:18 (#613049 - in reply to #566461)
Subject: Re: Not sure I should ask here, but here goes..



East Prairie, MO
Man! That looks right up my alley too! I am a spreadsheet nut and use quickbooks too, Keep my field records on farm works. The screen that caught my eye was the filter listing for the combine, I have tried to do that with, you guessed it, a spreadsheet. I like the one guys idea of just throw it out there cheap and your on your own, I like tinkering with that kind of thing (to a certain extent) and think that it looks really logical in its layout and design. Nice work!
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