PAMI releases software to aid in agri-business decisions

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

After months of research and development, the Prairie Agricultural Machinery Institute (PAMI) has released an innovative software program created to aid producers and entrepreneurs in making critical agricultural business decisions.

The project, which was funded by Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food’s Agriculture Development Fund, was initiated to look at the economics of whole-crop harvesting, but the resulting computer program can be applied to many different types of farming operations, explained Les Hill, the Business Development and Technical Services Manager for PAMI.

“The basis of the program is an outline of a farm model, including multiple crops, prices, yield and the cost of growing the crops, which are re-configurable to different farm situations,” he said. Producers begin by inputting data to create a model of their particular farm situation. Once a farm model has been created, the program allows the producer to see the impact of selecting various pieces of equipment for cutting and gathering, combining and handling the grain. The producer can also calculate the economic cost of different methods of byproduct harvesting based on the choice of equipment.

The program also offers an option to create a second farm plan alongside the first one, so that producers can compare and contrast different variations of inputs and approaches. Hill says the goal was to enable as many combinations as farmers might want to see in order to get their farm plans just the way they want them.

He said the comprehensiveness of the program is one of its best features, enabling producers to look at the full implications of any decision on their overall farming operation. An overview of the “complete system” is provided wherever possible. For example, Hill says the machinery section includes financing and depreciation information, which can significantly affect a lot of the choices a farmer might make.

The flexibility of the program allows producers to set their parameters and to tailor the program to suit every possible scenario in which they might be interested, he stated. “What if I were to go for higher-yield crops? What if I were to change my approach here? What would this do for me?”

Currently, producers can have a copy of the software mailed to them free of charge by calling PAMI at (306) 682-5033. In the future, PAMI may begin charging for the program, depending on demand.

At this moment, there is no telephone support line for the program, but Hill assures that PAMI will do its best to help anyone having issues with the product.

“We will be making arrangements with the first few individuals ordering the software to get some feedback on the program,” he said. “This way, we will be able to see whether we missed the mark or if we were dead on.”

For more information, contact:
Les Hill, Business Development and Technical Services Manager
Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute
Phone: 1-800-567-7264, ext. 22