Rezare Systems
Can on-farm technologies and “big data” support food and fibre product attributes that consumers value? In a previous article I noted a Hartman Group study that suggested that consumers are interested in attributes other than just the look and price of a product, wanting to know: What ingredients are in the food or beverage product […]
Every second business writer today seems to be talking about ag-tech, big data, and the internet of things. If you’re an agriculture sector organisation, or a company servicing or purchasing from primary producers, you might be forgiven for thinking you missed a day in the office and overnight farming has become a connected, automated, artificially-intelligent […]
The last few years (even the last few months) have seen a surge in organisations exciting us about what farmers will do with sensors and mobile devices. We’ll be able to collect data with drones flying above our fields and tiny devices scattered across our farms. We’ll collect data with smart ear-tags and boluses in […]
Consumers. A jaded and cynical bunch. I include myself in that statement. Just last weekend, a lovely salesperson was extolling the praises of a new smoothie product (“would you like to try it sir, it’s packed with fruit”), while I was remembering comments from my children about the level of sugar in smoothies and trying […]
Increasing pressure from commodity returns, input costs and environmental compliance means that farming today relies on consistent, quality decision-making. Good information, viewed properly to gain insights, is the life-blood of great farm decisions. Unfortunately, the most useful data is often hardest to collect and interpret. Pasture information relies on pasture walks (or drives); stock condition […]
Providers of products, services, or data in the primary production sector are under pressure from their users and partners. Everyone wants to exchange useful pieces of information (data) rather than forcing farmers and customers to read information from one application and retype it into another. They not only expect data to flow, but applications to […]
MobileTECH 2016 in Rotorua, New Zealand was a showcase and discussion forum for the adoption of smart technology in primary industries: agriculture, horticulture, and forestry. 300 attendees from a broad spread of primary sector organisations and technology companies spent two days discussing the application of all things sensor, wireless, and cloud. I thought it worth […]
So you’ve decided to build a mobile app for your rural customers or users. You have spent time on the overall value proposition, deciding how your app will deliver enough value to your users that they will spend the requisite time – and money – to use your service. No doubt you’re also modelling the […]
Sunset or sunrise, traditional or industrialised, niche or commodity? There sometimes appear to be as many opinions and forecasts for agriculture as there are commentators. When my colleagues and I started Rezare Systems in 2004 we made the decision that we would focus on agriculture despite the forecasts, and on ways we can contribute to […]
We’ve all seen the explosive growth in the use of mobile devices, and it may have encouraged you to think about using mobile software: to reach farmers, enhance your product, or arm your field team. That same growth has also seen changes in behaviour and people’s expectations from mobile tools, and it is worth considering […]
Agricultural data: who holds it, who is using it, and who “owns” or controls it has been recurring news worldwide, featuring in places as diverse as Wall Street Journal, Fortune Magazine, the American Farm Bureau Federation, ABC Rural in Australia, and European Union projects. A quick summary of the opinions expressed are that increasing use […]
Seasonal weather forecasting is a tricky thing – forecasters don’t necessarily have a great track record. This year is interesting as international researchers and the Crown Research Institute NIWA have provided clear, early forecasts for a strong El Niño event. Rezare Systems’ Farm Systems Analyst Graeme Ogle explores the implications for farmers and tactics they […]