Minnesota Ag Technology is Doing More with Less

Average Americans can reach into their pockets and access a host of tools to help them better navigate life. From grocery shopping to calendars to budgeting, technology touches nearly every aspect of our lives.

Thanks to Minneapolis-based Conservis Corp., farmers can take advantage of the same conveniences through specialized cloud-based farm management tools that help their farms run more efficiently.

“Farming has always been complex, and now it’s getting more complex,” says Pat Christie, CEO of Conservis. “What we offer to these farmers is like an electronic right-hand guy. It lets them do more with less. That’s a big deal.”

The company’s technology helps farmers track field activities, manage inventories and analyze yields, which reduces the amount of guesswork and allows for more informed business decisions.

“What’s interesting is farmers have always done this – but with paper and pencil,” Christie says. “Now with smartphones, tablets and high-speed Internet becoming more common in rural America, farmers get to replace their pens and pencils with something that simplifies their lives.”

Conservis’ farm management software works differently than other software being developed by companies like Cargill Inc., Monsanto and DuPont. For example, Cargill’s NextField DataRx software helps farmers choose the best seeds by analyzing each field’s soil and environmental conditions, as well as a comprehensive database of seeds. Conservis’ technology helps farmers manage the business side of farming, rather than the agronomic, by providing tools to help with accounting, inventory, payroll, market analysis and other business decisions they have to make.

“Cargill is like the doctor making the prescription for the farm, and we’re running the hospital,” Christie says. “We think of our software as an operating system for the farm.”

In addition to helping farms become more efficient and profitable, Christie says Conservis’ software is helping farmers save time, something they’re always looking for more of.

“Farming is an intense lifestyle. You’re up early and home late seven days a week,” Christie says. “We have farmers who tell us we have given them some of their life back. It helps them get organized. When you’re a small family trying to run a farm, that’s a big deal. This technology gives them more time to focus on what matters – their families and communities, as well as better ways to farm.”

Conservis has been selling these farm management tools for six years. The software is available in 26 states, as well as Canada, Australia, Russia and Latin America.