Farm Service Manager is the brainchild of New South Wales farmer David Ricardo.

It is a multi-user app which logs services and other maintenance for tractors and farm equipment.

The app allows users such as the farmer, machine drivers, a mechanic, or even a machinery dealer to log services and other maintenance records for all equipment and vehicles such as tractors, harvesters or balers.

Once the service or maintenance job has been completed and logged on the app, the farmer receives a detailed account of what type of work has been carried out, the parts used and how many hours or kilometres were on the machine at the time.

Access

The app has different levels of access.

The farm owner or agricultural contractor who may install the app for their business can invite and manage operators, add and delete machinery, share service records and export a full PDF service history of each machine.

The invited app users such as the tractor drivers have the ability to log service and maintenance records in the app from wherever they are, independent of an internet connection.

The app will then hold these logged details until it has an internet connection and this data will be uploaded to the system.

Features

One feature of the app allows you to set service reminders.

A reminder for anything from an oil change to a complete service can be set. You will receive a notification in advance of the due date.

Another feature of the app is the daily inspection function.

This allows machinery operators to fill in a checklist including fluid levels, tyre checks, checks for any leaks or damage and the general condition of the machine.

It also requires the user to input post start-up data such as fuel level, oil pressure, mileage or hours and whether lights are functioning.

Any notes or issues relevant to the inspection can be captured in the app and a full report emailed to the machine owner.

The idea

David and his brother Peter farm 9,000ha of tillage under a zero-till, controlled-traffic system in Walgett, New South Wales.

David decided to develop the app after misplacing his service logbook.

As a result, he missed services on machines that weren’t followed up.

He explained: “We have two farms 20km apart, so there is machinery going back and forth between the farms and as well as my brother and I, we have a team of employees who all need to be on the same page with regard to each machine’s maintenance and service record.

“That’s why I thought if we have an app which is an electronic version of a notebook or service logbook then the same records can be accessed by everyone for each piece of machinery.”

Costings

So most importantly, what is this app going to cost the farmer or agricultural contractor?

The app will cost the farmer/agricultural contractor US$10 (€8.82) per month or $100 (€88.17) per year.

In addition, each employee or person you wish to be able to access/input data on the app will cost you $5 (€4.41) per month or $50 (€44.08) per year.

David released the app in Australia in August this year. Since then, over 1,200 farmers have subscribed.

These farmers are from countries such as Australia, the US, Canada, and the UK. It can be downloaded on the App Store or Google Play and it is now available in 14 languages.