Over 13,000 farmers throughout Mayo can now map their farms for free in a matter of minutes, thanks to a new service launched by Herdwatch, the leading farm management software.
Farm Maps by Herdwatch is a simple way for farmers to create maps of their farms using satellite imagery directly on their phone. Fields can then be named and colour coded based on what they are used for. The service also enables farmers to create paddocks and spray records for farm compliance, eliminating paperwork and allowing them to make better and quicker decisions.
Land size is automatically calculated, providing farmers with the area of their field in hectares and acres as they create the map. In just two weeks, Herdwatch members mapped over 40,000 acres of farmland in the app.
Herdwatch estimates this service could provide substantial savings to farmers as traditional farm mapping services can cost hundreds of euro. Herdwatch also says that this mapping service will facilitate the use of more advanced features they are currently developing, including environmental tools which will provide precision soil health solutions as well as details around fertiliser usage and carbon management.
Herdwatch is used on more than 15,000 farms. The Irish company, part of FRS Network (Farm Relief Services ) and headquartered in Tipperary, recently announced plans to double their workforce over the next three years, creating an additional 40 jobs.
"We are very happy to be able to make this tool available for free to the more than 13,000 farmers in Mayo," said Herdwatch CEO and Co-Founder, Fabien Peyaud.
"This provides a fast, simple solution which we know from our research has been an issue of significant interest to the farming community in Mayo and beyond. Increasingly farmers need to be able to create maps of their farms for a variety of reasons and they can now do that with minimum fuss all through their smartphone.
"Up to this point, anyone who wanted to map their farm had to invest in either additional farm mapping programs or spend money on surveyors.
"With Farms Maps by Herdwatch they can now have a complete, colour coded map of their farm showing the area and use of each of their fields in matter of minutes. What’s even better is it is all for free. All they have to do is download the Herdwatch app and they could have this vital resource available at the tip of their fingers at all times.
"It is also fair to say that farm management is evolving to become increasingly complex. The burdens on farmers are growing and this is especially true when it comes to ensuring compliance with environmental considerations.
"That is why our mapping service will become a vital technology which will also enable other solutions in future which farmers will be able to access simply through the Herdwatch app," Mr Peyaud concluded.
The Herdwatch app can be downloaded for free at www.herdwatch.com/download
