10th June 2016
New iSOYLscout app will help farmers record complex field details on-the-go
Leading precision crop production company, SOYL has unveiled a new app which is set to make the recording, monitoring and review of in-field problems and variations much easier for farmers.The iSOYLscout is a field scouting app for iPhones and iPads which enables growers, or anyone else helping to manage the business, to log features and problems on the land while they are actually in the field.
The app, which is fully integrated into SOYL’s online data portal MySOYL, transfers any information noted quickly and easily via the cloud for later scrutiny and monitoring.
“Our existing iSOYL variable-rate app transformed the nutrient application experience for growers and iSOYLscout is now set to take field walking to another level of simplicity. It will enable growers and their agronomists to achieve greater attention to detail all delivered through the usual slick SOYL interface,” explains SOYL’s commercial director, Simon Parrington.
He continues, “The app can be used in any number of situations to log and record information around the farm. For example growers could open the app and note patches of black-grass so that they could refer back to the information later when making spraying plans, or log the location of natural features such as trees or ponds which will help when creating crop protection application plans perhaps months or even years later.”
How does iSOYLscout work?
The app is not just for farmers. Access can be granted to anyone involved in the business, including farm staff and advisors such as the agronomist. It works on both iPads and iPhones and is available free of charge from the Apple App Store.
A user first sets up the area of interest which can be set at various scales to capture either: a single field, a section of the farm or the whole farm. For example, the user might select this according to the information they want to record which could be anything from areas of weeds or waterlogging through to tree or game cover locations. The app will accurately record the location of these areas using GPS signal. The app also offers a manual drawing function which can be used to remotely add a marker to a known point of interest if the user isn’t in situ. In either case, the app will tell the user the measured area of the recording and provide them with the ability to then edit the area. This is especially useful for planning purposes. For example if a farmer needed to create an area of wild bird seed of 1.0ha, the app will note this and help the grower to accurately set out and record the exact area.
As well as areas of interest, any other information which the grower thinks useful can be recorded at a specific point on the land. Users can add and edit a list of points pertinent to their farm. Information can be noted via GPS or manually. Free text edits of any length and photographs can be added too.
Making use of the data
The real power of iSOYLscout lies in its use in a wider business management context. Once the user has connectivity, either by mobile signal or on WiFi, the scouted data is uploaded to MySOYL. All those with permission to access the account can then see the areas, points, comments and photos which have been recorded. This is especially useful where farmers want to share information with their agronomist and vice versa for planning and management purposes.
The grower’s view
Jeremy Durrant, farm manager for E W Davies Farms in Essex who has been trialling iSOYLscout says: “This scouting app is proving a very useful tool out on the farm. We’ve used it to log all manner of different areas of the farm, from slug or weed problems, to areas of wild bird seed and even to do spot checks on nutrient levels in the leaves in a particular area of the field. It’s very simple to use and guides you as you are using it.
“The great thing is that because the things we record are plotted using GPS, it is very accurate. That means we can return to the exact same spot, hours, days or even years later to make a comparison or check progress. Before, we relied on maps generated from memory on the computer when we got back to the office, which could be a bit hit and miss.”
Find out more about iSOYLscout, visit the SOYL team at Cereals event on 15th and 16th June, on stand 314.
