Solutions : Case Study : MilkNET

Summary

• Client - Scottish Agricultural Collage
• Technology - Coldfusion, MS Access, Adobe PDF
• Bespoke web application allowing dairy farmers to forecase milk production, dairy income and margins.

Overview

A bespoke web application allowing dairy farmers to forecast:

• Milk production
• Dairy Income
• Margins

Background

Over the course of the last 10 years, the Scottish Agricultural College (SAC) has developed a Farm Management system which is used by dairy farmers throughout Scotland and Northern Ireland. This system is used to collect and analyze data on input costs and milk yields, to provide farmers with monthly management accounts. Because data is collected from farms all over Scotland, the system can determine which farms are performing well, and which ones are under-performing. The farmers rely on the results generated to ensure that their herd is as healthy and productive as possible.

A huge amount of data is collected on a monthly basis. Until now, every farmer had to submit this information on paper forms which they posted to SAC for processing. Staff at SAC would enter the information into the system, and once the data from all farms had been collected, they would process it and post customised reports back to each farmer. The farmer would receive the reports days or even weeks after sending his data to SAC.

Because the staff at SAC had to read the information on each farmers form and enter it into the system, mistakes were inevitable. This process was also very time consuming, especially at times when the handwritten information was illegible, in which case SAC would have to contact the farmer, or miss out some of the data.

MilkNET

SAC realised that if the farmers could enter the data directly, then there would be a significant cost saving for SAC, and transcription errors would be greatly reduced. Furthermore, each farmer's reports could be calculated and returned immediately.

Given the wide geographical spread of the farmers using the system, it was clear that the Internet would be the only cost-effective way of linking the farmers with SAC. Electrum were tasked with re-writing the old Farm Management system so that it could be used on-line.

The resulting MilkNET system, which took over 10 man-months to develop, allows farmers to fill in the familiar forms using a web browser and receive the reports immediately. Crucially, no effort is required by SAC, and so running costs are greatly reduced.

The system was developed using the latest database technology, in conjunction with tailor-made software developed in-house. For example, Electrum developed custom software so that high-quality printable reports can be generated on-line and printed directly by the farmer.

SAC are extremely pleased with the new system, as are the farmers, many of whom contributed their time during the design and development to ensure that the finished system met their real needs.

Update

Electrum have subsequently been asked to develop a cattle-tracing system for SAC. This system will again be web-based, and will allow farmers to register the purchase and disposal of cattle with a central database held by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF).