Friday, March 29, 2024

Information that’s always available

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A digital whiteboard has been designed for the farm dairy to keep accurate records without the risk of it being wiped away.
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Wintec’s Dr Debbie Care and digital resource developer Marlene Williamson, based at AgResearch’s Tokanui Research Farm south of Te Awamutu, designed the digital whiteboard to present daily onfarm activities, information and instructions to staff on a touchscreen computer monitor.

It also keeps a record of all herd and farm management operational data which is often not recorded permanently.

“Information which is written up on the whiteboard is wiped off and farmers have automatically lost their ability to track that information,” Care said.

She and Williamson trialled the digital whiteboard on the AgResearch farm over the last two years and believe it is a perfect system for a farm with a high number of staff. Those working on a roster system can easily access up to date information from the digital whiteboard when they come back to work without having to ask anyone. For example, a staff member can quickly see which paddock herd A and herd B grazed yesterday, where they are going today and tomorrow and if any break fencing needs to be put up.

The whiteboard displays a list of tasks with a due date for each staff member which they can tick off on completion.

It also displays information about the effluent irrigator including which paddock it’s in and where it can be shifted to next, with any health and safety risks noted.

Other features embedded in the system include chemical and drug inventories, machinery use and maintenance schedules. All herd data is at hand including mating and treatment information.

Treatments can be recorded, providing a daily treatment or back-in-the-vat list. Staff can check the whiteboard to see what drug is needed and they can also click on the drug name to see what it’s used for and what withholding period there is.

This is part of an online manual Care and Williamson have designed, which contains basic industry information in an easily accessible format for staff.

Most farm manuals sit on the shelf collecting cobwebs and are certainly not available out in the paddock when a staff member has a question, Williamson said. The online manual can be targeted to individual farms and include the farm’s maps, policies and any specific instructions for farm management, troubleshooting, animal health and management. If a staff member needs to shift the irrigator they can click on a paddock map and view any hazards, where to hook up the irrigator and any other relevant information. They can also view industry rules and regulations for effluent irrigation which may apply to their area. By using the manual staff can get access to basic information they need when they are doing a specific job, Care said.

“It’s about providing skinny knowledge, the basic information a staff member needs on the spot at the time.”

The programmes don’t require an internet connection so can still work where there’s not a good broadband or cellphone service, with the manual being available once staff have downloaded it once. Wintec is keen to work with anybody interested in using the digital whiteboard for farm management with the benefit that they will have to pay only for the customisation required for their environment.

• For further information contact Rebecca Ericksen, rebecca.ericksen@wintec.ac.nz or phone 07 834 8800 ext 8460.

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