- Farmers can automate entry of grain contracts in Bushel Farm with over 2,600 facilities in the Bushel Network by connecting their accounts, much like machine data connections already available.
- Benefits to farmers include reduced manual entry and real-time automated insights, including grain marketing position and profit and loss down to the field level.
- Grain buyers in the Bushel Network can improve origination and relationships by making it easier for farmers to market their grain and manage their farms with confidence.
FARGO, N.D., (July 25, 2023) – Bushel, an independently-owned software technology company focused on developing digital tools for the agricultural supply chain, announced an innovative new feature for Bushel Farm: automated grain contract entry.
Bushel Farm is the only farm management software (FMS) to offer automated grain contract entry, a ground-breaking functionality that benefits both farmers and grain buyers. This will be available for farmers doing business with more than 2,600 grain facilities on the Bushel platform.
“On my family’s farm, I’ve seen the need to create and maintain a near real-time grain marketing plan to get a clearer picture of what decisions drive the most profits on the farm,” Bushel President Ryan Raguse said. “The more we can automate that process, the better.”
Benefits to farmers:
- Reduction in manual data entry: Bushel Farm’s advanced software now allows farmers to spend less time in front of the computer, and more time in the field. In a few simple steps, farmers can connect their Bushel Farm account to their accounts with grain buyers in the Bushel Network. Once connected, all past and future contracts with those buyers automatically feed into the new Contracts feature of Bushel Farm.
- Marketing insights: The platform automatically generates a grain marketing position by crop as well as profitability calculations for marketed and unprotected bushels upon contract entry, enabling more informed and confident marketing decisions.
- Financial overview: Detailed Profit and Loss (P&L), cost of production insights, and revenue reports help farmers understand their financial position better.
Farmer Matt Perreault from Kankakee, Ill., started using a basic FarmLogs plan (now the foundation for Bushel Farm) in 2013 and recently upgraded to Bushel Farm’s top-tier Business plan subscription.
“It is great not having to manually enter contract info as I’m trying to keep a combine, cart, and semi all going in the same direction. Organized contract information in Bushel Farm clarifies the sold bushels versus unprotected, making it easier to submit offers deeper into my production totals,” Perreault said. “Bushel’s contract and delivery uploads to Bushel Farm further streamline the process, reducing guesswork and error concerns. This will greatly benefit the upcoming fall season. I would rather do business with a grain buyer who makes my life easier than harder.”
Benefits to grain businesses:
- Improved grain origination: Well-informed farmers who know their cost of production, marketing position, and farm profitability are more likely to feel confident forward contracting grain and submitting firm offers.
- Strengthened farmer relationships: Farmers using Bushel Farm are more likely to do business with buyers in the Bushel Network because the connection to automate grain contracts simplifies their workflows and makes it easier to generate meaningful insights.
“When we enable farmers to easily access and track their grain contracts using Bushel Farm, it fosters transparency, trust, and mutual success,” Mike Hainline, grain merchandiser at AGRIServices of Brunswick, said. “The seamless integration of these tools reduces paperwork, enhances communication, and enables faster decision-making. As a result, we can allocate resources efficiently, boost productivity, and achieve sustainable growth benefiting both our agribusiness and our valued farmers.”
“Our agribusiness customers frequently tell us that transparency builds trust. Improving farmers’ access to their contract information is a win-win for both agribusinesses and farmers,” Bushel CEO Jake Joraanstad said. “The powerful contract automation feature of Bushel Farm wouldn’t be possible without the digital infrastructure we’ve built to digitize, permission, and accelerate the flow of information throughout the agriculture supply chain. The efficiencies and transparencies created will create win-wins for both farmers and agribusinesses.”
How to connect:
If a farmer does not have a Bushel Farm subscription, a 30-day free trial of any of Bushel Farm’s three plans is available for new users, and all plans include the ability to automate contract entry from buyers in the Bushel Network. Existing subscribers can connect to their accounts with grain buyers in the Bushel Network using a “Connect” button in the Contracts or Marketing feature of Bushel Farm. Bushel Farm has permission-based controls within the software, and data is shared from the grain buyer to the farmer through permissioned access.
About Bushel
Founded in 2011, Bushel is an independently-owned software company and leading provider of software technology solutions for farmers, grain buyers, ag retailers, protein producers and food companies, headquartered in Fargo, North Dakota. Since its launch in 2017, Bushel’s agriculture platform has grown rapidly, powering nearly 2,600 grain facilities across the U.S. and Canada with real-time business information for their producers. The Bushel Network now reaches more than 40% of grain origination in the United States and Canada, resulting in one of the largest technology network effects among farmers and grain buyers in the U.S. Bushel’s solution suite includes its flagship mobile app, websites, trading tools, digital payments and money facilitation, market feeds, API services, farm management software, and a professional services division focused on agriculture. Bushel complies with SOC 2 standards and debit card transactions over PCI-certified networks.