Cultivating Information
Its the end of the day for farmer Robert Turner. As he makes his way over the fields for a last check on his cows at Manor Farm in Winterbourne Stoke, Wiltshire, a warming cup of coffee, rather than emails or data loss is most likely to be his next priority.
I do use my computer for correspondence, although I have to admit that, as Im more likely to be in a field that at my desk, its sometimes hard to keep on top of my emails, he says. For years I was accustomed to the post dropping on my mat each morning so I still find it difficult to remember to go to my office at the end of the day to log on to the computer.
Manor Farm has been in the Turner family since 1946 and, while records of various forms have always been kept, it is only in recent years that digital storage has become part of daily routine at the busy site. We farm around 2,200 acres around Stonehenge, of which 800 acres is rented from the National Trust.
We farm both livestock and crops and have around 1200 acres of our own arable land that we are using for grain and oil seed rape. We also rear and sell calves known as store cattle that are sold through the local markets or directly to customers. These are largely Herefords or Aberdeen Angus breeds crossed with a dairy cow to boost their milk yields.
Each animal is given our six digit herd number and then its own, individual seven digit passport number that must be passed on to the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) before it is moved or sold. The system is important because it ensures that everyone knows where the cow has been and how many times it has moved – partly to help prevent instances of BSE.
In the past, Robert Turner says that he used to have to have to fill out a form and post the paperwork relating to the cattle, but he now uses his computer to log the new born calves and send the information electronically to the BCMS. He also uses his PC to help him keep track of the application of chemicals to each field, with the help of a programme called Muddy Boots.
As well as my own files and PC for the farming systems and processes, we also have a second computer in the office that is used for accounts and billing, he says. We used to send everything to the accountant but we have recently started using a bookkeeper who comes to us once a month to deal with VAT etc.
Electronic storage is something that has been on my mind for some time because, for modern farmers, there are lots of records that it is necessary to keep. As well as sending information to the BSE I also keep my own records on the cattle which, historically, I backed up using floppy discs and more recently I have stored on multiple USBs.
Despite not being affected by data loss, Robert Turner recognised that having a single system to save and store data could be beneficial, especially since the farm began undertaking its own bookkeeping. Historically I have been lucky that I have never suffered data loss so I havent often needed to retrieve the files. If Im honest though, Im not sure how easy it would have been to find a specific record if I had needed it!
I also keep a hard copy of things like the crop records, so while it would not be disastrous if these types of file were lost, it would mean me or one of the family spending precious time having to input the data all over again.
When I first thought seriously about storage I initially considered using an external hard drive. In the end I opted for an LG NAS because, as well as providing me with the ability to store all my files in one location, I thought that it would be a convenient way to share files between our two PCs.
My son, Matt, has just joined the business and now, as he gets more stuck in, we will definitely use the computer even more. Our NAS will definitely play a part in this because it will give us remote access to files when we need them which could be a real benefit if, for instance, he is in a different location but needs access to the information. It would also mean that he wont have to rely on me remembering to email it to him!