The first approach focused on growers who were not yet active with digital crop registration. “We thought: if we get that group on board, we’ll really make a profit. But that turned out to be unrealistic. Those who are not yet doing anything with registration often have a reason for doing so.” In the second year, Farmplus reversed the strategy and worked with a leading group of forerunners. “That immediately gave much more speed. Those growers are critical, curious, and ask for smart solutions. You learn a lot from that.”
Meanwhile, the platform has been rolled out more broadly. This crop year, all growers of Lower wheat – a certified grain that must be fully traceable – will work with the system. “This places high demands on transparency. Thanks to the app, we can show exactly what resources were used, when, where and how.”
Previously, information was scattered across notebooks, Excel files, apps, emails and WhatsApp conversations. “If one grower had a top yield and another did not, we had to puzzle everything together afterwards. Now everything is in one system and we can analyze much more specifically.” That central location also offers internal advantages. “We can give better advice because we have a better view of what is really happening in the field.”
We wanted to get rid of fragmented information. Data was everywhere: in notebooks, WhatsApp, loose Excel sheets. Now we have everything in one place - that gives overview and insight.
The collaboration with AppsforAgri quickly grew into a partnership. “We involved consultants from the beginning, not only for support, but precisely because their practical knowledge is crucial for a well-functioning system.” Van de Lee calls the weekly brainstorming sessions “insanely valuable. “We identified a bottleneck, thought about a solution together, and the development team often came up with something tangible a week later. That speed, that thinking along – that’s worth its weight in gold.”
Working with standardized recipes by crop and soil type gives the advisory process more structure. “It creates fewer questions and more clarity for growers. And advisors can focus on content instead of repetitive questions.” That fits with the role Farmplus sees for itself: not throwing everything digitally over the fence, but making choices together with the grower – from cropping plan to harvest.
In the near future, Farmplus will focus on process optimization. “We want to automatically link external data streams – such as item information, customer data and RFO data – so that the entire process runs seamlessly.” Van de Lee also sees potential in AI, provided more internal knowledge is captured first. “We have a lot of agronomic knowledge in-house, but it’s still too much in heads and loose documents. If we digitize that, AI can really add value to it.”
He does emphasize that part of the strength of the collaboration is the customization. “We now talk a lot one-on-one with AppsforAgri. As the number of customers grows, that ratio will change. But that doesn’t have to be a disadvantage. With the right structure, cross-pollination between clients can actually lead to faster innovation.”
The future lies in links and smart analytics - we are now fully committed to that. With Appsforagri we are building a platform which in a few years will be indispensable for every grower and advisor.
Farmplus is enthusiastic about the steps taken – as well as the cooperation itself. “It can always be done faster, but the progress is there. We keep each other on our toes, and we keep building together. That way, this will grow into a system we all won’t want to be without in a few years.”
iCrop is a brand of AppsforAgri B.V.