Granular Erfahrungen

When we started using Granular we weren't sure what to expect. The onboarding was fairly simple as they were able to pull data from previously used platforms (climate). As we started to dive into the software we liked how we could separate out each individual fields as far as bushel splits with landlords along with chemicals, fertilizers, ect so as the invoices came in it could separate out all of our inputs for share crop farms.

We really liked the fact that Granular could pull in machine data in almost real time to be able to get a whole farm look with multiple operators and pieces of equipment moving on any particular day. Apart of that as well if being able to assign a per acre or per hour dollar amount with each piece of equipment to get real time costs per with each individual field to be able to show land lords that might have "higher" cash rent how much you are having to spend per acre to raise a crop.

Granular also does an excellent job of helping you forecast what your per acre costs are going to be to help you with your marketing plans. From inputs to cash rents to machine costs, Granular will give you a per acre cost once you put all of those numbers in to see where your breakeven numbers are or where to start marketing your crop to be profitable.

When first getting to know the Granular platform, it can seem overwhelming. Because of the information to get a close look at your farm operation from inputs to cash rents to equipment, and bin locations there is a lot of information to get into this software. With all of that being said there are a lot of tabs that one can click on and get lost quick. But along those lines, the customer support offered within Granular is fantastic in answering any questions that you may have and guide you to where you want to go or what information you are trying to look up. The CFA's are also an excellent resource for any questions that might pop up as your are learning the software.

Being an accountant and an auditor for a few years, I saw the financial records of many companies that were of all different sizes and industries. All of them knew where they were making the most profit as well as the cost of all the inputs it took to produce that profit. Now that I have been back farming for 29 years this is the the only accounting/software that tracks everything in my operation. I know my input cost and my profit at the field level, and not just for the current year, but what those numbers look like over many years. Just using the software makes me more organized. Which leads me to being more confident that the decisions I make or based on good financial data, and not just "winging" it. I know that we all want more "yield" per acre, but with this software you will begin to want more "profit" per acre. Isn't that what we all want anyway?

Honestly, the setup and the maintenance of keeping good accurate records. Isn't that the case with any financial software? If you put good data in then you will get good data back, and the opposite is true too. It takes time and effort, but when you look at your farm as a business, the data will become something you can't live without. The effort will make you more organized and confident.

I have used Granular at our farming operation for the last 4 years. In our operation, we grow potatoes on relatively small, but numerous, fields. Each field receives slightly different applications of different products based on variety of seed planted, timing of planting, nature of the soil, stage of delopment, weather events, etc... As a result, it can be difficult to recall exactly what was done in individual fields and therefore difficult to identify causes of differences in yield and quality in different fields, as well as to identify associated trends. With Granular we are able to maintain precise records of exactly what was done in each field and therefore reach better conclusions about what was effective and what was not. Moreover, we are able to make comparisons not just between fields in the current crop year, but can compare current fields with those in prior years. In this way, we are able to fine tune our growing practices and more surgically apply appropriate products to maximize yield and quality.

The only "con" I might mention arises in part out of a "pro." That is, Granular's ability to allow us to identify and analyze data by precise "filtering" of variables means that, sometimes, a hidden filter may be left "on" that results in incorrect data generation. So, some effort is required at times to make sure that only the desired filters are "on" in analyzing data.

Having nearly all my farm input usage, costs and production records in one platform. The reports that are able to be generated are very through and can be customized to about any view I need. The mobile app is user friendly and takes a lot of burden off me when in the office.

As with these types of products, the integration and setup of a new platform is challenging and time consuming. As hard as I try, machine integration is never perfect and changes to data logged are never done. It takes much maintenance but inputting each invoice to accurately log actual costs is sometimes a chore. I find it easiest, if I just budget some time each week to pour thru invoices and data collected to make sure everything has made it to the proper spot. In short, constant maintenance is needed or things will get behind quickly.

The harvest operation features. General field operational features. Map and location capability. Financial forecasting.

Being one that was most familiar with windows based software on pc or LAN’s, acclimating to cloud ERP presented some challenges for me.

Granular is a great way to track any and all harvest information across one or many fields. There are simple ways to set up many fields within one field with different crops or varieties. It is also easy to create and manage tasks related to fields or farms as well as crop plans. Granular eliminates the need for bulky spreadsheets to track harvest information, field assignments of crops, and current working fields. It is also more visually appealing than most databases.

The only complaint that I have with granular is that depending on what you are looking for, the reports are not as easily tailored to specific needs. The support team is good about helping extract that information, but reports could be better. The only other thing is that I wish that certain aspects of the database could have an option to sort/alphabetize the fields or operational boundaries. Not a big problem, easy to work around, but a luxury fix that would make sorting easier.

It simplified our farm and got rid of my out dated Excel spread sheet. I like having our field plans, bushels, input prices and break evens all in one place.

It takes awhile to get used to navigating through all the screens and remembering where everything is but once you start using it a few times a week it becomes very easy.

It provides a central location for our daily operation. It provides our companies management team with tools that help guide them in making daily to annual decisions. It provides integration from other software that is used by our company.

It can be difficult to maneuver through for users/operators if they are not using it on a regular basis. We have problems with operators saying that they have a hard time using the application, may need additional training.
Would like to have an area to enter actual costs for crop insurance, insurance, govt. payments, etc for the year.
Would like to see an area that provides the ability to enter crop insurance units.

I love the ability to plan for the next year right down to the seed variety we will use. the ability to keep track of grain contracts and inventory has also impacted or farm. This software will make our succession process or transition process much easier.

I am still in my first year of using granular so this might not be how i feel in the future, but it seems like one really doesn't want to make mistakes on the early stages of data input. It can really through the numbers off. It would also be nice to be able to have more than one crop planted on a field.

Ease of use
Customer Support
Development Team's knowledge and innovation

Cost

It provides the functionality to manage our farm and provides the overview of the operation real time for making decisions.

It is only as good as the information put in to it. If you enter bad information you get bad results.