Hutchinsons has added more connectivity to its Omnia platform with direct connections for John Deere, Claas Connect and FarmEngage, the platform for PTx and the AGCO brands, as well as CNH FieldOps.
Connections have also been developed between Telus and Dropbox. Xero accounting software is in development and due for release later in the year.
“Poor connectivity between platforms has long been a sticking point for the industry. As farm technology captures ever more information to guide business decisions, moving data easily between systems is no longer just a nice-to-have,” says Hutchinsons’ head of digital agronomy, Lewis McKerrow.
“Growers have been asking for this as digital farming has evolved. They want simplicity and reliability, and the ability to focus on getting the job done rather than handling software, and that is what Hutchinsons has made a key focus within Omnia.
“In practical terms, this means simpler workflows, more accurate and traceable record keeping, and less duplication of effort at a time when growers face plenty of other pressures on farm.”
Lewis admits Omnia can’t generate all the information needed on farm by itself. The aim is to make the platform a central part of a connected farm data system, where information can move in and out and be put to practical use.
Data sharing
Boundaries, application plans, yield data and, for John Deere users, work plans can all be imported into Omnia, exported from it, or both, explains Lewis.
John Deere, FarmEngage and CNH FieldOps all support wireless data transfer directly to the machine. “That means users can send a plan or prescription straight out of Omnia to the tractor or sprayer doing the application. It saves time and is far more convenient,” he says.
Yield data can also be set to sync automatically into Omnia from John Deere and Claas Connect, while GPS boundaries can be imported and exported to keep plans, prescriptions and field areas accurate.
Importantly, Omnia also has a wide range of manual exports, so even if growers don’t run any additional platforms, they can still export data in the file format needed and upload it to a tractor via a USB stick.
A connection with Telus Farm Management allows field and cropping information to move between the two systems, so agronomists and farmers working across both platforms no longer need to recreate information manually.
Omnia can also import spray plans produced in Telus systems from PDF. Dropbox connectivity provides another straightforward route for moving files in and out of Omnia, while a connection with accounting software Xero is in development to ease administrative bottlenecks.
