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Fairport News
Historical FTI news articles and PRESS RELEASES
Download PDF - Get PDF Viewer hereDecember 2005 - Seasons Greetings to all
IN THIS ISSUE
| Welcome |
Seasons Greetings to all our valued clients and friends. Enjoy a safe Christmas and New Year period. We hope you get some time to relax.
Once again the Fairport team welcomes all our new clients who have joined us since September. Please remember, we are always happy to get feedback from our clients, old and new. So, if you have something that we should know about our service or products, please don’t hesitate to tell us.
| Rogers Ramblings |
Once again there have been some significant movements in the staff area since the last newsletter.
I mentioned in September that Paul Olsen would be leaving us at the end of November. That happened and he is now preparing to take on the new role as the Fairport distributor for northern New South Wales and Queensland. He and Lucy and the children are now based in Lismore and getting themselves ready for the new year.
Joanne Richardson has become the new Fairport distributor for Victoria, southern NSW, South Australia and Tasmania. Previously Joanne was running Fairport’s Farmtek Australia division for just over two years. She has taken over the Farmtek business and name meaning she will effectively continue what she’s been doing, but in her own right. We all wish her the very best of luck. Unfortunately around the same time that Joanne took over Farmtek, her house burnt down, totally destroying everything she and her husband owned. She’s due for a change in luck.
Early in July we welcomed Vincent Ball to the Fairport team to take on the role of marketing manager of our horticulture and viticulture products. Vincent served us well for the past months, however he felt he wasn’t suited to the role and has resigned. We have not appointed a replacement for Vincent but instead have assigned the role of sales and support of the horticulture and viticulture products in the South Australia and Sunraysia areas to Booth Technology of Western Australia. Booth’s have made excellent progress in the sales of PAM AusVit in WA and I felt they would be well suited to expand their territory.
In mid-July we welcomed Mathieu Kempe, a software developer on a working holiday from France. Mathieu has developed a special web site for a consortium of AHA Viticulture and the GWRDC (Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation). This project has now been completed and Mathieu has continued on his holidays around Australia.
Our team of developers has been enhanced again with the addition of Edin Alispahic who is within six months of completing his IT degree at Curtin University. Edin is filling in his summer holidays with us and we hope he can stay on next year while he finishes his degree and beyond.
My wife, Marina, joined the Fairport team on a part time basis as a business analyst and financial controller a month ago. Having run two successful businesses in the past, Marina (who has a degree in Economics) is settling into her role well and getting to know the workings and mysteries of the farm software business.
2005 has been our biggest year ever in terms of the workload undertaken by the development team. I know I’ve said that in almost every December newsletter for as long as I can remember, but I am genuine in saying it this year (again). It has been enormous. With so many projects and software applications to maintain, we have been stretched to our limit at times. With hard work comes success and it has been extremely pleasing that the demand and acceptance of the PAM Enterprise software has been better than we could have hoped for. The Pocket PAM enhancements that have taken us almost a year to complete have been well accepted. More long awaited Pocket PAM features are in the pipeline for 2006.
Other ventures entered into during 2005 included interfacing PAM with Rinex Technology’s vehicle mounted systems which was launched in March. The QA Link system which was developed in conjunction with Farmscan to interface with Farmscan’s spray controllers.
Hopefully during 2006 we will find the time to write interfaces to other mainstream vehicle mounted systems. We recently signed an agreement with a major US farm machinery manufacturer to enable a smooth interface with their numerous systems.
Our good friends at Landcorp Farming Limited in Wellington, New Zealand, have kept us on our toes and had us very busy adding new functionality to PAM, especially to the livestock and pasture management sections. Other PAM users will begin to see the benefits of these efforts flow through during 2006. I have been to NZ more times this year than I can recall.
It has been an excellent experience however. The Landcorp people (Graeme, Phil, Brent, Richard, Elliot, Richard, Lance, Geoff et al) have been a pleasure to work with as have our partner vendors and consultants, Barry and Jude from Probity Consultants and Craig and Daryn and the guys from Hewlett Packard.
2006 looks to be just as busy as 2005 as we have still a long way to go with the Landcorp project and many other things in the pipeline, like the incorporation of a fully populated Chemical Database … Read on for more information.
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| GREENSEEKER |
Greenseeker and Weedseeker are registered and patented products manufactured by the Mayfield family business (NTech Industries) in Ukiah CA. After a quick trip by Roger and his wife to California earlier this month, Fairport has been appointed the Australasian distributors of NTech’s Greenseeker range of products.
Greenseeker is world leading technology and is used in several ways to measure and use plant greenness (NDVI) readings ‘on-the-go’. This technology can replace satellite imagery and aerial imagery to produce NDVI maps (or images) of crops or pastures. The system can also be used to perform variable rate application ‘on-the-go’ alleviating the need to produce recipe maps. The Greenseeker sensors measure plant vigour on-the-go at a rate of 200 readings per second and send a rate to a Variable Rate application system.
Greenseeker uses it’s own active light source rather than rely on sunlight. This gives it significant advantages over similar technologies due to the fact that it can be used at night, day, dusk, dawn and during cloudy periods.
The technology can mounted on a simple hand held device for taking ad hoc NDVI measurements, on a vehicle and linked to a GPS to perform on-the-go NDVI mapping, or mounted on a boom spray or spreader truck to perform on-the-go VRT. No recipe map or GPS is needed, however, if a GPS is used the NDVI map can be produced as a by-product of the VRT job.
For more information, please visit www.ntechindustries.com or call Roger Wiese at Fairport for PDF manuals and other materials. In due course we will set up web pages to advertise these systems.
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| PAM News |
The following items have been added or fixed in PAM since our last newsletter. As you can see, we have been busy adding functionality to the inventory system. The most significant addition has been the “Stock Take” facility:
• Inventory: Batch Numbers and Locations : You can now optionally specify Batch Numbers and Locations for Inventory Consumable items when recording associated usage records ie. Seeding and Planting, Chemical Applications, Fertiliser, Sundry, Livestock Treatments and Livestock Supplementary Feeding activities.
• Inventory of Consumables : Stock Take and Stock On Hand Reports : You can now generate a Stock Take / Stock On Hand report with or without Batch Numbers and Locations specified.
• Converting Budget or Recommendation Cropping Record to Plan : PAM was not creating a new Plan Number.
• Planned Spray Worksheet Report : PAM now displays a Report Options screen.
• CBH Harvest Load Data XML File import (WA clients only) : New XML File format has changed for Date values. Updated PAM's import facility to reflect this.
• Inventory: Stock Taker : Added an option to display Items which have been previously marked as Totally Consumed but still have a quantity greater than 0. This is to assist you in correcting adjustment or usage records.
• Viticulture and UltraCrop Users : You can now specify a sort order when selecting Rows via the Area Selection screen.
• Viticulture and UltraCrop Users : Block / Vine Layouts : You can now specify custom Row Numbers when configuring Sections and Rows for a given Block / Vine layout.
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| InfoPest ~ PAM Integration Chemical Database |
Some time ago we developed a Chemical Database module to display the dedicated chemical data produced by the Cooperative Research Centre fro Viticulture. This module is incorporated into the PAM AusVit program. While we were at it, we built it to make use of the Queensland DPI’s InfoPest Chemical Database. InfoPest is a computerised database of all nationally (Australian) registered agricultural and veterinary
chemical products.
The Chemical Database module has information relating to usage and safety of each chemical. It details the active ingredients and MRL information. The module also enables you to “Click through” to web based chemical label information etc.
We have now negotiated a very good arrangement with Qld.DPI whereby they will include on their InfoPest CD set a file that can be read by PAM. The Chemical Database program will be included in PAM QA Plus and PAM Ultracrop in 2006 once the InfoPest people have things ready to go.
When you have the new Chemical Database module in PAM and you have imported the InfoPest data into it, you’ll be able to add new chemicals to PAM using that source of data. Withholding periods and active ingredients will automatically come through from the InfoPest data.
We will let everyone know when this system is ready to go.
For more information on the InfoPest CD subscription service go to http://www.dpi.qld.gov.au/infopest/
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| Pastures from Space / Pasture Watch News |
New features are currently being added to Pasture Watch in readiness for the 2006 growing season. In the new year, subscribers will be able to get started by importing SHP (ESRI Shape Files) of their farms and paddocks. Most professional mapping organisations can provide farm mapping data in this format. This will make the job of getting started a lot easier.
The uptake of Pastures from Space data was up by a good percentage for Western Australian clients during 2005 but fell a little for Eastern Australian clients.
Statistics from the Department of Land Information’s monitoring show that the Pasture Growth Rate data usage increased by 42% during 2005. There has been a significant increase in interest from pasture agronomists and farm advisers and we have commitments from several new groups to subscribe in 2006.
Good news for those of you in Eastern Australia where the Pastures from Space PGR data was found to be somewhat unbelievable under some circumstances, CSIRO is getting a number trial sites organised for ground truthing the PGR data during 2006.
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| Pin.Point News |
Several months ago Fairport acquired the Pin.Point software business and the rights to use the Pin.Point name. We became aware that progress on Pin.Point had either ceased or slowed down substantially. We made enquiries and were able to negotiate an agreeable deal to acquire the business.
The main Pin.Point software engineer (David Wynne) has developed a data exporter system for us and we hope to be in a position to offer a smooth transition path for Pin.Point clients to move to PAM very soon.
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| Fairport Club / Support Information |
As you would know, Fairport Club membership entitles you to software upgrades and telephone support via the Fairport 1800 number (1800 500 195). Our clients in Western Australia and Tasmania may also be aware that over the past few years, our distributors in those two states have had the option of obtaining the telephone support portion of their Fairport Club membership from their respective distributors.
The option of obtaining telephone support from the state distributors has now been extended to the whole of Australia.
Joanne Richardson of Farmtek now offers telephone support for southern NSW, Vic, SA and Tasmania and Paul Olsen of Ag-IT now offers telephone support for northern NSW and QLD.
Clients in these areas will notice a tick box option on your new Fairport Club renewal invitations as they arrive to you over the coming year. If you prefer to obtain telephone support from the local distributor, simply tick the box and fax the form to Fairport to let us know your preference. Please note though, for Farmtek and Ag-IT, Fairport will continue to collect the Fairport Club membership funds but will forward the appropriate amounts to Farmtek and Ag-IT for their contribution.
Our South African clients can obtain their Fairport Club membership through Senwes and in New Zealand, for broad acre clients contact Gavin McEwen of Fairport Farm Systems (NZ) on 021 428 467 and for PAM AusVit support services contact John Kirkman of Farm Information Technology on 0800 432764.
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| Grape Forecaster |
Roger flew to Adelaide recently to meet with the GWRDC and Vic DPI people to discuss the progress of the Grape Forecaster software rollout.
Uptake has been quite good this year and after making a few minor modifications and enhancements to the software, the feedback from the users has been very positive.
We are expecting good uptake of this technology as vignerons begin to realise the huge benefits from using it.
The cost to the Australian wine industry of poor crop yield estimates is enormous. Grape Forecaster is the result of many years of research into refining the techniques of grape yield estimating. For more information visit the Fairport web site… Look for the Grape Forecaster page.
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| Dealer News |
Well what a busy few months it has been. Though I did manage to take a bit of a holiday in Queensland in October which was great. So now refreshed and looking forward to 2006.
We are still scheduling training sessions for the next few months. FarmBis funding is still available for Victorian ABN registered farmers.
On Farm training is $300 and Group Training is $216. Details of FarmBis funded courses for Victoria will be advertised in the Weekly Times on 25 January, 2006 so keep an eye out for that.
I have been talking to our friends at the Clare TAFE SA, and we are planning some more PAM training in February. Dates to be confirmed.The training request is on-line at www.farmtek.com.au so to get a day scheduled in your area, please go to our site and fill out the request form.
TASMANIA: I was in Launceston earlier in the month running some PAM training. This was my first visit to the area with Farmtek and it was really great to catch up with some PAM clients. And as suggested I have booked a site at the AgFest Field Days in May so if you are planning to attend please drop in and say hello.
HOT SPECIALS: We are running our PocketPAM special this Christmas and New Year. We have Palm’s with PocketPAM for $710 and PocketPC’s from $732.
And, for existing Pin.Point users in the Farmtek area, we have a special until 31 January. Change over from Pin.Point to PAM QA+ Multifarm, with Mapping and IAR (Individual Animal Recording). Please contact me for the details.
Please contact me directly on 1300 553 446 or email: Joanne@farmtek.com.au if you would like any further information on the specials or PAM training
All the best for Christmas and I look forward to meeting with you in the New Year
Regards, Joanne Richardson
Farmtek Australia
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Well we are the end of another year. Harvest is over for most people and now we can all look to a few days of well earned rest. Booth Technology would like to wish every one a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
We have been very busy, the Pam - Pinpoint deal that has been offered has been well received by pinpoint users.
We have also just installed Great southern Plantations with Pam Ausvit Enterprise and welcome them to the fold.
We are ready and raring to go in the New Year with training seminars recommencing in February and with the sales team expanding you will be seeing a lot more of us on the road.
The office will be closed between the 23rd of December and the 2nd January. If anyone needs support during this time we will be available on our mobiles.
Remember now that harvest is over and seeding a ways off it’s a perfect opportunity to upgrade and learn more about how Pam can aid in your farm management, call to organise training now!
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| In Closing |
The Fairport Team wishes all our clients and business partners and associates well for the months ahead and we wish you all a very safe and prosperous New Year.Until March 2006 …
Farewell from Roger Wiese and the Fairport Team
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