Farmers can now spend less time on compliance tasks thanks to data sharing between Fonterra and our key industry partners.
This collaboration aims to simplify the process of maintaining Farm Dairy Records, which are crucial for demonstrating the quality and sustainability of milk production to customers, regulators, and the New Zealand community.
July can be a busy month for Co-op farmers with calving in full force, and of course the 30 June deadline for Farm Dairy Records. To this end, the Co-op is making life a bit easier for farmers by partnering with LIC, Ballance, Ravensdown, CRV, FarmIQ, and Trev to integrate information so that data can be transferred directly into their annual Farm Dairy Records.
How It Works
The integration process uses Application Programming Interface (API) sharing, allowing data applications like LIC's MINDA® software, Ballance's MyBallance, Ravensdown's HawkEye, CRV's MyHerd, FarmIQ, and Trev to communicate with Fonterra's Farm Dairy Records system. Farmers can opt-in to connect their data by logging into the Fonterra Farm Dairy Records page and following the steps to link their herds to their supply number. This will automatically populate their Farm Dairy Records. Similar functionality for Ballance's MyBallance, Ravensdown's HawkEye, CRV's MyHerd, FarmIQ, and Trev is now available, with further instructions provided upon launch.
Benefits of Data Sharing
Daniel Heine, Milk Programme Manager at Farm Source, highlights the time-saving potential of this initiative. Farmers often spend significant time on data entry, which can be streamlined through this integration. Accurate data collection is essential for reporting, and this system reduces the risk of input errors by ensuring data comes directly from the source.
Positive Feedback
Selected farmers have tested the integration, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Bay of Plenty farmers Melissa and Jack Shove found this season’s assessments and recording tasks “a breeze” compared to previous years. Melissa uses the Co-op’s Dairy Diary app, LIC’s MINDA, and Ballance’s MyBallance apps and says she no longer has to double-handle information across her farm partners.”
Need help?
For assistance with completing Farm Dairy Records, farmers can contact the Farmer Support Team.