Soybean Planting Off to a Slow Start for 2013?

For farmers in the country’s breadbasket, it’s always more important to get the corn crop planted and underway before anything else, and that includes soybeans…  Corn has been off to a slow start this year due to the drought conditions, and then the floods that have inundated the Mississippi River and its tributaries this spring.  When the ground is too wet, as well as too dry, it makes it very hard to get seeds planted under optimum growing conditions.

Early planting of soybean crops helps improve yield potential and is definitely preferred, but corn loses yield faster than soybean so it’s important to take care of that crop first and get it planted.  The period from mid-April to the first week of May provides the best chance for higher yields for both crops. If waiting until the end of May to plant soybeans, there is a loss in potential corresponding to about 15$.  However, for corn crops, that loss in potential rises to 25% for planting that late in the season.  

In cases of high drought conditions early in the season with adequate rain in July and August, early planting can actually decrease potential yields since extended stress through flowering causes the plant to lose its ability to respond favorably to improved conditions once they appear.  On the other hand, an early wet season followed by dry weather actually benefits early planting and the yields expected.

Hopefully this season will be much wetter than the last year or two, and so far it’s definitely an improvement!  However, it may take quite some time to overcome the incredibly dry stretch we’ve had to deal with in many states in the U.S. recently.  “Normal” conditions may require a new definition and new reality for many North American farmers.

How the Right Produce Distribution Software Can Help Your Company Thrive!

The produce industry in general has not been as excited to upgrade computer systems and software as other industries, but that doesn’t make it any less necessary!  The world is changing at the speed of light, and staying current with today’s technology is vital for a company to stay competitive in any industry!  Picking the right produce distribution software for your company may take a little time and research, but it will be well worth it after it has been implemented and working.

A large to mid-sized produce company will have different needs from a much smaller company.  Larger volumes usually require more advanced inventory tracking solutions and highly sophisticated software in order to download information about their transactions and/or clients that smaller volumes would need.  So, there is a scaling range for software needs, and because of that smaller companies usually end up paying more money than they need to for options and features that aren’t required for them to properly run their businesses.  

Finding the right software to specifically meet your needs can be tough to do, but not impossible.  There are quite a few smaller produce companies that rely on QuickBooks or a similar ERP as their inventory control software, but are looking for a robust online ordering software solution so that their customers have the ability to place an order for their products on a website instead of having to phone in their orders all the time.

They may be looking for certain features such as quality customer service so that they don’t have to spend time handling that.  They may want to be able to separate items into cases, or even to break down cases into individual items.  The software should be very easy to use, so that the average customer will not have to spend much time at all to learn and master.  For the advanced user, there should be a good reporting feature where accurate and high-quality reports can be created at the touch of a button.

These and many other features may be all that a smaller company is looking for in a robust produce software system, however, many software companies will provide many more bells and whistles which also raises the price way up!  As an end result, they are now paying for something that they didn’t request and don’t need.  That’s not good business for any company!

Enter Intalogix, the perfect solution for most small to mid-sized produce companies!  Intalogix caters to all levels of clients, but specializes in providing just the right amount of reporting, features, and benefits that a smaller company needs to prosper!  Intalogix offers the OneLink product for online ordering and customer service, and this highly popular piece of software has been an industry leader for more than 13 years!  Check it out at http://www.itlgx.com, and request your free demo now!