AgSquared LLC has developed an innovative new software program designed to support management and organization and record keeping for Sustainable farming. Using the programâs web-based interface, farmers can plan which crops to plant, map where they are in the fields and assign and check off tasks. Over time, the data give small farmers an overview of whether their operations are efficient and profitable. The firm began with an interest in networking data from small farmers that would help illuminate big trends, such as a pattern of pests or the effect of unseasonably hot weather on a new variety of peas. After talking to farmers, the founders realized that the kind of information needed did not exist in electronic form primarily because software for those managing small, diversified farms did not exist. Technology that was available targeted either backyard gardeners or commodity growers who manage hundreds of acres of two or three crops. Many small farm owners sell through community-supported agriculture programs or at farmers markets that thrive on variety. To satisfy their client base, they grow from 30--75 different crops in a season. AgSquared is designed to coax order from this chaos. It helps farmers create a plan, calculating how many seeds and how much space the farm needs and when workers will need to harvest. It creates task lists and schedules that are intuitively related. For example, if a farmer enters that he planted tomatoes on June 1, the software creates a task reminding him to weed two weeks later. Perhaps most important, it can transform a farmerâs daily schedule â what was done, how much time it took and which problems arose â into detailed, searchable r
