Apps provide power at farmers' fingertips
The My Co-op app is quickly becoming the most popular source for farmers wanting the latest news and information about our Co-operative. More than 1250 news items have been posted on the app since it was launched.
More and more of our farmers are using the app as their instant mobile source of information from people across the Co-op and the dairy industry, including milk price announcements, updates from the Chairman and CEO, rural and regional council news and much more.
Nearly 5500 farmers have downloaded the app since it was launched – that’s more than half of the farmers who supply Fonterra.
The app allows farmers to give feedback or ask questions about the news they read, by clicking the ‘Tell us what you think’ tab at the bottom of the screen and typing a message. They can also send feedback by emailing myco-op@fonterra.com.
The app allows farmers to see what upcoming events they have RSVP’d to, like farmer roadshows. All news posted on the app is also posted on the Farm Source website, under ‘news’ in the Farm Business section.
The My Co-op app also links to our other apps, making it easier for farmers to get detailed information when they need it:
- The On Farm app provides farmers with up-to-date milk production and quality information and results at the tap of a button. Farmers can view milk production figures, comparisons against last season, their tanker ETA, and summary reports of all alerts and grades for the last 30 days.
- The Monthly Plant Check app makes it easier and faster for farmers to complete their Monthly Plant Check Assessment. It includes helpful diagrams and information on what farmers should be checking for, space to record notes as they go and a ‘farm summary’ screen that shows what checks have been completed and what checks still need to be done.
Technology is rapidly evolving, so developing digital communications channels for farmers is a priority.
Mobile apps and ‘push notifications’ are the most efficient and effective way to quickly provide updates.
We have had good feedback from farmers wanting more information available to them via apps so we are continuing to add extra features and functionality.