Farm Management Software: 9 Tools by the Job You Need Done

Before comparing a single feature, finish this sentence: I need something that stops me losing track of what? A grower trying to remember what was sprayed where needs a very different tool from someone weighing up a mob of cattle, even though both are searching for the same three words.

Which job do you need it to do?

Keeping crop records

Croptracker is aimed at fruit and vegetable growers and records spray, staff, harvest and irrigation work. Tend covers crop planning, tasks, sales and inventory, with a global crop database. Both are smaller vendors. Agworld is bigger and connects farmers with agronomists and contractors, so it's worth a look if other people need to see your plans and spray records.

Looking after livestock

AgriWebb is the one specialist here. It tracks animals, paddocks and records, and offers separate trial styles for managing by mob or by individual animal. That's a useful question to answer before you look at any livestock system, since it changes how much data you'll be entering.

Holding the whole farm in one place

Farmbrite lists crops, livestock, tasks and finances together, so it's aimed at mixed holdings. farmOS covers planning and records too, and it's free and open source, which you can host yourself. That's a real option if you or someone close to you is happy looking after a web application. If that sentence worries you, it probably isn't for you.

Managing machines or a large operation

Three names on this list come from bigger companies and do a different job. Climate FieldView and John Deere Operations Center are built around field and machine data, so they're most useful if you've already got the kit feeding them. FarmERP is an agribusiness ERP for plantations, contract farming and export work. A small mixed farm isn't really who they're talking to.

Nine farm tools, A to Z

Here's the full list, alphabetical and in no particular order.

AgriWebb

Best for: Livestock farms tracking animals, paddocks and records; the vendor offers separate trial styles for mob management or individual animal detail.

Agworld

Best for: Crop planning and spray records shared with agronomists and contractors; the vendor says records sit in one central location to keep a farm audit-ready.

Climate FieldView

Best for: Growers wanting a digital platform for field data and decisions, including seed scripts; the vendor says you control who sees your data.

Croptracker

Best for: Fruit and vegetable growers recording spray, employee, harvest and irrigation activity, with traceability and reporting the vendor says are built into its cloud records.

Farmbrite

Best for: Mixed farms wanting crop planning, livestock records, team tasks, calendars and farm finances in one system, as the vendor describes it.

FarmERP

Best for: Larger agribusinesses, plantations and contract farming or export operations wanting a cloud ERP that the vendor says covers traceability and compliance management.

farmOS

Best for: Anyone comfortable hosting their own software; it's a free, open source web application for planning and records, built on Drupal under the GNU General Public License.

John Deere Operations Center

Best for: Operations wanting field, machine and operator data in one place to inform farm decisions, as the vendor describes it.

Tend

Best for: Growers planning crops through to sales; the vendor describes a global crop database and reports for organic, regenerative and food safety certifications.

Side by side

Tool	Kind of tool	Good for
AgriWebb	Livestock software	Tracking animals, paddocks and records
Agworld	Agronomy and records	Working with agronomists and contractors
Climate FieldView	Field data platform	Field data and seed scripts
Croptracker	Fruit and veg growers	Spray, harvest and irrigation records
Farmbrite	All-in-one farm system	Crops, livestock, tasks and finances together
FarmERP	Agribusiness ERP	Plantations, contract farming and export
farmOS	Open source	Self-hosted planning and record keeping
John Deere Operations Center	Machine and field data	Connecting field, machine and operator data
Tend	Crop planning and sales	Crop planning through to sales

Farm records aren't farm accounts

Here's what's easy to miss. Most of these tools track fields, animals and tasks, but they aren't accounting software, even where finances or sales appear on the feature list. That matters when you run more than one enterprise, such as crops alongside a herd.

The IRS Farmer's Tax Guide (Publication 225) says that if you're in more than one business, you should keep a complete and separate set of records for each. That's US guidance and I'm not giving tax advice, so whether your enterprises count as separate businesses is a question for your accountant. It does give you a very practical test for any software, though:

• Can you keep separate records for each enterprise, or does everything land in one pot?
• Can you export each enterprise's records on its own, in a format your accountant can open?
• Do those exports include dates, fields or animals, and the work done?
• Who's allowed to edit past records, and can you see when something was changed?
• If you leave, do you keep all of it?

Show the export to your accountant before you commit. It'll take them a few minutes, and you'll find out then if it's useless, not at the end of the tax year.

What to ask in the demo

Farm software lives or dies in the yard and the field, so test it there and not at a desk. Ask these with your own farm in mind:

• What happens on the phone app when there's no signal in the far field, and when does it sync?
• How long would it take to enter a day's work after a long shift? Have someone who'll really use it try.
• Who else can see my data, and can I turn that off? One vendor here makes a point of letting you control who sees it, and it's a fair question for all of them.
• Which tractors, sprayers or sensors does it connect to, and which of mine doesn't it?
• If I'm growing something unusual, can I add it myself?

My advice before you commit a season to it

Pick your one worst job and choose for that. If you've got a single enterprise, choose a specialist. If you've got a mix, look at the all-round options and check they keep your enterprises apart. Unless you're running big machinery or a large operation, I wouldn't start with the big names. And try it through a busy week, because a system you stop updating in the middle of harvest isn't helping anyone.

Your farm software won't be the only tool you need. If you're tracking stock and supplies in more depth, look at inventory software. If you're curious about what's coming next for the sector, we've got a separate guide to AI tools for agriculture.

Do you make farm management software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

What does farm management software do?

It keeps records of your fields, animals, tasks and work in one place, and helps you plan. Depending on the tool, it may also cover sales, inventory, traceability or machine data.

Is farm management software the same as accounting software?

Usually not. Most of it tracks what happens on the farm, and some lists finances as a feature, so check what your accountant can use and whether you'll still need a separate accounts package.

Is there free farm management software?

One tool on this list is free and open source, and you can host it yourself, which means looking after it yourself too. Check each vendor's own site for what else it offers, as that can change.

Should crops and livestock go in separate records?

If you run more than one business, the IRS says to keep a complete and separate set of records for each. Requirements vary by country, so ask your accountant how your farm should be set up.

Do I need software that connects to my machinery?

Only if you've got machines producing data you want to use. For many small farms, simple and reliable records matter more. If you do want machine data, check your exact kit against the vendor's list.

Will it work without a phone signal?

It depends on the product, so don't assume it will. Ask each vendor to show you what happens with no signal, what you can still enter, and how it syncs when you're back in range.