Farm by Phone

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does my data get entered and how do I know it's error-free?

   It depends a bit on how you’re communicating with us. If you’re calling from your phone, or emailing or text messaging, our support staff carefully translates what you say into our database, using powerful software and masterlists of crops, products, and services. Our Support specialists are not telemarketers—they know agriculture, so they can often find inconsistencies (“Mr. Brown sprayed his Home 40 field with this same product yesterday—the field name must be wrong; we’ll let him know.”). We send you a confirmation in the format of your choice (email or text message), and you can always check on the Viewer (explained below.)

2. How do you know I'm the one entering the data and it's not some prankster impersonating me?

   We check your phone caller ID and compare it to the numbers we have on file for you. We also ask that you state your name in the messages as a way of double-checking. That being said, if you ever lose your cell phone or see that there’s data being entered that didn’t come from an authorized user, leave us a message on the Farm By Phone support line at (270) 873-2491, and we’ll call you back to solve the problem.

3. What is the forms packet for?

   At startup we need some data to set up your database, such as the way your business is organized into farms and fields. The forms packet contains easy-to-use forms for capturing this information. After completing the forms, you can mail them to us, or fax them to (888) 311-4699.

4. Do you provide any other supporting materials for data entry?

   We’ll give you a card for your wallet and some “QuickStart” sticky notes to remind you of what to call in. We will also email you some forms you can print and use to record applications before calling or faxing them in.

5. Do I really need to tell you beforehand what products I’m using?

   No, unless they are nonstandard or rare—we use a masterlist with several thousand products, and we’ll input your products from there if we can recognize them—otherwise we’ll contact you. That being said, having a list of your declared products helps us keep your data straight if you sometimes forget part of the name (“Extra”, “Ultra”, “Plus”, etc.)

6. What do you mean with “Applied Area”, and why is it optional?

   Applied Area is the acres (or hectares, etc.) to which you apply products or services. It’s optional because you already reported your fields’ areas when you signed up for Farm By Phone. As a result, when you spray a whole field you don’t need to tell us its area—we already know it, so you won’t have to remember it each time.

   There’s a special use for Applied area: telling us when you’ve applied products or services to less (or more) than the field area you originally reported. This lets you accurately show us when you made a 10-acre partial or spot application to, say, a 40-acre field, or if you sprayed beyond the field boundary (42 acres, for example).

   As a general rule, if you do not state the applied area of a field, we will take the area you originally reported for it; if you report an applied area, we will use that instead.

7. I've added or deleted fields since I started. What do I do?

   The easiest way to add fields is to fill out the Left (and, optionally, also the Right) Field Data Entry forms from your New User packet, and fax them to us at (888) 311-4699. You can also email or call the Support line at (270) 873-2491, but you need to provide at least all the data for the required columns on the left data entry form (see forms packet) for each field you’re adding.

   To delete fields, call Support line, and leave a message telling us the farm and field(s) you wish to delete. Please make sure we can understand what farm these fields are from!
   Note: If you aren’t going to farm some fields any more, we won’t remove them from your database if you’ve already entered data (so you can get reports on what you’ve already applied); however, we’ll make sure they’re marked as inactive.

8. I need to add a new product to my list. What do I do?

   The easiest way to add a product is to fill out a Products form (from your forms packet) describing the new products, and fax it to us at (888) 311-4699. You can also call Support and leave a message telling us your name, the product type, its name, manufacturer, and if it’s a liquid or solid. You can start using the product immediately for data entry. We’ll update your database from our masterlist, and send you a confirmation.

9. It's a new crop year, and I've changed several things about my farms and fields. How do I make these changes in the system?

   Your records are organized by crop year, which we call a timeframe. We organize your client/farm/field tree by timeframe, so it’s easy for you to reflect the yearly changes in the fields you farm.

   When you’re ready to start a new timeframe, leave us a message with the Support line, and we’ll call you back to help you set up the tree for the new year.

10. Will you be selling my data to someone without my knowledge?

    NO! Our central philosophy is that YOU are the sole owner of the data you enter. We help you enter, organize, store, and report your data, but it belongs to you. We won’t show it to anyone unless you tell us to. Even then, the sharing is done through our Viewer software, which lets you control who sees your data. If you’re getting Farm By Phone service as part of another contract (for example, with a processor), then we will need instructions for releasing the data to your partner—call Support at (270) 873-2491 for details.

11. But, why would I want to share data? What is the Viewer, anyway?

    Every day there are more opportunities for you to get value from your ata.

    • You can have multiple "Value Partners" who can provide value to you when you share data with them.
    • For example, you may want to show your banker or insurance agent what you’ve done in your farm so far this year as a way to expedite loans. Processors or packers you sell to may also want to see what you do.
    • Our Viewer is the tool to share data with. It’s an internet browser like FireFox or Microsoft Internet Explorer, but it’s "secure", in that it’s tied to a specific machine, and only works for specific users.
    • So, only the people you allow to see your data can see it…