Game-changing Overseer coming soon

The 2018 Budget announcement in May saw the Government allocating $5m of operating funding to Overseer Limited over the next four years – a move that is welcomed by the Fertiliser Association. Meanwhile, Overseer will soon be launching game-changing software to make it even easier for farmers and their advisors to make informed decisions about how they run their farms more sustainably and efficiently.

The software, due to be launched in June, has been created following extensive consultation with industry, and will be easier and more intuitive to use than its predecessor.

“The changes bring the tool up-to-date with the changing needs of the Primary Industry,” says Alastair Taylor, Overseer Limited’s new Business Development Manager. “By placing the farm account at the centre of the on-line system we believe we have made some significant improvements to the way data is created and stored; in addition to a complete overhaul of the user interface. This is going to reduce duplication, improve modelling consistency, and make it easier to track a long-term view of a farm.”

Overseer has been working closely with stakeholders to ensure they’re informed about the changes. This includes working with the Fertiliser Association of New Zealand and the Nutrient Management Adviser Certification Programme to ensure certified advisers find it as easy as possible to use the new software. New and training advisers will be able to step quickly into the improved system.

“Although the tool will be much easier to use, it will still require trained professionals to deliver quality farm analyses and, particularly, good scenario analysis. This is where the software really begins to deliver value for the sector, as a vehicle for innovation.”

Alastair joined Overseer in April from his role leading the Farm Sustainability Services team at Ballance Agri-Nutrients. He will be working with Overseer’s users and stakeholders to help the transition to the new software.

“Fundamentally, we know that the overwhelming majority of farmers believe they have a real responsibility to look after the environment. I see it as my role to ensure that Overseer continues to play a major supporting role in the sustainability and success of the primary industries.

“Farmers are increasingly expected to understand their farm’s impacts, both for greenhouse gas emissions and nutrient flows – and in many cases, to reduce them,” Alastair says. “Overseer provides the science to support good decisions while also delivering the information they need to farm within environmental limits.”

With the new tool, comes a new level of user support, and Overseer has also welcomed Carly Sluys as Customer Services Specialist. “Carly is our resident Overseer expert. She has a wealth of knowledge from her time as Environmental Data Analyst at Beef + Lamb and she’ll be poised at the end of our online helpdesk to provide customer support,” Alastair says.

You can access the Overseer online helpdesk through the MyOverseer portal. For more information or to arrange a demonstration for your team, contact Alastair Taylor, Business Development Manager at Overseer Ltd at ataylor@overseer.org.nz or 021 857627.