Getting started with Farmbench

Follow the steps below to get up and running with Farmbench

Register

To begin using Farmbench you’ll first need to register

To register you’ll need to enter basic information including your name, address and contact number. You’ll also need to create a password for your account.

Once your account has been created, you will receive an email confirming access to the dashboard. You’ll then be able to add your farm via the 'My Business' tab.

Now you are ready to input your data.

Resources to help you get started

There are a number of resources which will help you get the most out of Farmbench, including a regional Benchmarking Knowledge Exchange Manager who can help you get started or answer any questions you have, contact details can be found here

View these short videos to assist with using the Farmbench tool

Guides on getting more from your reports

Read this guide to look more closely at your irrigation and storage costs for Potato enterprises.

In the video below AHDB’s Doreen Anderson talks to Oxfordshire arable farmer James Price about getting started with Farmbench. View the video to see the initial set up steps and how to prepare your data. This is the perfect starting point if you have decided to introduce Farmbench to your business.

Inputting your data

Gathering information is straightforward. You probably already have records of the data required.

You choose the level that suits you best. You can invest as much of your time as you like and go as far as you want to go.

Either: Look at the 10 most meaningful KPIs for each enterprise
Or: Enter all of your income and cost data and Farmbench will calculate cost of production and net margins for each enterprise

There are two types of information you can enter in to Farmbench.

Physical information

Examples include:

Number of cows/heifers bulled, number of calves born, calf weight and age at weaning, calving period
Number of ewes put to ram, scanning results, number of lambs reared, lamb sale weights
Areas and yields of combinable crops, potatoes or sugar beet grown etc
Total milk production, pence per litre, calving numbers, deaths, pregnancy rates

Financial Information

Examples include:

Sales income
Seed, fertiliser, feed, vet costs
Machinery costs, e.g. repairs, contracting, fuel
Property costs, e.g. repairs, electricity

The video below is a walk through Farmbench and a demonstration of how to set up unique enterprise details, how to input data correctly and navigate the programme. This detailed step-by-step will help you input data into Farmbench for the first time.

Reporting to aid business decisions

Farmbench allows you make an objective analysis of performance and explore the full impact on your bottom line.

The ultimate aim of Farmbench is to provide you with a better understanding of your own business and put you in control of your future. You will then be able to discuss and share best practice with others through Business Improvement Groups, before making evidence-based decisions to improve individual profitability and productivity. If you prefer you can use the reports generated by Farmbench to analyse your business agasint national, regional or market sector averages.

Thes video below illustrates the benefits of benchmarking and the value that Farmbench can add to your enterprise.