Farmers tend to work independently by completing everything by themselves in every aspect of their business. AgriGater is a decision support tool designed to help farmers and their advisors plan, discuss and explore the best options for the production year.

AgriGater 3 is provided free of charge, courtesy of the Victorian Government and the Department of Primary Industries, Victoria.

Select these links to explore the features of the AgriGater packages:

Common features

Special features

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AgriGater is based on the farm production system and users the farming practice entered to calculate gross margins, cost of production, cash flow, profit/loss and equity balance.  This new approach to planning can help farmers to not only plan the production year but also reduce risk. AgriGater can be used to generate scenarios to estimate inputs and estimate outputs. 

Entry of Operation and Input costs

The entry of "Operation" and "Inputs" into AgriGater means that users do not need to have records or details about their cost of production. Farmers are required to know their management plans and simply select from the list of operation and input options.


In calculating farm costs users select their management operations from an editable list

 

All lists and costs in AgriGater can be edited easily ...  ... as can input costs

Paddock Management - Select your own products and rates

AgriGater allows for any product to be used at any rate. The package is not a model, and does not dictate best management practice or any specific farming system. AgriGater is designed to help farmers determine their real input costs and plan for a successful production year, regardless of there management practice.

AgriGater is a powerful and dedicated calculator, designed to do all of the calculations that will enable farmers to assess their level of risk, plan their paddock management and understand their business performance.


For every operation users select one or more inputs from an editable list.

Business Management - Its all in the budget

The AgriGater budgets are based on the income and expenses incurred in the month that the operation is completed. This means that AgriGater allows farmers to make up any scenario to see the effects of different decisions on the performance of the farming business.

The farm production cycle does not match the tax cycle. AgriGater scenarios can run for any 12 month period, and the first month of the period can be set by farmer. For each and every scenario, AgriGater gives the user the flexibility to start their production management cycle at the start of any month in the calendar year.


Users can select the month that their production system should start

Capital and Non Production Costs - enter your financial information

AgriGater enables farmers to explore the effects of the business outside the day to day management. AgriGater allows farmers to see the effects of machinery and equipment depreciation, off farm income, overheads, loans and drawings on the bottom line of the business.

AgriGater knows that gross margins don't tell the whole picture of the farming business. When it comes to entering this information, it is better to be realistic and enter as much detail as you can to see how the business is really going.


Considering the effect of the capital and non production costs is essential to understanding business health

Land Tenature - Enter the land you farm

List the land you own, lease or share farm in the land section of the Capital Module. This is needed for the production modules to choose the paddocks or blocks for each operation.

AgriGater also uses this information to calculate equity and cash flow effects.

User enter land managed into the Capital Module ...  ... and associated cash transaction can be added

Copy, Share and Duplicate Scenario data - making less work for you

AgriGater scenarios can be emailed to advisors, finance managers and family members by using the export/import functions. Furthermore, the duplicate function means that once the effort has been made to create a farm plan or analysis, a simple click of the 'Duplicate Scenario' button makes an exact duplicate of the scenario. This duplicate scenario can then be altered to create an alternate plan, enabling the farmer to consider a new approach to the farm business.

Production Focused

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AgriGater Broadacre is designed for the Grains, Pasture, Sheep and Beef industries. AgriGater allows farm business of any mixed enterprise to explore the business aspects of their entire business.

Whether a grain farmer, a sheep farmer producing some grain or a large scale cattle producer, all business mixes can use AgriGater Broadacre to explore the drivers of their farming business.


AgriGater Broadacre Main Menu

Broadacre Crops (and Pasture)

There are numerous tabs for entering information for all of the activities associated with a particular paddock or crop for the year. For those who are new to computer programs, a tab is simply a heading option.

The "details" tab provides the summary; the other tabs are all used for entering information that occurs at a particular time of the cropping or grazing year, being "Preparation", "Summer", "Presowing", "Sowing", "Growing", "Harvest", and "Marketing".


AgriGater Broadacre Crop (and Pasture) module

Livestock

The Livestock module in AgriGater divides the production system into "Stock Trading", "Husbandry" and "Supplementary Feeding" modules. The sheep module has a section for entering "Shearing" details to take into account the wool costs and sales.


Stock trading section of Livestock Module

 

Water Management

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AgriGater is designed for the horticulture industry inparticular the management and allocation of water usage.  The grower can select their crop from a range of options from oranges and apples, to potatoes and lettuce.  Irrigation water is a critical part of the horticulture farm business so being able to effectively manage and plan for irrigation water is essential. 

 
AgriGater Horticulture Water Module

In the water module costs are divided in to fixed and supply. Fixed costs are paid irrespective of the amount of supply, and supply costs are only incurred if the water source is used in crop management. Dividing these costs and allocating them appropriately across the business plan is vital to understanding the effects of water infrastructure and use in the farming businesses.

Business and Risk Analysis

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AgriGater provides farmers with a range of useful business and risk analysis tools that can be used to see the effects of farming methods and business decisions.

Once management plans are described in the scenario data, the information is loaded into the business and risk analysis modules for detailed report on aspects of business health and risk.

Retirement and Succession Analysis

The Retirement and Succession analysis, developed with assistance from RMCG Consultants, is designed to addresses the following three key questions vital to this area:

By adjusting the costs of the business, the effects of different management practices on a farmer's likelihood to retire can be looked at. Using this tool, farmers and consultants can develop plans that will give farmers the best opportunity to retire.


Retirement Health and Succession Module

Business Health Analysis

The Business Health Analysis assesses how the farm is positioned in terms of profit and loss, equity and liquidity. These three key areas combined tell the full story of farming business health.

 
Business Health Analysis

Reports

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AgriGater has a series of reports available to the user.

The reports include: