Best Agriculture Apps for 2023 (Updated)

Matt Hopkins By Matt Hopkins|

Mobile apps have become so integral to our daily lives that most of us can’t imagine living without them. In fact, consumers in more than a dozen markets worldwide are now spending four to five hours per day in apps, according to a recent report from app intelligence firm data.ai. But to truly understand how mobile apps have become the center of our attention, we must first look back at when they finally went mainstream.

The first iPhone was released in 2007 – and soon after the first Android — and along with it came several pre-installed apps like Notes, Weather, and Calculator. This was just the tip of the iceberg. When the App Store went live in 2008, it “only” featured 500 apps. It now has more than 2 million apps available for download. Google Play started out with 50 apps and now has about 3.5 million apps available.

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Over the past 15 years, developers have created better versions of those mobile apps first launched in the early days of the app stores. Initially, apps were simple to use, offering some basic functions like calculation and recordkeeping. Then developers started to add more functions to stand out from the crowd. Unfortunately for users, this often led to feature fatigue. What began with a useful, focused app, had too many extraneous features over time.

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Fortunately, those bulkier, buggier apps have given way to a new development era of doing one thing and doing it well. A key catalyst to this trend has been app integration. Integration – or the process of enabling independently designed applications to work together — has also been quite popular in agriculture. More agtech companies are looking to partner with other app providers to give ag professionals the option of using the complete infrastructure behind their applications, ultimately leading to better results and improved productivity.

“From a developer perspective, it is much easier to create an app as part of an existing ecosystem and as an extension piece of other offerings, rather than as a standalone offering,” says Reinder Prins, Marketing Lead at Leaf Agriculture, which focuses on data infrastructure in agriculture through API services that are used to power many agtech apps. “From data backend to workflow and anything else involved, they don’t have to invent the wheel twice.”

While it used to be trendy for every agtech startup to create their own app, providers are realizing that users don’t want to deal with several different apps each day. Companies also are losing the appetite to invest in an app that only gets minimal usage. Not only is app integration bringing a lot to the table for developers, it is also allowing users to reap the benefits, says Prins, who was Chief Marketing Officer at Agworld prior to joining Leaf this past year.

“The user is the real winner here,” he says. “Nobody wants to use a plethora of apps and end up with data in a bunch of different silos that are not connected to each other. In this scenario, an app can either replace desktop software or become the in-field piece of a larger desktop offering. In both cases, the user will experience an increase in useability and extend their office away from the desk into the field, tractor, or wherever it may lead, without using a different provider or switching to a different ecosystem altogether.”

With more and more agtech providers integrating with other companies, where it makes sense, mobile app users are increasingly being put at the center of development strategies, Prins says. “If users have an agtech app that they already use every day, it can often make sense for other providers to work together with this incumbent provider instead of trying to force users to include another app in their daily routine,” he says.

A great example of successful app integration in agriculture has been the John Deere Operations Center. The popular open platform is now integrated with dozens of other agricultural apps, such as Intelinair’s AGMRI, Golden Harvest’s E-Luminate Mobile, and GeoPard, whereby farm data is connected directly to the Operations Center.

With AGMRI, for instance, seamless integration with the Operations Center is bi-directional: customers can import field boundaries, as planted, as applied, and yield maps directly into AGMRI while sending AGMRI alerts and imagery into the Operations Center. AGMRI users are alerted to emergence issues, early-season weeds, nutrient deficiencies, weather damage, water stress, disease outbreaks, and insect infestations, so they can make data-driven decisions that impact the current season and beyond.

In addition, AGMRI’s integration with the John Deere Operations Center has made it easier for Intelinair to collaborate with other industry leaders, like Yara North America and its Adapt-N nitrogen management tool. Through AGMRI’s integration with the Operations Center, variable rate information can be sent to the machine to precisely apply the right amount of nitrogen in precisely the right place to optimize the yield potential of each corn plant, ensuring an optimized nitrogen use efficiency and a more sustainably grown crop.

“Through a combination of Intelinair’s AGMRI early-season analytics around stand establishment and crop health, coupled with Yara’s Adapt-N science-based nitrogen modeling, we will enhance nitrogen management for corn for the next growing season,” says Tim Hassinger, Intelinair CEO. “Additionally, through this collaboration nitrogen insights will be automatically generated throughout the growing season and customized to management zones within each field. Farmers can adjust if needed to fit their budget, forecast, and management approach.”

Other recent examples include Bushel’s FarmLogs, which also connects to the John Deere Operations Center and Climate FieldView.

“Over the past year, we’ve continued to focus on making FarmLogs the easiest-to-use, most automated farm management software,” says Julia Eberhart, Public Relations & Communications Manager, Bushel. “Integration is at the forefront of our priorities for FarmLogs. By integrating with other agricultural software, Bushel is increasing productivity and saving time for growers. For example, we’re integrating with machine data providers (e.g., John Deere, Climate, CNH), reducing manual entry of fieldwork activities and inputs to FarmLogs.”

Successful integrations don’t happen without a mutually beneficial partnership, something that has been happening quite often in agriculture in recent years. For example, Rantizo, a precision ag company focused on providing drone application systems and services, formed a partnership with EFC Systems to integrate their FieldAlytics software into the workflows for drone application. Customers of both companies will have access to the integration starting this year.

Speaking of Bushel and EFC Systems, those two organizations also recently announced an integration partnership involving EFC’s Merchant Ag ERP software. This integration will allow agribusinesses to provide real-time business information through Bushel’s digital tools including its mobile app and web portal created specifically for agribusinesses.

Intelinair also recently joined the Leaf ecosystem as part of a collaboration agreement to better serve ag retailers and growers. “Through this collaboration, Intelinair adds more efficiency in integrating with OEM data sets, which allows AGMRI to provide more robust data analytics and insights to our customers,” says Kevin Krieg, Intelinair’s Director of Business Development. “This integration allows farmers and ag retailers to more easily access data and track field performance throughout the growing season which ultimately enables more timely decision making.”

Other Trends in Agriculture Apps

So where do agriculture apps go next? As we look ahead to 2023 and beyond, experts from several agtech companies offered their insight into the trends shaping mobile app development and what we can expect to see in agriculture.

One significant trend recently has been data connectivity, which goes hand-in-hand with app integration. “From where I sit, data connectivity is becoming increasingly important,” says Leaf’s Prins. “There are hundreds, if not thousands, of agtech startups out there that have an offering for their specific target audience, and a lot of them look at utilizing, processing, or integrating data from only a handful of key providers in the industry such as John Deere, Climate FieldView, and Planet Labs.

“In other words, these agtech startups almost entirely exist on the premise of being able to use data from a third party, as opposed to creating their own through in-field sensors or other technology, and adding value to this data in some way, shape, or form. This, in my opinion, is a change from only a couple of years ago when everyone seemed to want to deliver some kind of A to Z stand-alone solution. Some companies of course still have this mindset, but things are certainly changing.”

For app providers, Prins says, using third-party data as a base for a new offering is often cheaper and easier than collecting data in the field, and it also makes for quicker adoption. “And for users, the premise of having a new online tool or app pre-populated with their own data is also a lot more appealing than starting to use something where zero data exists yet,” he says.

There’s also been a greater emphasis on creating trust with app users from the outset, says Sasha Shayovitch, Head of Marketing at Prospera Technologies, which powers the Valley Insights app.

“The most prominent trends we are seeing involve a movement toward simple, quick, and intuitive flows, so there is no confusion or question as to what is being viewed or what action needs to be taken,” she says. “In addition, many apps are aiming to create an easier onboarding or ‘get started’ process, as well as showing the user quick value, which builds trust in the experience from there.”

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected almost every single facet of our world, and the mobile apps space was no exception, says Rob Weber, Marketing Manager at Software Solutions Integrated and the Grower360 app. “The pandemic changed us as consumers, and it had a ripple effect across many industries — ag included,” he says. “Think of how you shop on Amazon from your phone or tablet to quickly reorder or buy something. It is transferring over more and more to the agtech space where our partners and their customers expect a similar experience.”

Bushel’s Eberhart agrees, saying the trend toward mobile technology that promotes digital payments in agriculture is here to stay. “Digital payments will help move money through the agriculture supply chain much more quickly and sustainably than the paper checks that are used for billions of dollars in payments today,” she says. “Farmers won’t have to wait for checks to arrive in the mail. Further, they will be able to quickly pay for inputs, rent, and other farm expenses. And, digital records will make their end-of-year accounting easier.”

Finally, mobile apps that promote sustainability and environmental stewardship are also becoming more common in agriculture. One example of this trend shows up on this year’s list of best agricultural apps — Syngenta’s Cropwise Sustainability app. Featuring the Sustainable Outcomes in Agriculture (SOA) standard, the app enables growers to complete a self-assessment about their practices and receive a performance report, including a sustainability leadership score and actionable insights to identify how they can improve sustainability in their operations.

“Cropwise Sustainability brings together Syngenta, growers, and the industry through step-change improvements in digital ag, data, and analytics to support climate resiliency,” said Erik Fyrwald, CEO of Syngenta Group. “By helping farmers measure, benchmark, and maximize the impact of regenerative agriculture practices, growers can strengthen their sustainable productivity, operations, and outcomes.”

FarmLogs and the team at Bushel is also paying close attention to the evolving carbon market space over the past few years, highlighted by its recently announced integrations with Nori and Cargill RegenConnect. “We’ve partnered with sustainability program providers to make it easier for pertinent farmer-permissioned data to flow seamlessly from FarmLogs to those providers,” Eberhart says. “Using our Farm Production API connection, farmers can opt to share field-level data for consideration or enrollment in programs of interest. This substantially simplifies the process. While only used for sustainability programs thus far, we’re confident that other agribusinesses and their farmer customers can benefit from the ease of information flow provided by the Farm Production API.”

2023 List of Apps for Agriculture

I’ve once again researched and evaluated the newest farming apps available for Androids, iPads, iPhones, and more. The apps listed in the slideshow were either introduced or significantly updated in 2022. I’ve also included several older apps that may have been off your radar but are definitely worthy of downloading. Be sure to check out this year’s list of agriculture apps, many of which reflect the trends identified by our experts. Here’s a breakdown of what you can expect to find in the slideshow, which will receive updates throughout the year.

  • Total Apps Featured: 39
  • Recently Added: CropX, Smartwyre Selling Solution
  • New Apps (released within the last year): 16
  • Most Common Type: Precision Ag, Farm Management, Customer Service

Want more agriculture apps? Be sure to check out these other lists. If you have a favorite new app that is on my list or one that is not, tell me about it at [email protected] or post a comment below.

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Matt Hopkins is Senior Online Editor for the Agribusiness Group at Meister Media Worldwide (MMW), including such brands as CropLife, CropLife IRON, AgriBusiness Global, Global Agtech Initiative, and Cotton Grower. He is responsible for managing an array of digital products, including newsletters, websites, video, and social media. Hopkins originally joined MMW in 1994 as an editor for Greenhouse Grower magazine before transitioning to Business Manager of its MeisterPro division. He has a Communications Degree from Cleveland State University. See all author stories here.

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