NEXT Marketplace allows farmers to purchase inputs from various suppliers within their farm management system.
FarmFacts GmbH has enhanced its farm management platform NEXT Farming with an integrated online marketplace. The trading platform NEXT Marketplace provides farmers with the ability to obtain offers from, and conclude purchase and delivery contracts with various suppliers directly within their farm management system.
In the first market introduction phase, NEXT Marketplace will be available for the trading of mineral fertilisers to FarmFacts customers in Saxony and Thuringia (Germany). In the future, the platform will be regionally expanded and the product range will be broadened to include other products such as seeds or plant protection.
“The pressure for change in the agricultural business affects the entire industry, the individual farmer, as well as cooperatives and private agricultural dealers” says Gunnar Zinkhahn, CEO of FarmFacts GmbH. “Digitalisation offers us opportunities to create more efficient, quick, and transparent work processes while saving both time and money”.
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With the integrated NEXT Marketplace all market participants are to benefit from the advantages of new business models, says FarmFacts. NEXT Marketplace is an enhancement of the modular NEXT Farming software and free of charge for farmers. With NEXT Marketplace, users have the ability reach all participating dealers in their area of delivery with just one enquiry – even out of opening hours. The use of the software is also free for suppliers, with a sales commission being due only upon the conclusion of a trade transaction.
FarmFacts says this tendering process saves farmers unnecessary expenditures and time when buying resources. “Small traders do not need to invest in additional digital tools or own platforms, can increase commercial process efficiency, and pass on resulting price advantages to their customers.”
According to the company, NEXT Farming customers currently manage over 4 million hectares and use the NEXT Farming platform for agronomic optimisation and the planning and documentation of resource use. “Farm input purchasing is a part of farm mangement – the digital interlinking of the two within one platform is therefore logical”, says Zinkhahn. “We provide our customers with a way to use their data holistically and profitably, offering them a 360 degree interconnected solution”.