Project Overview
Commodities
Practices
- Education and Training: decision support system, technical assistance
- Farm Business Management: business planning, financial management
Proposal abstract:
Through farmer interviews conducted by HT Organic Solutions, a consistent challenge emerged. Records are often scattered and only pulled together when needed for taxes, inspections, or planning. Farmers understand the value of recordkeeping, but existing systems do not fit the reality of daily farm work.
Research highlights the extent of this gap. Recordkeeping is essential to informed decision-making, yet many small and mid-sized farms lack practical systems to maintain consistent, usable records. A 2024 MIT and Cornell Tech study found that farm data is often collected in siloed ways and rarely consolidated for meaningful analysis (Friedman et al.). At the same time, USDA data shows that 86% of U.S. farms are small family farms, many operating on margins below 10% ("Family-Owned Farms"). This leaves little room for inefficiencies or untracked costs. Across interviews, farmers described records that are incomplete, inconsistent, and difficult to use.
To address this challenge, HT Organic Solutions developed Pocket Gofer, a convenient, text-based recordkeeping system designed to fit into the natural flow of farm work. Farmers and their crews send simple text messages from their phones while working. These messages are processed using generative AI and converted into structured records that are returned in a familiar, spreadsheet-ready format. By removing the need to transfer or re-enter data, the system is designed to improve consistency, timeliness, and usability of farm records.
Working with 20 farms across the Northeast, this project will conduct an on-farm evaluation to assess whether reducing challenges to data collection leads to more consistent recordkeeping, greater confidence in data accuracy, and more informed decision-making. Participating farms will complete a baseline assessment, onboard to Pocket Gofer, and engage in ongoing data collection supported by monthly check-ins. Historical records from the 2026 growing season will be standardized to allow for comparison over time.
The project will measure changes in recordkeeping behavior, time use, confidence in data accuracy, and how farmers use their records to inform decisions. Findings will be shared through a summary of key lessons learned, a white paper, and presentations through farmer conferences and partner networks.
By focusing on ease of use and real-world conditions, this project aims to identify practical, replicable approaches to improving recordkeeping adoption. Strengthening how farms collect and use data can improve operational insight, support better decision-making, and enhance the economic and social sustainability of small and mid-sized farms.
Project objectives from proposal:
Objective 1:
Evaluate whether reducing challenges to real-time data capture increases the frequency and consistency of recordkeeping among participating farms across two growing seasons, including one baseline season and one full implementation season.
Objective 2:
Assess whether simplified recordkeeping improves the completeness, organization, and usability of farm records for operational and financial purposes, including planning, reporting, and working with service providers such as accountants or lenders.
Objective 3:
Determine whether access to more timely and organized records supports farmer decision-making, including changes to labor management, production practices, and resource allocation.
Objective 4:
Document how farmers adopt and use convenient recordkeeping approaches in real-world conditions, including challenges , supports, and patterns of use, to identify practical and replicable strategies for similar farms.
Objective 5:
Share findings through a white paper, farmer-focused presentations, and partner networks to support broader learning and adoption of effective, convenient recordkeeping practices across the Northeast.