Unique System for Forecasting Farmers’ Financial Performance
07 August 2023
SimHerd has developed a unique simulation tool that can forecast the development of an individual farmer’s finances and dairy herd. For this tool, Virkplan has developed a completely new user interface that is both intuitive and user-friendly.
The SimHerd tool operates with no fewer than 2,200 parameters within production, disease occurrence, reproduction, and breeding strategy. Advisors can set up scenarios that illustrate the development of a farmer’s herd, including the financial consequences over a 10-year period.
15 Years of Research
The model is the result of 15 years of research at Aarhus University and has been used successfully since 2010 by veterinarians, advisors, and farmers across Scandinavia. The simulation tool can, for example, map the production and financial consequences of preventing specific diseases, optimizing insemination plans, and more. Based on these scenarios, advisors and farmers can jointly decide on the initiatives they believe are best for the herd and the overall business.
An Intuitive and User-Friendly System
After 11 years, the SimHerd tool had an outdated user interface. There was therefore a need for a new system using modern technologies and a contemporary user interface. Virkplan has developed an intuitive and user-friendly system that guides users along the way and makes the solution easy to use. At the same time, Virkplan’s business platform delivers Business Intelligence reports to the system.
Bodil Højlund Nielsen, Consultant, Veterinarian, and PhD at SimHerd, explains:
“We chose Virkplan to develop the system because we already knew them, and because both the financial terms and the chemistry were right. Virkplan has developed an intuitive system that helps users through the application via pop-up windows. This has made it much easier to use, and we no longer receive the same type of questions about how to use the system as before. Now, questions focus on what really matters—the many possibilities within the simulation tool and the parameters that can be adjusted.
The system went live in February 2023, and we are currently training users. I have high expectations for the system and expect it will be much easier to retain users compared to before, when we experienced too much user drop-off.”
Bodil Højlund Nielsen continues:
“We have had a very good collaboration with Virkplan throughout the development process, and we chose a cooperation model without a fixed-price offer, which allowed us to adjust the solution along the way. I am very pleased with that.”
Virkplan – Experts in System Development
Virkplan specializes in developing new systems using the latest technologies and a strong focus on usability. They have helped many companies replace outdated systems where uncontrolled growth and complexity have caused the solutions to function poorly—and, as a result, not be adopted by enough users.
SimHerd helps advisors and veterinarians optimize dairy farmers’ herds and financial performance. Using calculations from the SimHerd software, farmers receive qualified advice that clearly demonstrates the effects of management changes and is grounded in the latest research. The calculations make it easy for farmers to see the impact of initiatives on their herd and finances week by week over a 10-year period.
Read what our other customers say
Flexibility and visibility in the BI solution create significant value
Attent Facility Services has been using Virkplan’s BI solution together with CleanManager for several years and is highly satisfied. They particularly value the flexibility of the solution, which allows them to both dive deep into the numbers and quickly gain an overall overview.