How One Dairy Farmer Uses the Cloud to Stay Ahead

Farms, according to California dairy farmer Dino Giacomazzi, have the same fundamental need as any enterprise – to have the best information available quickly and the tools to analyze it. That way, farmers can make the best decisions for their cows, their families and their communities.

Important files, including anything from invoices to cow health records to environmental compliance documents, could be needed at any time on any day. Giacomazzi has made an investment in cloud-based tools so he can save time doing paperwork to better manage his operation near Hanford.   

Giacomazzi has invested in various tools he needs to create a mobile office – these days, his smartphone is one of his favorite management tools. He uses Genius Scan to create PDFs right away when his mail arrives, and other important files get uploaded right away and are available when he needs them from wherever he might be. He also coordinates his work and that of his employees with an assortment of cloud-based tools like Google Drive and Team Viewer. He keeps his billing information always up-to-date on Dropbox, so his finances never have to be an afterthought, even when he is in a barn, field or milking parlor.

Evernote is another of his favorites. The popular note-taking app works across his multiple devices so he can manage personnel information and travel records. For records that he hasn’t migrated to the cloud, TeamViewer lets him take control of his office computer and retrieve what he needs.

He even uses a free language app to help with communicate with Spanish-speaking employees and translate documents.

Giacomazzi has been so successful in adopting the modern tools of business efficiency that he now gives seminars on adopting new mobile technologies to other farmers. And farms are upgrading fast; while five years ago there might have been only a handful of smartphone users in the audience, today virtually every farmer has one.

With the variety of farm and business management apps available, farmers have the options they need to help ensure they keep their focus where it is needed most – keeping their herds healthy and making the highest quality milk they can.