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FarmWizard – a Northern Ireland success story Software-based herd management tools are not new. However, this week’s launch of a new internet-driven resource from the University of Ulster-based IT operation FarmWizard genuinely does break new ground in this regard. The man behind the new venture is Terry Canning. A native of Co Armagh, and hailing from a dairy farming background, this electronic engineer - who cut his teeth in places like Silicon Valley - has come up with a ‘cutting edge’ idea that really does have the potential to meet the needs of the increasingly busy livestock producer. At its heart FarmWizard offers a real time herd management service that can be accessed by way of the worldwide web from the office PC or the mobile phone. What’s more, information generated courtesy of the system’s unique analytical capability can be accessed in an equally convenient and flexible way. “A herdowner can either upload or download information by way of his phone while he is out with his stock,” explained Terry Canning. “The system also updates all relevant APHIS on line information on behalf of clients. During the period ahead we will also be in a position to link in with all relevant milk recording and pedigree breed organisations operating in the UK.” He added: “A key attraction of the system is the fact that there is no requirement for clients to purchase CD ROMs and upload software onto their PCs. Everything is done by way of the internet – including initial registration. From a milk production perspective alone the need to keep accurate and updated herd records is well accepted. Poor fertility – caused in the main by herdowners missing heats – is costing the local dairy industry £50 million annually. The effective use of FarmWizard could go a long way to rectifying this problem. Clients signing up for the FarmWizard Service will be charged a basic fee of £15 per month. This will cover a free classifieds services plus full access to the management programmes on offer – herd management and breed cycle management. And Terry confirms that local livestock producers are already signing up for the new service. “Its attraction has been increased on the back of the campaign by DARD to encourage greater use of the worldwide web at farm level,” he added. Terry Canning believes that up to 60% of local farmer now have direct access to the internet and this figure is growing at a considerable rate. To date well over £100,000 has been invested to bring the FarmWizard programme to its current stage of development. From day one Terry Canning has worked closely with his investor colleague Keith Richmond. The project is a recipient of an Invest NI funded SMART Award with the FarmWizard team working out of incubator premises in the Harry Ferguson Engineering Centre, part of the University Of Ulster’s Jordanstown campus. “Further development is on the cards,” stressed Terry. “We are currently advertising for a sales manager as part of our target to have an additional eight staff employed in the context of our current business development plan.” However, Northern Ireland represents only a small part of the potential FarmWizard client base. “Our aim is to have 3,000 clients on our books within the foreseeable future,” concluded Terry Canning. “And to achieve this we need to break through into the international market. We have already had an encouraging response from Canada. But we will also be looking actively at other countries such as the United States, Australia and New Zealand.”
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