How Blending Software Optimizes Every Aspect of Ag Retail

Technology continues to improve and integrate nearly every aspect of agriculture. Blending software is no exception.

“More ag business software suites are moving towards application programming interfaces (API) integration vs. file-based integration,” says Nate Wittmaack, President and Chief Operating Officer, Ranco. “There are many benefits to this approach, and we see it as a positive change.”

“Utilizing the sales software order (ticket) as the source of truth and transmitting that information electronically reduces the possible error in translating between sources of info,” Wittmaack continues. “This helps ensure that the grower ultimately gets what they were sold and helps reduce the risk of out of spec blends or deliveries.”

Ensuring accuracy has numerous benefits.

“Creating efficiencies and ensuring accuracy continue to be a driving force, but how that’s accomplished has evolved,” says Kendra Bullock, Product Manager, Software Solutions Integrated (SSI). “Integrations have always been important, and now, as blender companies adopt the use of the API, the efficiencies have improved even more. The use of APIs has become the standard, and we continue to see a steady usage growth of our API.

Benefits

“Utilizing the sales software order (ticket) as the source of truth and transmitting that information electronically reduces the possible error in translating between sources of info,” Ranco’s Wittmaack says. “This helps ensure that the grower ultimately gets what they were sold and helps reduce the risk of out of spec blends or deliveries.”

When it comes to delivering product that “truth” must be understood by all aspects of the supply chain.

“In the past few years, crop advisors have embraced the use of web-based tools to create orders in the field and serve their customers faster, while operations have developed a strong desire to go paperless across their entire process,” says Spencer Hammer, Sales Account Manager, SSI. “Salespeople, operations staff, accounting staff, and growers all appreciate the seamless process across a fully integrated solution.”

As the saying goes, time is money, blending software is one way to save time.

“Ag retailers see cost savings with the shift from third party file sharing tools to the API which allows for low maintenance, fast, safe, and secure communication between systems,” says Mike Barringer, Agronomy Support Team Manager, SSI. “As blenders become more precise, exact weights are captured and sent back to our program ensuring inventory quantities are correct and up-to-date. Through use of blender automation and a fully integrated program like Agvance, retailers have the peace of mind that their operations are running efficiently, and inventory is managed accurately.”

Adoption

“If end-users are excited about the benefits and the positive results of advancements in technology then they tend to achieve success in adopting,” Ranco’s Wittmaack says. “If the end-users are resistant then results tend to be mixed.”

Blending software helps mitigate labor issues.

“With turnover challenges industry-wide, ag retailers appreciate the user-friendly experience of our blending software,” says SSI’s, Bullock. “Agvance is purposefully designed to be quick and easy to learn and requires almost no training. Users are up to speed and working right away.”

Software solutions work across a growers’ ag needs.

“Agvance is a mature, fully integrated ERP across our full suite of products,” says SSI’s Hammer. “For ag retailers we have pre-season ordering and forecasting, inventory and prepay management, accounts receivable, and dispatching for operations. Agvance SKY has a comprehensive mobile solution for ag retailers. For growers, Agvance provides a grower portal with web access to history and the ability to make online payments. With an open API that drives our integration, ag retailers have more flexibility to integrate their other systems.”

Opportunities

“Achieving more control over inventory is important,” says Ranco’s Wittmaack. “Existing facilities that were installed pre-software integration days can benefit from these solutions retroactively. We continue to field inquiries about upgrading existing sites with integrations. I foresee this continuing.”

The team at SSI agrees that technology will continue to improve the process.

“Agvance Blending is housed securely in the cloud giving users the flexibly to use a desktop or web interface on any device that best fits their workflow, whether in the office or out in the field,” says Randy Forrette, Sales Account Manager, SSI. “The accessibility of our software allows users to work from anywhere, be more efficient and better serve their customers. It’s no longer necessary to go back to the office to enter or update an order.”

In the post COVID world, many employees continue to work remotely.

“End users are quick to recognize the value created by automation,” says  Colt Silvers, Vice President of Business Development, Kahler Automation. “We launched a product called LOADPASS last year, demonstrating this very well. Early adopters saw a dramatic decrease in the time trucks spend on-site waiting for loadout. By empowering drivers to check in before arrival and removing any need to exit their vehicles, these organizations realize the full potential of their blending systems with little to no downtime. A large number of industry counterparts have quickly taken notice and adopted this technology.”

So, software adoption continues to grow.

“The web-based, user-friendly Agvance app, SKY Order, is experiencing significant growth,” says SSI’s Bullock. “Adoption rates between 2023 and 2024 have tripled in the latter months of the year showing its popularity and value among our users.  We continue to include end users in our development process and honor their feedback to ensure our products are easy to use and meet their needs.”

These tools benefit growers in a variety of ways.

“With increased fertilizer costs, forecasting and maintaining tighter control of inventory is critical, and tools like Agvance are more important than ever,” says SSI’s Hammer. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen companies even more attracted to our solution because it provides the data necessary to help our customers make important decisions through every step of their process.”

The Retailer Role

“As a leader in blending software, SSI continues to focus on improving the efficiency and profitability of our customers and positively impacting the ag industry,” Barringner says. “The use of APIs will continue to grow among manufacturers and between software partners, allowing retailers to take advantage of opportunities to differentiate themselves from competitors. Additionally, SSI recognizes that mobility is key and Agvance users can expect a highly mobile and streamlined set of tools for all areas of their business. Agvance users can also expect additional data analysis tools and dashboards that can be easily shared with their stakeholders to make faster, more informed decisions.

“Logistics is an excellent opportunity for growth,” Barringer continues. “The continued development of mobile tools will better connect each of the job roles that interact with blending software. Users will benefit from scheduling and communication enhancements that deliver a better vision of orders as they flow through the organization and ensure efficient product delivery.

“One of the primary challenges will be mergers and acquisitions in the industry. In addition, with the ag sector’s financial outlook in the coming year, the decision to increase spending to upgrade equipment and technology could be challenging,” Barringer says.

“At SSI, our goal is to provide the best product to our customers based on the decades of real-world retail experience our staff has, along with feedback and innovative ideas from our customers,” Barringer continues. “Customers are excited about the flexibility of a web-based program and confident in the security of hosting data in the cloud with the benefit of automated back-ups and disaster recovery. Use of APIs and additional connectivity across systems will lead to even more efficiency and advancements in our industry. We look forward to a bright future and strong partnerships with our blending partners and customers.”