MyEasyFarm is a precision farming startup based in Bezannes (near Reims, France) and founded by two brothers: Jean-Baptiste and François Thierart.
The company is developing an online platform that facilitates data exchange between agricultural equipment and centralizes precision farming solutions (machines, weather sensors, decision-support software, etc.) on a single interface. This is what we call a “FMIS (Farm Management Information System)”. This platform also has its own functionalities, such as planning, cost evaluation, equipment tracking and, above all, management of both plots and what happens within them (intra-plot management). The idea is to make it easier for farmers to manage their operations and improve their competitiveness and profitability, while preserving the environment.
The company is also developing
- “My Easy Carbon”, an advisory application (known as OAD, decision support) based on the Label Bas Carbone Grandes Cultures (Low Carbon Label for Field Crops)
- “My Easy Viti”, which seems to be based on the same principle as MyEasyFarm, but specialized for viticulture.
I won’t mention it here, as it seems secondary.
Source : www.myeasyfarm.com
Source : www.myeasyfarm.com
The co-founder, Francois Thierart, answered my questions about his project.
Interview with Francois Thierart, co-founder of MyEasyFarm
Here’s my transcript of our discussion.
- What’s the ROI for farmers?
We’re in the process of assessing the exact impact, but overall, a number of articles estimate fertilizer and sowing modulation [varying the spacing between sowings depending on the zone] at a saving of several tens of euros per hectare. For example, an article in the newspaper La Coopérative estimates savings of €80. Modulating fertilization: 30/40
We also save an enormous amount of time filling out PAC / Phyto reports. These are very cumbersome and tedious formalities: having them pre-filled is a real relief for farmers.
- How long does it take to learn how to use your platform?
We designed our software to be as easy to use as possible (hence the name :p). In general, basic functions are mastered almost instantly. The more advanced functions sometimes require a little support, but this never exceeds 1 or 2 hours.
- What are the crops for which your solution is optimal? Do you have the global volume (= the size of the market it represents)?
We mainly target farms with modern equipment, which are generally those with more than 100 hectares. There are 100,000 such farms in France. We estimate our market at €40 million a year for France and €260 million for Europe.
- Your solution sounds really great. What’s stopping it from being implemented on every farm?
The main obstacle is that digital farming hasn’t yet entered the mainstream. It’s hard to popularize the benefits of this solution.
- Do you have any contacts in the farming world?
We use intermediaries such as cooperatives and equipment dealers to reach farmers.
- Who are your competitors? In France?
Our main competitor is FieldView. Our big advantage over them is that they belong to Bayer, whereas we are independent and have the “DataAgri” label, because we guarantee that the data we collect will not be resold or used for commercial targeting. The difference is radical.
There’s also FarmFacts, but we don’t think they’re a threat. [NdA: Indeed, when you see their site…]
- Can you tell me about your strengths in general?
We’re one of only 5 companies [platforms?] with ISOBUS certification. This is an international standard that enables us to communicate with a large proportion of the world’s agricultural equipment.
We can manage plots square meter by square meter, and not just plot by plot like most of our competitors.
News
MyEasyFarm is part of La Ferme Digitale and is present at agricultural trade shows (Salon de l’Agriculture, Salon des ETA, Sitevi, Sommet de l’élevage, Innov’Agri, etc.).
Very interesting functionalities
MyEasyFarm supports farmers on a daily basis, enabling them to make the right decisions and be more efficient in optimizing competitiveness and profitability, while preserving the environment.
https://www.myeasyfarm.com/
MyEasyFarm is an aggregator of applications that provides farmers with a global vision of their operation. It’s also interesting for creators of precision farming solutions, who see their user experience improve considerably. There are many functionalities. You have several aspects:
- a managerial dimension (which equipment to assign to which people for which tasks, automated documentation)
- an administrative/managerial dimension (knowing your costs, managing your plots, etc.)
- an agronomic dimension (weather, input modulation, ISOBUS interoperability with farm equipment to receive data, data analysis, etc.)
This facilitates farm management and enables farmers to optimize their day-to-day decisions autonomously. By increasing yield per unit of input, the farmer improves profitability while preserving the environment.
An ecosystem role?
Personally, however, it’s the potential ecosystemic dimension that appeals to me. The aggregation function means that MyEasyFarm is, or could be, the intermediary between precision farming products and their user experience, which would be a very strong position.
At the same time, it brings value to all stakeholders, farmers and solution producers alike.
Couldn’t MyEasyFarm bring farmers and entrepreneurs together, for example through events or feature articles, training courses, etc.? Partnerships could be forged with the many players in the agritech sector, who could act as relays for new solutions. What’s more, by being in close contact with a wider variety of customers, each company’s solutions could improve even further.
Quite logically, with this partnership-building role, solutions designed would be optimized for MyEasyFarm (and vice versa). This social position can be an extremely solid moat. This is all the more true as the market is very young and very promising. Moving fast is going to be decisive.
I’m not an expert in these social relationships and don’t know this sector inside out, but it sounds like a great idea.
All in all, MyEasyFarm could become the HUB of precision agriculture and considerably accelerate its development. A potential unicorn? It’s very possible, only time will tell. 🙂
I hope you enjoyed this article. Don’t hesitate to tell me what you think of my analysis 😉