Harvest Runs Smoother at Quantum Dairy with WeighComp
For many dairy farms, harvest is one of the busiest and most demanding times of the year. Crews are spread thin between the fields, shop and the farm – all while ensuring the day-to-day responsibilities of caring for the herd go uninterrupted. It’s one of the many reasons why finding even the simplest ways to work a little smarter or save a few minutes during the season can pay off.
At Quantum Dairy in Wisconsin, harvest means all hands on deck. The 4,200-head operation farms 3,550 acres annually, and like many dairies, coordinating all the moving parts of harvest once proved challenging.
Less time in the scale house, more time where it counts
One of the biggest harvest hurdles for Quantum Dairy was managing the scale house. Every forage load had to be manually entered into an Excel spreadsheet, which meant someone needed to be available throughout the day to record tickets as trucks crossed the scale.
When they had a dedicated person in the scale house, the process worked. But when they didn’t, the responsibility fell to whoever could take it on, whether that was someone from the office or a member of the crop team stepping away from fieldwork.
“It was Anna, our partner’s wife, and me bringing kids into the scale house to try to manage it at the same time,” recalled Josey, one of the owners and office manager at Quantum Dairy. “We were trying to watch kids in the tiny little shack and it just wasn’t going very well.”
Josey continued, “It also wasn’t efficient as far as having the crop guys in there when they would really like to be out in the field getting stuff done,” Josey said. “Ultimately, we needed something that was more efficient and safer.”
After implementing WeighComp, Quantum Dairy completely eliminated the need for someone to be physically present in scale house. Using the app, drivers now quickly select the field they’re coming from and record load information as they cross the scale. WeighComp then creates an electronic record automatically.
The change not only frees up labor at Quantum Dairy, but also gives their custom harvesting crew more flexibility to start when the conditions are right, without having to wait around for someone to manage the scale.
Improved accuracy and better visibility
Before WeighComp, every forage load was hand-entered into an Excel spreadsheet. After each harvest, Josey spent hours reviewing records because even a simple typo could make a big difference in feed inventory numbers and payments to growers.
“I would dedicate a whole day – probably six to eight hours after every harvest – just going back and looking over all those loads,” Josey explained.
Today, with drivers utilizing WeighComp’s app from the cab of their truck, Josey finds fewer data-entry errors and the rest of the team benefits from real-time access to harvest data. One feature Josey says their crop manager uses regularly is the ability to monitor harvest progress and see field and chopper performance on the spot.
“He can jump on, select the field and see exactly how many acres we’ve chopped,” she said. “He’s not waiting on me or trying to do the math manually.”
Smoother inventory tracking 365 days a year
While harvest was the primary reason Quantum Dairy implemented WeighComp, they also use it year-round to manage commodity deliveries, inventory and feed contracts.
“The contract tracking has been very slick,” Josey said. “I know exactly where we are in our contracts and can match everything right there as I’m entering and reconciling loads.”
Because WeighComp integrates with their feed software from VAS, inventory updates flow between systems automatically. Instead of entering information in multiple places, the team can rely on numbers from either system, knowing they’re both accurate and up to date.
One of Josey’s favorite WeighComp features is the summary view, which gives a quick snapshot of crops, commodities and deliveries all in one view.
“I can log into any crop or commodity and it’s right there for me to view on one screen,” she says. “I’m not going to four different places to try to figure it out.”
For Quantum Dairy, the biggest benefit comes down to simpler workflows. With less manual work, improved accuracy and more visibility, it’s one less moving piece to manage during a busy season.
“We now look forward to [harvest] because it always goes very smooth for us.” she said. “We’re very thankful for it.”
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