LINKFRESH Signs Major Software Deal

VENTURA, Calif. – Food supply chain software specialist LINKFRESH Inc. has signed a major deal which could be worth up to $5 million in joint revenues with Illinois-based FamilyFarms Group.

FamilyFarms Group is a farmer-owned organization focused on delivering business solutions for agricultural producers with a mission of “keeping families on the farm.” The company works with producers in 19 US states and four Canadian provinces, and will introduce LINKFRESH Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software to both current members and potential new members who will benefit from the increased visibility that a true ERP solution brings to improve processes and maximize profits. Furthermore, the solution will help independent farmers in the row crop industry to remain competitive, successful and independent through increased business efficiency.

Speaking about the new deal, the CEO of LINKFRESH Inc. in North America, Robert Frost, said: “FamilyFarms Group is a fantastic company that has developed a strong reputation in North American farming thanks to its highly-effective business support that spreads best practice expertise to independent farmers. The fact that the company, which itself uses LINKFRESH ERP, sees the software as so business critical that it now wants to introduce it to member companies is a ringing testimonial.”

FamilyFarms Group CEO, Allen Lash, has over 48 years of affiliation with AgriSolutions, a financial consulting and agribusiness services provider. AgriSolutions was acquired by FamilyFarms Group in January 2015. Lash, along with FamilyFarms Group Executive Vice President Harold Birch are uniquely positioned and qualified to help initiate a comprehensive ERP system for agricultural producers.

“Crop agriculture is changing. To think, we as crop producers, can use old technology in a precision ag environment and succeed is a mistake,” said Lash. “At FamilyFarms Group, we researched several ERP platforms and chose Microsoft Dynamics NAV and LINKFRESH. LINKFRESH is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner and has more ERP experience than anyone else in the vegetable, fruit and food industry.”

Mike Kalisvaart, owner of Kalco Farms in Gibbons, Alberta Canada, is one of FamilyFarms Group members operating the ERP system. Kalisvaart has seen positive results and is confident the ERP system will be an instrumental tool in helping Kalco Farms grow.

“The ERP system has centralized all of our farm activity and eliminates a lot of overlap between multiple pieces of software and spreadsheets,” said Kalisvaart. “Using the ERP has forced us to take our management processes to a higher level. The way we interact with the software has given us new insights into gaps in our processes which have caused increased costs and inefficiencies. The platform is sophisticated and customizable, allowing us to track field activity, organize daily tasks, weigh grain in the field or in the yard, and track multiple levels of inventory. Additionally, we have found the ERP’s accounting package to be comprehensive, intuitive and structured logically.”

“Effective ERP software helps at every step of the cycle to planning the optimum crop size, planting times, as well as streamlining harvest and distribution meaning farming businesses become efficient, effective and more profitable,” said Frost. “With such an expansive network in North America, we are excited to work more closely with FamilyFarms Group to help its network of farmers.”

The move to work more extensively within the row crop industry marks a bold new step for LINKFRESH as it expands into a relatively untapped sector.

The deal has the potential to lead to uptake of LINKFRESH software to many new crop producing clients and represents a major coup for the ERP software firm in the US.

For more information about LINKFRESH and the enterprise resource planning software the firm offers visit www.linkfresh.com For more details on LINKFRESH please visit www.linkfresh.com.

About LINKFRESH

LINKFRESH combines its expertise in information technology and the fresh food industry to meet the global demand for fresh, affordable and safe food in the most cost-effective way, enabling the food supply chain to grow and prosper responsibly. A reliable and proven ERP solution, LINKFRESH delivers produce-specific inventory control and traceability solutions across the whole food supply chain and helps balance supply and demand for the food supply chain in real-time.

LINKFRESH Inc. is based in California and has locations in both North America and Europe and deploys systems globally through an established partner network.

LINKFRESH is a leading software and IT consultancy group providing Microsoft Dynamics ERP solutions. LINKFRESH is also a Microsoft Gold Partner and one of only 25 Microsoft Global Independent Software Vendor (GISV) Partners.

About FamilyFarms Group

FamilyFarms Group, established in 2006 and headquartered near St. Louis, MO, is owned by its member teams and represents more than 1.5 million acres of row crop production throughout North America. FamilyFarms Group is committed to delivering business solutions for agricultural producers to preserve their legacy now and for future generations. Participating together with a singular purpose, FamilyFarms Group can achieve what individual producers cannot – accumulation of enough acres, knowledge, technology, and capital to successfully compete globally.

Source: LINKFRESH