KISS - "Krop Information Sorting System"
The only crop tracking program specially designed for dairy farms that address nutrient management and gives a detailed P&L statement by crop, by field, by acre, by ton AF & DM.
No other crop software can do all this!
Retail $ = See Dealer or Call (585)356-2789


Introduction -
The purpose of this software is to give you a detailed and accurate account of the cost to put up your crops.

A detailed P&L statement is included in the program that will give you data by field, by crop and by ton on an AF basis or DM basis.

No other program on the market specifically deals with DAIRY FARMS and fully addresses manure management costs
like this program does.

This program, as well as all LINK Software, was built by input from farmers over the course of many years and is continually
refined by their input.

Click on the picture to enlarge it

"KISS" - Introduction This is the introductory page. On every page you only enter data where there is a white background. Cells that do not have a white background are protected form having formulas accidentally over written. All help files are directly accessible on the page that they apply to - no trying to find what you want from a long list in a help menu. Simply roll your mouse over the yellow squares and the help pops up and goes away when you roll the mouse off the square. The large yellow rectangles are macros buttons. Several macros have been added to make large tasks easy to accomplish

"Crop" This page is your initial crop setup page. You can set up 25 different crops. You give each crop an abbreviation that it will be addressed by thorough out the program (up to 3 letters). For harvest purposes, you can enter 2 different truck sizes and an average weight for each crop. You may also use a scaled weight on the "Harvest" page. Total yield are calculated and reported here. You may also set up zones in which to put fields. The zone multiplier will then help get a more accurate picture of cost based on how far the field is from the bunk or lagoon.

"Hist" - History Here is where you set up all your individual fields. Name, number, acres, map #, crop history and rotation all go here. The top picture shows how the little down arrows on the blue filter bar work. These filters are the power of the program. When you click on one a list of what is in that column will appear. When you click on one of the entries in the list, all other fields that don't contain matching data will be hidden leaving you a filtered list of just what you asked for. Several different columns can be filtered together to narrow down the list of fields. At the top of each list is "All". Clicking on "All" will restore all the fields to the full viewable list. The second picture shows how drop down menus are used within the program to provide quick, helpful information or totals. The third picture shows how tags are used for quick helps. When you roll your mouse over the red triangles at the top of each column, a blue box will appear with a tip to tell you what goes in that column. Note that from now on, all the data you entered on the "Hist" page is brown colored on a gray/green background on all other tabs. That is because you only enter data in one place and it is then carried throughout the program. You may still filter these columns here even though you cant change that data here. Also note that if you try to type in one of these colored cells, a box will appear telling you that you may only change green information on a white background. NOTE: All pages print just as they look on the screen except in B&W. You don't have to search a list of reports to find the report you want to print.

"Own-1" - Ownership #1 This is where you enter data that is used by government agencies to define your field. Tract #s, Farm #, HEL (Highly Errodable), Soil Type and the location of the field are all logged here. Ownership basics are also logged here. Whether owned or rented and the annual value of the field per acre. Drainage class is reported after looking up the soil from a database hidden elsewhere. Total cost of the field is calculated here and here you can filter for owned or rented land.

"Own-2" - Ownership #2 Here you have a place to log all the people you rent from (up to 50 people). Names, addresses, phone #s, cost, SS #s, Track & Tax ID #s as well as when payments are due and then the contracts start & end. You can put EVERYTHING in one program! Filtering for a specific person is done by using the filter button on the far left. Names associated with numbers from which to choose are automatically listed on the far right.

"FSA" - Farm Service Agency This page has no data entry but brings data in from many other pages. This is the page you can take to the FSA office to report planting acres as well as harvest dates & yields. Note that on the far right are 2 empty columns and above "Grain Acres" & "Silage Acres" are 2 empty white cells with red note markers. If you put an "X" in those 2 white cells (as the cell note will tell you), the % Dry Matter that you logged on the "Harvest" page will appear in the columns to the right. Some people prefer not to show the government the actual % DM and use an average number instead. This gives you the option. If you filter for "C" under the "Current Crop", you will see only the corn fields. You can print those pages and then change the filter to "H" and print a list of only the hay fields. "Manu-1" This is where you enter the list of manure sources and spreaders from which to choose on the next 2 pages. Data entry is made easy because from now on Lagoon #1 is known as 1 and Dry Cow Barn is known as 3. Annual manure analysis for each source goes here as well as the predicted production of each source based on the number of animals. This number is what is reported in your C.A.F.O. plan. The key is to match the totals applied to the predicted totals. The government wants to know where all of it is planned to go. PROACTIVE management, not REACTIVE management. The newest version now accepts 20 sources and 12 different spreaders and 2 irrigation systems. Cost to spread is also based from this page either on a per gallon basis or a per bushel basis. There is a place here to enter the CAFO predicted production of each source and it will automatically calculate where you stand according to those values. "Manu-2" - Manure 2 This page is your manure PLAN. Here you will plan how many gallons to put where. After filling in the white cells you will be able to see the nutrient load per acre for each field. Note that to have Ammonia N contribution accumulate you must both till it in and select Spring for the season. Even if you till manure in during the fall, it's Ammonia N will not be credited for here. Total gallons for each source are automatically logged back on the "Manu-1" page. Above you can see the season totals and determine if they are manageable or not. You can plan for 2 different sources to be applied to the same field (liquids & solids) For simple data entry you can filter for a specific crop (corn for example), type the gallons per acre in the first field (8,000 for example) and then copy that cell down to the last field seen. Now if you select "All" from the top of the filter selection, all fields will appear but only the corn fields will have 8,000 gals. per acre entered. Cost per acre and per field are calculated based on the information you entered on the "Manu-1" page. You can choose to see the cost multiplied by the zone multiplier or not. "Manu-3" - Manure 3 This is your working log of ACTUAL manure applied. Here you can see what you put in your plan compared to how much you actually put on. You can apply 10 different times per field (each section appears to the right of Application #1 and asks the same question). If you are taking a few days to cover a field you probably will want to enter the total applied as 1 application and give it just 1 date. When entering data you must enter date, source #, spreader # and the number of loads (both source and spreader numbers are chosen from your master list on "Manu-1") (all of which will automatically appear on the manure spreading form on the "Forms" page). If you set a base in the white cell labeled Excess Base, a red bomb will appear for each field that exceeds the plan by the base percentage set (your plan is also shown on this page) Actual cost of manure application is shown and you can choose whether or not to use the Zone Multiplier. Actual nutrient loads are also shown here. "Soil-1" This page is where you enter the soil analysis for the current sample. Ranges can be set for each nutrient according to the lab that analyzed the sample. 4 user defined nutrients are at the right. This page is great for filtering high Phos. fields to segregate them for specific management practices. "Soil-2" This page has very little data entry. Here you can see the potential yield of your particular soil type and adjust your nutrient needs accordingly (based on the soil type entered on the "Own-1" page). If you use the blocks at the upper right then click on the button labeled "Accept Requirements", the Suggested Requirements (gathered from those blocks) will move to the Crop Requirements columns. Changing the Bushel Per Ton will change the CS -Tons/Acre (Corn Silage). "Lime" This is where you enter the lime applied to each field or field section. The Calcium to Magnesium Ratio is calculated from data entered on the "Soil-2" page. If you apply lime to the entire field, enter the tons per acre in the Tons/Acre column. If you only apply lime to a portion of the field, you can split the field into sections and use the one of the 3 sections to the right. Do not duplicate your data because the Total Tons and Total Costs will look at all cells. "Fert-1" - Fertilizer 1 This is where you enter a list of fertilizers and seeds to choose from on the "Fert-2" and "Plant" pages. Remember - using the numbering system, from now on 30-0-0 is #2 fertilizer and P-3845 is seed #10. This will save lots of data entry time and reduce mistakes. Total Tons of fertilizer and Bags of Seed Planted are calculated from data you entered on the other pages. It is very helpful to print this page off and have it handy for data entry when entering seed varieties planted. There are spots for 20 different fertilizers and 40 different seed varieties. "Fert-2" - Fertilizer 2 This page is where you actually record the fertilizer applications. You can apply fertilizer 4 times per field and you can split apply each application to accommodate different rates within the same field. The nutrients from fertilizer will show for each application as well as showing total costs to the right. Blue drop down boxes show the list of fertilizers and their corresponding # to be used here. "Spray-1" This page is where you create a list from which you will choose on the "Spray-2" page. Like fertilizers and seeds, spray combinations are also entered based on the combination number used here. On the long line you type in the chemical name and application rate. Cost Per Acre should include application unless you plan on specifically counting for it on the "Operations" section of this program. Total costs & acres applied are automatically updated from the "Spray-2" page. You can enter 40 different chemical combinations here. "Spray-2" This page is a log of actual chemical application. You can spray any field up to 4 times. If you spray the entire field you can leave the "Acres" column empty and it will automatically assume you sprayed the entire field. If you enter a number there, the program will use that number instead. Program # is taken from the list you created on the "Spray-1" page and the blue box is a drop down menu that will show the list on the "Spray-1" tab. Totals of each program are accumulated on the previous page also. You can use 2 different warnings at the top of the page. The first is a flag and the second is a hand. Based on what you enter in the white cells there, the warning will appear telling you that that particular crop appears in your future rotation for that field on the "Hist" page. This comes in handy in case a future crop may be sensitive to a chemical you used this year. "Plant" This page is where you enter planting data. Several red triangles for note boxes are helpful on this page. You can have 2 plantings per field entered here (many people use cover crop a one of the paintings). If you leave the Acres Planted column empty the program will assume you planted the entire field but if you put a number there it will use it instead. Variety Note is a place to put a marker if you have a planting note on the "Comments" page. Seed Variety # is taken from the "Fert-1" page (again - # entry saves time & mistakes). The blue box at the top is a drop down box that will show you the seed variety and corresponding # to use. "Harvest" This page is where you log the harvest information. The data can be gathered using form 5 on the "Forms" page. You can put in 4 harvests. If you take a 5th harvest, the 4th & 5th will have to be combined. It is important that you put a number in the % DM column otherwise data will be calculated incorrectly. You can use a scaled weight or the truck load method for entering data. The 2 truck types are set up on the "Crop" page. Total yields are calculated on an As Fed basis and on a Dry Matter basis at the right. "CAFO" Confined Animal Feeding Operation This page has no data entry but shows a total nutrient balance for each field. The balance is shown at the right. If the Nitrogen applied exceeds the Requirement (which you set on the "Soil-1" page) a red bomb will appear in that field at the right. If the Phosphorus is in excess a black bomb will appear. Remember - the goal under CAFO is NO BOMBS! "Oper-1" - Operations-1 This is where you set up to evaluate the cost of operation management. You can use 40 different operations from which to choose on the "Oper-2" page. If you don't know the cost of depreciation or maintenance, you can just enter a cost like the one used by the custom harvesters in your area and then enter the average Acres Per Hr. You can the skip the Fuel (unless the also make you pay for fuel), the Depreciation, the Maintenance and the Labor. The key is to get a close number on Total Cost/Hour and Total Cost/Acre. "Oper-2" - Operations-2 Here is where you assign the specific operations you perform on each field. The operations list will come from the "Oper-1" page. If you performed that operation once, put a 1 there. If you did it twice, put a 2 there. Total cost of operation is calculated to the right. If you want to use the Zone Multiplier on a particular operation (such as trucking), put a check in the white cell above that particular operation. "$ Setup" This page gives you the ability to block certain data from entering into the cost analysis page. If you double crop by taking a cutting of hay off and then planting a corn crop, you may want to apply only a portion of the rent or manure application costs to each crop. Here you would accommodate that issue. This page also has a place to enter the value of each crop (4 harvests) on a per ton basis. This value will affect the P&L accordingly. "$$$" This page has no data entry but is a financial summary of every field. The power is in the filters! As you select different things from the drop down filters, the totals and averages at the top will reflect a summary of the filtered data. This becomes the most important page when all the data is in at the end of the year! Data can be shown on a total per field, per acre, per unit of DM or per unit of AF. Cost - ( yields x value) = P&L All are shown here. You can filter by crop or even by a group of field and show the data summary for just that particular filtered selection. "Summary" This is a simple one page summary of the data filtered on the "$$$" tab. This is your P&L statement. Powerful - complete and yet concise! "Graphs" This page has several graphs that show a summary of data from other pages. As you change data elsewhere, these pages are automatically updated. "Soil Hist" - Soil History This page brings in the Organic Matter, CEC (Cation Exchange Capacity), P205, K205 and the Date from the "Soil-2" page. You can also log previous samples for each field to track your progress on soil management. Button at the top will move all the soil data one sample to the right and delete the sample to furthest right. Note the Averages row at the top. These averages reflect the filtered data. If you filter for the Home farm, then the averages will reflect an average for just those fields. If no filter is applied they will reflect an average for all fields. The bottom of the "Graphs" page has 4 graphs the show the average line. This is great for show the effects of your nutrient man agent plan! "HC" - Hybrid Comparison There is no data entry on this page but it becomes a very useful page at corn harvest time. Here you have a summary of what is important when evaluating hybrids. Remember - the power is in the filters! You can select a specific hybrid, soil type or even all the fields that had manure. Remember that you can also use filters in combination with each other. "Notes" Here you can make notes for each field. If you make a planting note here you can also put a "Y" in the notes column on the "Plant" page. Often farmers will put a note here if they used two different seeds in one field or split the planter. "Custom" This page allows you to create your own custom report of the data you want to see put together. You can choose 7 different things to put in your report. You select the items for each column by choosing from the drop down boxes to the right. Some farmers use this page to create a custom map. To do this you select specific information (with the numbers), filter for a specific map, put the map in the printer (face up) and then print. The data will be listed on the back of the map. "Field Report " This page is a summary of any one field that you choose. After entering the field # in the top white cell, answer Yes or No for including financial information. This prints out 110 things about that field all on one page. "Weather" This is where you can log weather information that may come in handy for future reference when evaluating crops. The GDUs are accumulated using the "Base 50" method. Remember the power is in the filters. You can filter by date and see the totals and averages at the top change to reflect only the filtered data. Starting date should be around November 1st. According to C.A.F.O., the next season starts after the last crop is taken off. Manure applied in November counts toward the spring crop.