AgForce QLD’s Regional Director John Baker on Mobble
AgForce QLD’s Regional Director John Baker tells his story of how livestock farm management software, Mobble, is making a difference on his operation.
Hailing from Middlemount, John’s home farm ‘Boroondarah’ has been in the family for almost a hundred years. A dad to four daughters and an intergenerational cattle farmer, John runs the farm in partnership alongside his wife, Marni. On top of Boroondarah, John also has another four properties to boot, with Droughtmasters the main focus across the land.
John originally signed up for a trial with farm management software, Mobble, back in 2020 but has just recently kick-started his subscription - and is stoked with Mobble’s growth and the impact on his property so far.
“I first became aware of Mobble a few years ago and signed up for a trial. I suppose it was still in the infancy stage and they didn’t quite have all the features they have now. I kept up to date with Mobble’s improvements - to the point I thought ‘geez i’m going to have another look at this’. So I signed up and am loving it. Mobble is just such a good product and so easy to use.”
One of the biggest advantages for John was how simple, practical and intuitive Mobble is.
“Ease of use was a big thing for me. It’s so straightforward. There’s no complicated steps to get to where you want to go in the app. It’s one easy step straight after the other and you don’t have to go wandering around to find what button to press. It’s all right there in front of you. It’s a logical format - and just makes things easier.”
Real time data entry is a game-changer for John’s operation, with Mobble’s offline capabilities allowing John and his team to create farm records offline and on the fly.
“If cattle are moved from one paddock to another or we brand calves or sell cattle - we can record it right there and then in the paddock. What’s great is that it doesn’t rely on me having to do it. If someone else on the property has access to Mobble - they can make the change as they’re doing it.”
“It also provides visibility across workers and gives everyone access to accurate livestock numbers. They can see if I go out to muster a paddock or see how many cattle are in such and such paddock - and from there can make a plan or alert me if there’s a problem.”
On top of the livestock recording side of things, Mobble’s task list and chemical inventory have been up there with John’s go-to features.
“The task list is proving to be really useful. We’ve got a couple who work for us who are fairly new to the business and anytime they see something that needs doing or if I have a job for them to do, we can simply add it in the task list.”
“In terms of the chemical and feed inventory for your LPA accreditation, that was pretty critical for us. There’s no excuse for not recording new chemicals now because you’ve got Mobble in your back pocket at the local rural store. And if you spray a few weeds or buy some five in one, it so much easier to record what’s being used as you go.”
With a couple of new staff on board, Mobble’s map feature has been a major help for John introducing people to the property and getting the lay of the land.
“The map feature has been really useful for new people finding their way around. The map shows exactly where you are so new staff can get their bearings and get from point A to B without any fuss”.
In terms of why John would recommend Mobble to other farmers, John says it’s the customer service that’s really impressed him.
“Right from the start, I was setting up the app on a Saturday and ran into an issue so gave the general contact number a ring. Straight to message bank - expected on the weekend. But then five minutes later, Jock from Mobble gave me a call to sort it out. Then a few days later he rang to check in and make sure everything was running fine. If that’s not service I don’t know what is. That has been a real selling point for me.”
To learn more about Mobble visit mobble.io or email hello@mobble.io for you have any questions.
Built by farmers, for farmers - Mobble is on a mission to make farmers lives easier and more successful. Mobble is currently used by more than 1000 farms across Australia and New Zealand and helps manage over three million stock units across those properties.