A Minnesota farmer digitized his old planning system, then turned it into a startup

Farming may seem old-fashioned to many, but it hasn’t been that way for years. Tractors steer themselves, software analyzes crop data, and agriculture is now among the most technologically advanced industries.

However, inside barns and homes, many farmers (especially those who run smaller operations) still plan their seasons the old-fashioned way: with notebooks and binders.

Against that backdrop, farmer Matthew Fitzgerald of Glencoe, Minnesota, wondered if there might be a better way. Their solution evolved into a business: Farm Flow, a digital planning platform now being tested by farmers in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and Montana.

“The goal of Farm Flow is to help farmers focus on farming and reduce all of these stress points: paperwork, labor, inventory tracking,” Fitzgerald said.

As farmers’ finances become more complicated, the software could arrive at the right time. Shrinking margins, rising input costs and labor shortages have many farmers worried about a looming financial crisis.

From a family farm to a startup idea

Like most farmers, Fitzgerald, 34, spends long days juggling field work with scheduling and paperwork. To keep everything clear, he bought a whiteboard.

By the end of the season, it was covered in magnets and notes that kept the farm going. “We had the best year in our history,” said the second-generation producer.

But as he looked at that board, he wondered if he could digitize it.

Now, instead of flipping through folders, he checks his phone to see work schedules and inventory.

In Claremont, Minnesota, Mark Oeltjenbruns relies on Farm Flow to manage records and planning after switching from conventional to organic farming, a move that comes with a lot more paperwork requirements.

“I can have it inside my combine on the tablet,” Oeltjenbruns said. “If I’m walking through the farm yard, I have it right on my cell phone… You don’t have to write in the notebook. You don’t have to get to the home computer and put it in your Excel spreadsheet. It’s right there.”

Fitzgerald believes Farm Flow could fill the gap between expensive, heavy accounting tools and paper lists.

“We are trying to close the knowledge gap without imposing prices on farmers,” he said.

Fitzgerald competed this year in the Minnesota Cup, the state’s largest business competition. Farm Flow won no prize money, but placed second in its division.

But for Fitzgerald, the contest was about more than just cash. He wanted opinions and advice from people who know the startups, he said.

Fitzgerald’s mentors in the competition provided “solid feedback on how to think about the business model, taking it to the next level,” he said.

Find the middle ground

While agriculture uses automation, Fitzgerald said, “60% or more of farmers still use pen and paper as their primary planning tool.”

The gap is real, especially among smaller operations, said Garen Paulson, assistant Extension educator at the University of Minnesota.

Most of the 120 large commercial farms he works with through the Southwest Minnesota Farm Business Management Association have adopted digital planning, he said.

It took more than a decade for those large farms to turn around, he said.

“The younger generation grew up with computers,” Paulson said. “That said, I have people in their 70s and 80s who are fantastic IT accountants, and then I have people in their 20s who are struggling.”

Universities have tried to facilitate the digital change. The Center for Agricultural Financial Management at the University of Minnesota offers a set of tools that help farmers analyze their past finances and project into the future, Paulson said.

But barriers remain. The learning curve can be steep, especially for farmers who would rather be outside than behind a computer.

“Most farmers don’t like doing bookkeeping,” Paulson said. “They prefer to be in their fields, so we almost have to force them every month to sit down and keep records to do it regularly. But we found that if you do it every month, it’s much easier than trying to do it six months in a row.”

The future of agricultural planning

For Paulson, the story of agriculture’s digital shift is actually a story of balance. His father started farming with horses. When he retired, he had a tractor that steered itself.

“What will it be in my life, in my son’s life?” Paulson said. “There will always be a balance between traditional technology and the adoption of new technologies.”

That calculation may determine whether tools like Farm Flow catch on.

Fitzgerald said Farm Flow will continue to seek grants as it builds a sustainable underwriting model. It has also begun raising a seed round of private funding.

Meanwhile, his part-time team of three is already experimenting with new features, including an AI chatbot, “tiptoeing into AI,” as he put it.

Another challenge is the right message. Fitzgerald said he needs potential customers to know he doesn’t want to replace farming traditions. He wants to alleviate the stress that overwhelms producers during the season.

“These practices have allowed our farm, a first-generation farm, to survive and grow,” he said. “I want to help people find a different path.”

2025 The Minnesota Star Tribune. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.