Precision Soil Management

Hi, my name is Francis Schaffer and I am the Farm Works Dealer in South Dakota.  I have been very fortunate with many career opportunities in my life.  I have worked as a processing engineer, a facilities engineer, and a middle school and high school math teacher and coach.  Prior to forming my own company, I was an implement salesman at the local John Deere dealership in Redfield, SD.  My company, Precision Soil Management, was formed by a couple of guys over a few beers, as most good ideas are.

The opportunity to form my own company coincided with an opportunity to become a Farm Works dealer.  In the fall of 2006, I made the trip to Hamilton to visit with the sales team and owners.  I learned about the capabilities of the software, and I knew for sure that Farm Works Software was going to be part of my new company. Precision Soil Management provides customers highly detailed field verified soil management zones, soil sample analysis, and prescriptions for both seed and fertilizers.  Currently my partner and I are the only “employees” of the company.  We specialize in prescription application and data collection through mapping especially with John Deere equipment.  With the increasing costs of crop inputs, combined with extreme soil variability in our area, we are considering bringing in several people with the skill set necessary for us to meet the increasing demand for our services. 

In my business, I must “meet the customer where they are”; so I must know how to use many different types of desktop software, along with many brands of hardware.  I currently use Farm Works, JD Office, JD Apex, and Ag Leader SMS to meet the needs of my customers.  Each program has features that I value; yet my first choice for mapping, prescription writing, and cost analysis is Farm Works.  The feature of Farm Works that helps us prove our worth is the field level cost accounting.   The program will allow us to demonstrate a lower cost of production by using variable rate versus flat rate application.  With our variable soils, properly delineated soil management zones and the use of prescription application, the program makes this task easier than it would be with some of the other software packages mentioned.

My wife Sue and I have 4 children, Desirae 13, Kyle 11, Matthew 9, and Michael 4.  Our office is located in a most unique house, it is the only “Lustron Home” in Redfield, and it is on the National Registry of Historic Places.    Much to my wife’s dismay, I don’t have any hobbies (except answering questions about JD Greenstar2 displays) that don’t pertain to work. 

Contact Information

Precision Soil Management
Francis Shaffer
217 East 2nd St.
PO Box 387
Redfield, SD 57469
Phone: 605-302-0085
precisionsoil@abe.midco.net