Become a real farming entrepreneur with a single click
The experience of Società Agricola Maddalena, which uses xFarm to plan and monitor its ambitious projects simply and objectively
| Nome | Società Agricola Maddalene |
| Indirizzo | Via Piave 15, Noventa Vicentina (VI) |
| Colture | Cereali, medicai, vigneti, frutteti, ortaggi |
| Prodotti finali | Carne e formaggi BIO |
| Estensione | 16 ha |
| Corpi aziendali | Una sola azienda polifunzionale |
We interviewed Luca Pastorello, 34, who together with Alessandro Galetto, manages Società Agricola Maddalena. It is a very new farm based on extensive planning, on a direct management style typical of the business world and on great attention to multi-functionality and circularity.
The company was founded four years ago with the purchase of 16 hectares and the ruins of an old farm, now under renovation, which will also be used as a hotel in the future. The final project will involve organic farming, including breeding donkeys, goats and pigs in the wild, as well as an entrance into the tourism and restaurant industries. The specialization of companies over the years has led to the loss of values such as multi-functionality. However, today multi-functionality is increasingly seen an excellent way of combining environmental and economic sustainability. An example of how the company is addressing the circularity of resources is water management. A ranger irrigation system and drains that enable the extremely efficient use of water have been installed on the farm. These installations help to prevent stagnation and to recover rainwater, which is sent to a collection pond where plants and algae purify the water biologically.
The treated water is then discharged into another larger pond, where typical local fish species, such as catfish, are bred. The final goal is to create an agri-grill, where customers can buy meat and local fish and use the barbecue while spending the day outdoors.
An ambitious project like this requires entrepreneurial organization and vision, which we find in the person of Luca.
“I’ve been using xFarm for two years, basically since the very beginning of the platform. In the past I have tried to use management systems that are not specific to agriculture, but they are not at all practical and suitable for what this sector requires. Since I also have other businesses, I am not always present in the farm and the fact that I have a shared platform with other operators allows me both to avoid daily meetings to stay updated on the work done, and to compare crop by crop in an analytical way and make objective choices”
Luca
immediately understood the value of xFarm’s graphic interface. The fact that the interface is
visual makes the software more intuitive than the management software he used in other
companies and this greatly reduces the time it takes to train employees, a
cost that many companies do not take into account.
The abundance
of crops to keep track of is not the only complex factor. In fact, the company has
two management approaches: specialized crops (vegetables, fruit and prosecco
grapes) are grown organically, while open-field
cereal crops follow the principles of integrated management, with frequent tests and
demonstrations of innovative weed control products. However, running this
division of the company is not a problem thanks to the logging of
activities, warehouse management and process scheduling
available in xFarm.
Attention to company resources is one of the company’s founding principles. Water is optimally managed, all materials left over from the excavation and leveling of plots have been reused, such as wild shrubs, which have been reused to create an iconic fence that surrounds the farm.
In addition to the environment, however, we also want to look at technology:
“In the future, I’d like xFarm to communicate with our installations, for example by setting the irrigation parameters of our ranger and collecting usable data to further increase efficiency, saving time and manpower”
Luca was very clear about it: in a company like his, time is money. Using an agricultural management system like xFarm saves time and allows the company to work with pre-processed data for effective analysis.