Short answer: a spreadsheet is the right start if one person keeps the records at a desk and wants full control of the columns. Software starts to earn its place when records are entered in the field, need consistent units, or are more useful next to the farm's weather. Either way, the record only helps if it is filled in on the day.
The same record, kept two ways
Here is one illustrative spray application, not a real customer record, as you might keep it in each place. The figures are examples, not recommendations.
In a spreadsheet, one row with columns you choose:
- Date: 2026-06-12 | Field: North quarter | Activity: Spray | Product: name as on the jug | Rate: 0.5 | Unit: L/ac | Acres: 155
- Wind: 11 km/h | Wind from: NW | Temp: 19 C | RH: 58% | Operator: initials | Notes: nozzle and water volume
- Nothing stops a typo such as "05" in the rate column, a missing unit, or "N. Quarter" on one row and "North qtr" on the next
In AgriIntel, the same application as a field record:
- The field is picked from the farm's list, so the name is the same every time
- Date, product (free text), rate with a unit chosen from a list (L/ac, mL/ac, gal/ac, oz/ac, kg/ac, g/ac or lb/ac) and acres covered
- Conditions you recorded: wind speed in km/h, temperature in °C and humidity in %. A rate without a unit is rejected
- There is no wind-direction or operator field, so those go in the notes
- The farm's forecast and 24-hour spray strip are on the same dashboard
Recurring entries and field history
A spreadsheet is fast for repeating rows: copy the last line and change the date. It is also easy to break, because sorting one column or pasting over a formula can scramble the history. Software trades some of that speed for structure. In AgriIntel each field keeps its own dated log of seeding, spraying, fertilizer, tillage, harvest yield and scouting, newest first, with the field's crop and season year alongside. There is no copy-last-record shortcut, and saved records can be deleted but not edited today.
Getting your data out
A spreadsheet is already portable: save it as CSV and almost any program can read it. Check how any software lets you leave before you commit. AgriIntel exports your profile, farms, fields, field records and alert history as one JSON file from Settings. It has no CSV export, no spreadsheet import and no automatic sync with a sheet, so moving existing spreadsheet history in means typing it.
Offline and in the field
A spreadsheet file on a laptop works with no signal at all, and a notebook in the cab works everywhere. Some farm software supports offline entry: AgExpert Field, for example, says its mobile app lets you enter data with or without an internet connection. AgriIntel does not: its web app and free Android companion app need a connection to save a record, and there is no iOS app yet. If you spray out of coverage, note the conditions on paper and enter them later.
Cost
A spreadsheet costs whatever your office software already costs. Some farm record software has a free tier: AgExpert Field lists a Basic plan at $0 a year, with Premium at $399 a year. AgriIntel has no free plan; it costs $49 a month or $470.40 a year, in Canadian dollars, for up to 100 acres, and the price includes the farm weather, spray strip and frost, heat and wind alerts as well as the records. Compare the job you need done, not only the price.
Limits of both
Neither a blank spreadsheet nor AgriIntel will:
- Tell you what your province or the product label requires you to record; the label and provincial rules decide that
- Check a product against its label, or track pre-harvest and re-entry intervals
- Produce a regulator-ready report on its own
- Replace a reading taken in the field with a forecast
A starter set of spreadsheet columns
If you start with a sheet, these columns cover most field records:
- Date, field name, crop, season year and activity type
- Product, rate, rate unit and acres covered
- Wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity as measured, and where the reading came from
- Yield and yield unit for harvest rows
- Operator and free-text notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I import my spreadsheet into AgriIntel?
No. There is no file import or spreadsheet sync today. Records are entered one at a time, in the web app or the Android companion app.
Can more than one person keep records in AgriIntel?
An account is for one user today. Multi-user access for co-operatives and advisers is on the roadmap, not available now.
Keep field records next to your farm's forecast. Start a 14-day free trial; a card is required at checkout, and you can cancel before it ends.
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Last reviewed November 5, 2026. Rules, rates and programme details change; confirm the current position with the source or a qualified adviser before acting.
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