4Harvest aims to simplify record keeping for farmers and grain haulers throughout every season of the year. The app can streamline bushel tracking, grain storage, load delivery and field location in real time.

The best part? Its creators live right here in Nebraska and know exactly how modern farming operations are run. Dan and Ashley Risseeuw of Fairmont, Nebraska, have spent the past year fine-tuning the app, taking it through its final trial during the harvest season.

“We wanted to make sure the app was user-friendly from a farmer’s perspective, and our backgrounds help with that,” said Ashley. “We aren’t some big company that hasn’t seen how things are done. We built it from a farmer’s standpoint.”

Both Dan and Ashley are Nebraska natives. He grew up in the Sandhills but moved to Lincoln after graduating from high school to pursue a degree as an electrician. Dan formed 34 Electric LLC with two business partners. Based out of Geneva, Neb., the company employs 10 additional people.

Ashley’s family still grows row crops near her hometown of Grafton, Neb. She has keen insight into the record-keeping aspect of agriculture, having been a CPA for eight years. Now, Ashley works full time as an accounts payable coordinator in York.

Dan first realized the need for an app about 10 years ago when he began serving as extra help when Ashley’s family was busy during harvest season. Finding the correct field was a communication nightmare while he was getting to know the terrain. Anyone who has helped a farmer at harvest time can relate.

“I was told we’re at Tom’s field, or Field A or B—I never know where that’s at,” Dan said. “For the past 10 years, I’ve been kicking around the idea that it would be nice if seasonal help could pull up on their phone exactly where the fields are or where the crops need to go.”

Moreover, he saw the way farmers have to manually input scale tickets to prep for an insurance meeting or tax appointment—usually waiting until a rain delay or the end of the season to deal with all the paperwork.

Through conversations with farmers while doing electrical work on their bin sites or irrigation systems, Dan also learned of the need for better record keeping of grain deliveries, as well.

“I would hear them talk about how it would be nice to use technology to track grain from the field to the bit site and out again,” he said.

With all these problems in mind, he decided to work toward a solution. In February 2023, the Risseeuws contacted a software development company in Lincoln. Over the course of the next several months, the company “brought my idea to life,” said Dan. It built a portion of the app, then the Risseeuws tested the beta prototype.

“We really spent a lot of time making the app as simple as we could. We wanted a user-friendly environment, regardless of age or technology knowledge. It is very specialized,” Ashley said.

The final product was unveiled to the public for the first time in the Innovation Hub at the Nebraska Ag Expo this past December.

4Harvest has generated interest from a wide range of clientele. From private farmers to corporations to custom harvest crews, it can help anyone who farms or hauls grain. The app is meant for the rural American farm, said Dan.

The initial setup to register an account is “really quick,” said Ashley. You simply create a user account from their website, then add farm information. This includes data from harvest, grain bin information, grain destination, contracts and field locations.

Beyond that, there is minimal manual entering of data. Scale tickets can be uploaded simply by taking a picture with your phone. The software automatically captures the data, such as bushels or weight, and stores the numbers digitally into the program. The pictures of scale tickets are accessible at any time, or an entire report can be downloaded to Excel.

Because the app runs off of cellular data, you also do not have to wait for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth to access 4Harvest. This sets it apart from many other software programs that rely on internet access.

“Everything is live,” said Dan.

The second you deliver a load, the app can update not only the delivery information but also the bin location, the contract fulfilled and the truck used.

This feature is especially useful for farming operations that share grain storage facilities. With 4Harvest, they can accurately track whose bushels are going into the bins and log the removal of the grain later.

The feed industry is also looking into 4Harvest as a way to identify the origin of feed for poultry, turkeys and hogs. Dan said they have been contacted by producers who are feeling pressure from organizations to prove to the grocery store where the grain originates.

Once this portion of the app is complete, it will help catalog information about the source of origin.

“When you make a delivery to a facility, you will be able to hit send from your phone, and the direct GPS location of where the grain came from will be sent,” said Dan.

Right now is the perfect time to try 4Harvest, the creators said. Farmers can start tracking grain being hauled out of the bin sites now, even if contracts are partially filled, said Ashley. Just input your beginning data and your 2024 grain records will be easily compiled the rest of the year.

“You don’t have to wait until harvest to sign up for the app. You can start tracking now and get a full year’s data set,” Ashley said.

Truckers can also benefit from 4Harvest. Truck usage and freight fees can be determined more accurately by entering the specific truck that hauled a load.

“You can know exactly how many loads per truck and what each owes for use of equipment,” Ashley said.

The number of users is virtually limitless. Once you subscribe to the app, the account is yours to share. Your data is accessible only to those you give permission to and is otherwise private. Other farmers cannot see your data.

Pricing is based on the number of fields instead of number of users. Four subscription tiers are available, offering flexibility to fit the size and scope of every farming operation. There is also a one-time set-up fee. See pricing options at the 4Harvest website.

Should you ever need help with 4Harvest, a support line is just a phone call away. Plus, you will get to speak with a real person.

“If you have questions about the software, pick up the phone and you will either talk with Dan or me,” Ashley said.

The Risseeuws value customer service and want their clientele to have the best experience possible. Since they are working directly with the software company themselves, changes to the app can be made very easily, said Ashley.

As a small, local company, 4Harvest is here to help those involved in grain production and transportation. Just like the farmers they are serving, the Risseeuw family honors their core values, hard work, religion and American background.

As a volunteer fireman and outdoorsman, Dan is proud of his rural, Midwestern roots and the country he lives in. He emphasized that 4Harvest is from American ingenuity: “This didn’t come from China or Mexico. The thought process and who built it came from Nebraska.”

For more information or to register an account, go to www.4harvest.com.