17 March 2026
An interactive benchmarking tool that enables farmers to measure farm-specific key performance indicators (KPIs) and to compare their own financial and technical results with similar farms is being rolled out by Farming Connect.
All farmers are encouraged to benchmark, in part because it helps them to pinpoint areas they could improve to make their businesses more efficient.
As Delana Davies, Cross Sector Manager at Farming Connect, explains: “In the first instance, benchmarking offers a perspective on where farmers lie in the grand scheme of things; subsequently it allows them to monitor how well they are doing in reaching their objectives.’’
Benchmarking can be done through cost of production or carbon models, or by reviewing specific areas of a business through KPIs.
Farming Connect has now stepped in with the launch of FARMDATA+/ DATAFFERM+, a free bilingual tool utilising the KPI model to enable farm businesses to see how they are performing against key metrics.
Eirwen Williams, Head of Rural Programmes and Director of Mentera, which delivers the Farming Connect programme on behalf of the Welsh Government, believes the significance of benchmarking cannot be overstated.
“We realise the importance of benchmarking in the agricultural industry, and we are excited to be providing FARMDATA+ as a tool for Welsh farmers to drive success for their businesses,’’ she says.
FARMDATA+ is simple to use as it allows the user to select KPIs appropriate to their business instead of presenting them with a long list of options not relevant to their system.
There are KPIs for the seven core sectors - arable, beef, dairy, horticulture, pigs, poultry and sheep.
As no single KPI should be analysed in isolation, the tool directs the user to choose a small selection to give them an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of their business.
FARMDATA+, has been developed to be compatible with use on a mobile phone, and will be available from 1 April 2026.
It can be accessed online through the Farming Connect website where account holders registered with Farming Connect can sign in using their Rural Payments Wales (RPW) One Login.
Most of the KPIs featured use industry average or target comparative data, presented with simple graphics and a colour-coded ‘traffic light’ system indicating, among other suggestions, where performance is good, should be reviewed, or where there is scope for improvement.
There is tailored support offered according to every business’s KPI results with the user directed via links to articles or training.
FARMDATA+ also features what are referred to as ‘Whole Farm Indicators’ on three key areas - forage and grazing, environmental, and farm overview.
Some of the self-comparison indicators this feature offers allow the user to build up a history of data for their business, which means they can compare that data from year to year.
With the launch of the new Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), Farming Connect has developed FARMDATA+ with that scheme in mind.
Under the SFS’s Universal Action 3, a business is required to complete two sector specific KPIs and one Whole Farm KPI – if a business operates in more than one sector, they must complete two KPIs for each sector.
Farmers can use the tool to submit their KPIs directly to RPW but only the identifier and name of the selected KPI is sent, not the actual data.
The user can review the KPIs submitted on a designated SFS Summary featured on FARMDATA+, which helps when they are selecting which KPIs to submit each year.
The tool also has an area for facilitators of groups such as discussion groups, where data from farms within that group can be compared and done so anonymously if required.