Teenager Develops FarmFlow App to Streamline Farm Management and Increase Family Time

Ben O'Connor, 16, from County Down, has developed an app called FarmFlow to streamline farm management, inspired by his family's switch to dairy farming which increased their workload. The app aims to reduce the paperwork burden on farmers, giving them more time with their families.

FarmFlow is currently being trialled on several farms across the UK and Ireland. Ben was motivated by seeing the impact of the stricter routine and increased tasks on his family's time together after they switched from beef to dairy farming two years ago.

"It is a lot different - it's rigid - you start milking in the morning, you have to milk in the evening. There's not as much flexibility," Ben said, also highlighting the heavy paperwork involved.

Farmers in Northern Ireland work an average of 65 hours a week, with much of the workload unseen by the public, including late nights spent on paperwork. Ben's app aims to make farm businesses more manageable, thus giving farmers more family time.

A campaign, The Empty Table, accompanies the app to raise awareness about the efforts behind food production.

"I love to solve problems," Ben said. "So I wanted to set up FarmFlow to solve problems on our own farm and make it more efficient. I love keeping things on time and stuff."

Despite his success, Ben plans to continue his education, with long-term ambitions in agriculture, using technology to improve practices.

"I think agriculture is such a traditional industry, it needs change and as more young farmers come in, the industry will start to change," he said, envisioning more robotics, automation, and apps.

Jude McClements, a student and young farmer whose family runs a 320-strong dairy herd, is trialling the app. It helps with tasks like keeping medical records up to date and tracking jobs, making him feel more connected to the farm while at university.

"You can tell it's designed by a farmer for a farmer," Jude said, appreciating the app's relevance to their needs.

Ben has been nominated for the Allica Bank Great British Entrepreneur Awards, finding his success "really exciting."