There is no cost to download Red Sky Farm Performance Analysis over the web. Alternatively you could request that a CD-ROM (including comprehensive tutorial) be mailed out to you at a cost of $17.00 (including GST). The installation file is comparatively large at around 8 megabytes. Although this should take less than 5 minutes to download over broadband Internet access, it could take between 20 & 90 minutes in rural districts with 33kbps-56kbps modems. If your Internet connection is unreliable then it may be best to request that a CD-ROM is mailed to you.

Once Red Sky is set up on your computer then you can commence the entry of data. Once you are ready to view some reports then you need to log on to the internet again. This exchange of data will take a shorter amount of time and will include the uploading of your data for inclusion in the Red Sky database, the payment of any license fees due and the release of your reports that can then be viewed on your computer.

From 01 August 2008 the Full Red Sky License fee structure will be:

• AU$180 in Australia
• NZ$190 in New Zealand
• R790 in South Africa
• US$160 in all other countries
  

An individual farm business would reasonably expect to purchase one Full Red Sky License per year regardless of whether there was a mix of farming practices on the property (e.g. dairy, sheep and beef areas all within the one farm enterprise would require just one license). The main exception would be where farm performance was being analysed on a wide range of farm areas.

* Please note that GST will be charged in addition to these prices in Australia and New Zealand, and VAT will be charged in addition to these prices in South Africa

This Full Red Sky License fee will cover unlimited use of the software for a ten month period for a defined farm area. There will also be three opportunities to analyse an altered farm area during the ten month period.

The Annual Report License fee can be used to produce the full range of financial reports as well as the key physical performance parameters, and provide access to all benchmarks for a single year.  There is also a Physical Upgrade License fee which will produce the full complement of physical results for that one Annual Report License year.  These additional physical performance indicators include pasture harvest, feed costs and staff ratios.

Access to these lower level licenses can only be gained if you have opened an account with us.  There is also one further option which is an Upgrade to Full License which costs the difference between the value of a Full Red Sky License and an Annual Report License.

Unlike the Full Red Sky License which provides access to multiple years and multiple scenarios over a 10 month period, the Annual Report License and Physical Upgrade License are limited to the one year and the one scenario for the one farm area.  These licenses carry a term of 90 days (3 months) for the Annual Report License and a further 42 days (6 weeks) for the Physical Upgrade License.  The Annual Report License in particular has been developed to allow accountants to provide several pages of “management” accounts (including benchmarks) to their clients at the same time as they complete the annual accounts.  These lower level licenses can also provide consultants with an entry level service for their clients as this would provide an effective window to the quality of information and benchmark data that is available.