Tend

For farmers, every day brings new challenges, from unpredictable weather and shifting markets to labor shortages and endless logistics. That’s why Tend was built: to give growers practical, easy-to-use tools that simplify operations, save time, and support smarter, more sustainable farming.

For generations, farmers have managed their operations by instinct, scribbling notes in pocket notebooks, updating half-filled spreadsheets between harvests, and carrying mental checklists from sunrise to sunset. But as agriculture evolved, those methods began to strain under the weight of modern demands. With more records to keep, more rules to follow, and greater complexity to manage, there was rarely time left for what really mattered.

Tend was started on a small farm to change that.

Created for farmers, Tend launched in 2018 as a farmer-tested platform that brings every aspect of farm management into one place. For the first time, growers could plan crops, track tasks, manage inventory, and sell produce with ease —replacing scattered spreadsheets with a single, intuitive tool built specifically for diversified farms.

Before Tend, few modern, farmer-friendly tools existed to effectively manage the complexity of growing diverse crops. The available options were clunky, data-heavy, and made farming feel more like filling out paperwork than feeding people. In a world where every other industry had purpose-built software, farmers were left behind. Tend set out to change that with technology that works the way farmers do.

From the beginning, Tend embodied the spirit of the farm: practical, resilient, and rooted in real-world experience. It offered something long missing in agriculture: intuitive, supportive, and empowering tools designed to help farmers reclaim time, simplify decisions, and refocus on what matters most: growing nutrient-dense food and nurturing the land.

“As farmers, we know firsthand how complex and unpredictable farming can be. That’s why we built Tend to be powerful, intuitive, and adaptable from the start, a true partner in the field, helping farms of every size succeed,” says Jenny Shepler, Vice President of Sales and Product.

But that was only the beginning. In 2021, drawing on expertise spanning agriculture, data science, and software engineering, Tend’s team set out to reimagine what farm management could look like, whether a grower raises vegetables, cut flowers, or microgreens, or manages an orchard, vineyard, or greenhouse. After four years of rigorous development and global beta testing, the vision became reality. In 2024, Tend 2.0 launched: an even more powerful and user-friendly evolution of the original platform.

The All-in-One Platform for Farm Management

Tend is a unified platform that brings together crop planning, compliance, operations, sales, and profitability insights, all in one place. Farmers turn to Tend because it cuts through the noise, reduces administrative burdens, and provides the clarity and confidence needed to run their farms effectively. By consolidating everything into one solution, Tend eliminates the need to juggle spreadsheets or switch between multiple apps.

What makes Tend especially powerful is how it automates and connects information. The software generates data through customizable growing templates, so when one detail is updated, related information adjusts automatically across the system. This saves time and ensures accuracy without duplicating work.

Designed for flexibility, Tend adapts to the way each farm operates rather than forcing a single method. Farmers can create multiple templates for each crop, plan plantings based on yield goals, revenue targets, acreage, or plant counts, and rely on Tend to handle the calculations. Dynamic farm maps make it easy to manage current layouts while preparing for future configurations, and tools like the open-space calculator help maximize land use.

Beyond annual crops, the platform supports the full lifecycle of perennial plantings, tracking changing yields and recurring tasks year after year. Its integrated design also connects crop planning with inventory and sales, giving farmers real-time visibility into what they have available and where it can be sold. Shelf life and expiration tracking ensure that perishable products are managed efficiently, while sales quantities can be allocated across multiple channels with ease.

Tend also simplifies compliance by automatically recording the data needed for certifications such as organic. Every step, from seed to sale, is documented in one system, making it easier for farmers to meet regulatory requirements and provide customers with transparent proof of how their food was grown.

Efficiency and Sustainability, Proven in Practice

Across the globe, farms are seeing firsthand how Tend transforms complex operations into manageable, productive systems. One example is a small farm in Australia, spanning just over two acres, which supplies fresh produce to its own restaurant, farm stand, and cooking school. With limited land to work with, the farm needed a way to maximize every square inch while staying true to its commitment to soil health.

By adopting Tend as its central platform for crop planning, rotation management, task organization, and recordkeeping, the farm transformed how it worked every day. Instead of juggling spreadsheets and manual logs, the team could see patterns in their data, plan strategically, and make smarter, evidence-based decisions to foster sustainable growth while keeping operations efficient and organized.

Continuing the Journey to Smarter Agriculture

Building on its successes, the company continues to evolve its platform through the direct input and insights of its users, refined by real-world, on-the-ground experiences to meet the needs of modern growers. The company is committed to expanding its feature set to serve the diverse needs of its clients, from small urban farms to enterprise-level regenerative operations, making farm management smarter, easier, and more sustainable.

Supported by a team of more than 50 engineers and trusted by customers in over 40 countries, Tend is dedicated to equipping today’s farmers with the tools they need to harness technology effectively. The company’s mission is to continue building technology that empowers farms in their essential purpose: growing high quality food for a healthier world.

Tend isn’t just software. It’s a movement toward smarter, more sustainable farming. Learn more at tend.com.