The importance of spray accuracy and monitoring for Saratoga Fruit
Theo Doms is the production manager at Saratoga Fruit Estate, a top-class producer that uses Farmtrack for all its spray and farm management needs. Saratoga produces a variety of citrus and stonefruit. Their stonefruit production includes nectarines, peaches and plums, and their citrus production is focused on soft citrus, nadorcotts, novas, and eureka lemons.
“Our farm is in production 12 months of the year, so we are constantly monitoring phenological stages of the trees, depending on what season it is. We are always
monitoring irrigation needs, spraying needs and amongst others pest control.”
“Now we know for sure what tractors were spraying, what time they were spraying and at what speeds they were spraying. From that perspective Farmtrack really is priceless.”
Challenges
- Year-round production management
- Monitoring pesticides for different crops
- Monitoring spraying at night and overtime
- Missed rows
Benefits
- Real-time data monitoring, combined with historic data helps track and improve performance
- Accurate spraying and activity alerts
- Increased efficiency and reduced spraying
mistakes
Theo says that there are numerous challenges that come with working around the clock – especially when spraying. “Different crops need different pesticides, and that is crucial to monitor throughout the year. This also allows us to keep the data for comparisons from year to year.”
Saratoga started using Farmtrack in October 2018. The need for it arose from wanting to keep a closer eye on spraying especially during nighttime. Mistakes creep in sometimes, and with Farmtrack, it’s much easier to pinpoint where something went wrong instead of using guesswork. “Now we know for sure what tractors werespraying, what time they were spraying and at what speeds they were spraying. From that perspective Farmtrack really is priceless.”
Better care and maintenance of farm vehicles
“I would not want to continue farming without Farmtrack, as we trust the technology and it has reallyhelped us significantly.” Theo says one of his favourite features is the overtime monitor, specificallybecause they spray at night. This allows them to get a handle on how much overtime is being used,and that data feeds directly into their payment system as well.
“Spray accuracy is important. There is no more skipping of rows now. If it does happen, we can go backand rectify it in no time. Human error slips in sometimes, and it is great to have a tool like Farmtrackthat can really help you to iron out these sorts of human errors. Subsequently Farmtrack has also hada positive impact on our sprayer’s performances and overall morale.”
For Saratoga, Farmtrack has gone from a monitoring tool to an accuracy tool. “Sprayers know that theyare doing the right thing, and that they are driving at the right speeds and not missing any rows.Farmtrack makes sure everyone is doing the best they can, to yield the best product.”
According to Theo, the national and international competition is increasing, and you need to be atoptimal performance for your farm as this is crucial for survival. Agricultural technology like Farmtrackhelps with this. “It’s good to see that tech companies are paying attention to agriculture. Every farmneeds to decide for themselves what they need, what will help them improve, and what is costeffective for them, and invest in that. I would definitely recommend Farmtrack as an agricultural tool,and I look forward to seeing what Farmtrack includes in their services in the coming years. I wouldn’twant to farm without it.”
Precision farming to deliver high quality produce
Henning noted that Farmtrack also helps them with time management. Using the software, they can monitor how long it takes to refuel or fill up chemical tanks. “At Kleine Zalze, we’ve been focusing more on precision farming over the last few years, and that ranges from planting practice to satellite imagery. Farmtrack helps us to be more precise and to better protect our crop so that we can deliver a high quality product in the end.”
“I would not want to continue farming without Farmtrack, as we trust the technologyand it has really helped us significantly.”
