This customer showcases blog highlights Taggares Fruit Company’s adoption of Croptracker’s Harvest: Pre-Print and Scan. Taggares is headed into their second season recording their harvest inventory with Croptracker and we spoke with Taggares’ Systems Manager, Logan Janin about the benefits they have already gained from their first year of Croptracker.

Croptracker software updates and fixes from the second half of August include expansions of new reports and some new crop type additions to support new customers. Read on to learn more and get in touch with us at support@croptracker.com for more information.

With the global population reaching 7.7 billion as of 2019, sustainable farming is taking center stage in the agriculture technologies industry. More focus has been placed by governmental and international bodies to achieve “sustainable intensification” in agriculture. Creating more sustainable farming practices increasingly requires adopting new technologies that help with crop management, pest control, quality control, and integrated disease management.

In planning for 2020, Croptracker has made a wish list of the top agriculture conferences and trade shows we would like to go to. We thought you might like to see this list too. These 10 events span a wide range of agricultural markets and industries from around the world, so chances are you will find an event for you. This list is in chronological order.

Happy holidays!  Today we look back on an exciting 2018 and explore what users can look forward to in 2019!

Disease management requires staying one step ahead of bacterial and viral threats. The 2020 growing season poses many risks to globally significant produce – your best defence against the changing face of crop disease is staying informed by the latest research and being equipped comprehensive organizational data on your produce. Below are some of the most topical diseases for major crops like citrus, bananas, tomatoes, potatoes and apples.

Fertilizers are a crucial input in modern agriculture, where profit margins may be slim and maximizing yield is critical. But the rising cost of fertilizers over the last few years, particularly potash, has made it difficult for farmers to maintain optimal nutrient levels in their soil while also ensuring high-quality crops with high yields.

Every year, wildfires wreak havoc on farms, causing extensive damage to crops, livestock, and infrastructure. With the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires over the last decade, many farmers are embracing wildfire-resilient agricultural practices to mitigate risk and losses. By taking proactive measures, farmers can minimize the risks associated with fires and protect their livelihoods in the event of an emergency. In this article, we will take a look at some key strategies and practices that farmers can implement to enhance their wildfire resilience and safeguard their farms.

New technology solutions continue to enter the agtech market aiming to ease the challenges with sustainable commercial growing. From refining labor needs to reducing reliance on fossil fuels and pesticides, today’s cutting-edge innovations are focused on using resources more efficiently and mindfully. Much like how Croptracker continues to find new ways for farm management to be safer and more profitable, other agtech players aim to close the gap on all things growing, especially as each season offers its surprises.

Check our roundup of recent and upcoming innovations throughout the agtech sector below the fold.

Though the foundational components of plant life are understood, much of what happens below the soil remains obscure. Cornell University has initiated the development of a project to connect more dots regarding how roots engage with soil, by creating a wormlike robotic tool. Aiming to explore root interactions with soil, the robot concept offers great potential for plant growth data collection in a new way.

Computer vision may seem simple enough to understand, but below the surface, it is a complex and multidisciplinary field, tied up with a variety of technologies, both old and emerging.

As is the case for any sector, digital tools are available to optimize your workflow and help you stay connected with your fellow industry professionals. Farm management apps offer the potential for optimizations that can boost your business’ stability over time. Producers need to take advantage of every tool at their disposal, particularly with the notion of ‘precision agriculture’ taking hold across the industry as growing challenges shift every season. Weather tracking, soil and pest management, labour and social platforms geared to farmers – we’ve gathered some of the latest tech initiatives and apps for farmers to check out so you don’t have to.

Millennials yearn for careers with purpose.  Farming, an incredibly rewarding calling, certainly fits the bill!  But Millennials are also a generation with crushing debt anxiety, a need for social connection, and a fondness for instant gratification.  Farming, on the other hand, is a career path of significant barriers to entry, social challenges, and delayed reward.  As fewer and fewer young people enter the ag/hort sector, the question of how to attract the next generation of food producers becomes more and more pressing.  In today’s blog post, we’ll examine the challenges facing young potential entrants, and add to the discussion of how to foster the next generation of growers.

Last week, on the eve of Australia's berry season, a vicious wave of food terrorism struck the country.  One man was hospitalized and several more narrowly escaped injury from eating strawberries injected with knitting needles.

As an Ag Tech company, Croptracker is keenly aware of the barriers that growers face in adopting new technologies. No matter the ‘ground-breaking’ features and promises from tech companies, the benefits and motivation to spend money and change processes is not clear for many growers. Not all ag tech advancements are created equal and not all are suited for every farm.

Many Agtech startups use remote sensing technology for a variety of farming applications. The use of drones and airplanes is becoming more common to provide field-level analysis. As is using globally available satellite data for large-scale analysis. Satellite data can also be combined with field information to create a complete picture of what's happening on the ground.

The Berry Growers of Ontario (BGO) have recently teamed up with Croptracker to provide its members with tools to aid record-keeping, operations management, and traceability. If you are an BGO member, you are now eligible to receive a free Enterprise-level Croptracker package.

British chips (otherwise known around the world as "fries") were shorter in 2018 after extreme heatwaves left UK crops parched over the summer months.  A lighter-than-usual snack may be seem like a superifical issue, but it's indicative of a problem that threatens to bring sweeping changes to the British produce industry and its growers.

Last week the Canadian government announced the Canadian Agriculture Strategic Priorities Program (CASPP).  According to federal agriculture minister Lawrence MacAulay, the program's objective is to foster the Canadian agricultural sector’s ability to seize opportunities, respond to new and emerging issues, and to generate solutions in order to remain competitive.  CASPP will provide $10 million per year of non-repayable contribution funding and focus on four priority areas: adoption of new technology; environmental sustainability; strategic development and capacity building; and emerging issues.