In partnership with Two-a-Day Group; the system is capable of scanning over 4800 apples or pears within 30 seconds with a 98% accuracy

Kingston, ON, CA: After months of developing a brand new solution and thoroughly beta-testing the product for a year, Croptracker is ready to announce the release of their Overhead Bin Scanning system for Harvest Quality Vision (HQV). Built concurrently with their recently released HQV 3.0, their overhead bin system allows packers to know what is coming into the pack shed before the fruit even comes off the truck. While fruit is in the queue, plans can be made to get it on the packing line, rather than trying to figure out what is coming down the line at high speeds. Large growers can also use this system to know what exactly has left the farm.

The overhead scanning system can handle the rigors of a transportation corridor and function at peak efficiency day in and day out. This system is capable of scanning over 4800 apples or pears within 30 seconds with a 98% accuracy. This first build also incorporates automatic detection of trucks entering the scanning corridor without any human input. It is also flexible enough to be built upon one worker activating the start and stop of a scan at a lower price point.

This entire system was designed, developed and built by Croptracker in partnership with the Two-a-Day Group in the Elgin district, Western Cape, South Africa. Minimizing labor and skill requirements, HQV overhead scanning allows packers to overcome logistical challenges and to continue producing at high efficiencies. The Two-a-Day Group is well informed about the fruits they receive before it is time to make important logistical decisions about storage and sales.

Chris Petzer from the Two-a-Day Group says, “Croptracker’s Harvest Quality Vision has given Two-a-Day a whole new dynamic in doing business, adding product predictability and insight into making critical business decisions proactively, instead of a reactive response. We like to call it our ‘virtual pre-sorter’. Our partnership with the Croptracker team has been a fantastic experience during this pioneering project. They are professional, innovative and committed to any resolve, always staying positive during any challenge. I am looking forward to our ongoing partnership.”

Croptracker believes this scanning platform can be used to improve efficiency, increase productivity and knowledge for packing houses that receive large quantities of fruit in short periods of time.

Matt Deir, Founder and CEO of Croptracker says, “Our new Overhead Scanning technology shows how we are innovating in the agrotech industry for our clients' needs. We have created a technologically advanced system, while keeping it cost effective. We are very happy that our system is allowing Two-a-Day to make proactive decisions before their fruit even gets off their trucks.”

If you are interested in using Croptracker's handheld HQV 3.0 as a first step to implementing an overhead bin scanning system at your facilities, feel free to book a demo .

Croptracker develops agtech solutions for industry leaders. Located in Eastern Ontario, Canada, our mission is to make crop production safer, more efficient, and more profitable. Designed in partnership with fresh market producers and distributors, every tool we create is based on direct industry feedback. Croptracker’s award-winning farm software optimizes recordkeeping, labor tracking, production and cost management. Our integrative Harvest Quality Vision technology offers instant empirical analysis of crop samples exactly when you need it. Optimize your harvest season with Croptracker’s customizable solutions. Visit Croptracker.com to learn more about our products and to contact us about app based solutions.

Over the past 12 months, Croptracker has developed, released and updated an incredible number of Harvest and Harvest Quality Vision features. In recognition of Croptracker’s accomplishments, Agtech Breakthrough Awards has recognized Croptracker with its 2022 Overall Harvest Solution Provider of the Year award.

Croptracker is proud to provide growers a comprehensive solution within its application for monitoring the entire harvesting season, so that information and data are integrated into clients’ decision making processes. Croptracker is a leader in crop based detection and reporting with its Harvest Quality Vision and its interconnected 17 additional modules including Harvest, Spray, Quality Control and Storage.

In accepting the 2022 Overall Harvest Solution Provider of the Year award, Matt Deir CEO and Founder of Croptracker says: ”We have been able to leverage growers’ expertise over the last 16 years in building software that is used all over the world. We hope to continue to build solutions that add value for fruit and vegetables growers for many years to come!”

Croptracker’s software is applicable and used by growers, packers, shippers and receivers from single family farms to multinational agriculture corporations. As of 2022, Croptracker is being used by over 1,200 farming organizations all around the world.

Book a demo to start using this award winning software and simplify your agriculture operation to today.

Croptracker develops agtech solutions for industry leaders. Located in Eastern Ontario, Canada, our mission is to make crop production safer, more efficient, and more profitable. Designed in partnership with fresh market producers and distributors, every tool we create is based on direct industry feedback. Croptracker’s award-winning farm software optimizes recordkeeping, labor tracking, production and cost management. Our integrative Harvest Quality Vision technology offers instant empirical analysis of crop samples exactly when you need it. Optimize your harvest season with Croptracker’s customizable solutions. Visit Croptracker.com to learn more about our products and to contact us about app based solutions.

Croptracker is pleased to announce the pilot launch of their crop management and record-keeping software by the BC Fruit Growers' Association.

The BC Fruit Growers' Association has represented the interests of British Columbian fruit growers’ interests since 1889 and aims to help create a healthy food system for the long-term prosperity of the tree fruit industry.  It advocates governments for positive change to risk management programs, such as crop insurance.  It also provides services and products to growers - the most recent service being access to the Croptracker platform.

Croptracker will capture information electronically that was previously lost in manual, written records.  "The pilot project will establish how this once-isolated, written information can be used to generate value for growers," said Pinder Dhaliwal, President of the BCFGA.   Croptracker will introduce automated alerts and enhance traceability, and provide the ability to draw on recorded activities to better manage the farm.  Croptracker will be linked to the BC Tree Fruit Production Guide to ensure that all crop recommendations are up-to-date and current.

“We’re very pleased that the BC Fruit Growers Association is bringing Croptracker to its members,” says Matt Deir, CEO and founder. “Every grower within the association will now have full access to the record-keeping, reporting, traceability, and other functionalities Croptracker offers."

Croptracker is a cloud-based crop management software platform that combines data from RFID systems, weather stations, soil sensors, and user-inputted information to help growers, co-ops, and associations make better decisions and be more profitable. Starting in 2006 with the consult of the Ontario Apple Growers Association, Deir and his team began building Croptracker into the powerful software used today by more than 2,000 growers from 41 countries.

Croptracker is unique among agricultural software platforms, as it is built on a foundation of collaboration with Canadian growers.  Over 12 years and countless software advancements later, Croptracker continues to be shaped by grower input as it expands around the world. As a result, the software reflects and combats today’s most pertinent challenges facing growers.

To open their free Croptracker account, members of the BC Fruit Growers' Association are asked to contact Brenda Jorde, Member Services Coordinator and Replant Admin at 1-800-619-9022.

Smart scanning system to detect fruit size, colour and possible defects

For immediate release

Vineland Station ON, 13 September 2021 - Ontario’s tender fruit and apple growers have joined forces with a local agtech company to further develop its smartphone-powered computer vision system for Ontario tree fruit.

Ontario Tender Fruit and Ontario Apple Growers are working with Kingston, Ontario-based Croptracker to expand their Harvest Quality Vision (HQV) system with new crop load and defect detection tools.

These enhancements to the HQV system will enable scanning of both harvested and unharvested fruit to identify possible defects. As well, growers will be able to scan fruit growing in their orchards early in the growing season to determine size and colour accuracy, which will greatly improve the accuracy of yield and harvest timing predictions.

“An enhanced Harvest Quality Vision system will help growers have more consistent, higher quality fruit and less reliance on manual processes,” says Ontario Tender Fruit Growers Chair Phil Tregunno. “For many growers, labour represents the biggest share of their cost of production and adding automation will help offset some of those costs.”

Harvest Quality Vision uses artificial intelligence to determine fruit size, colour and crop load. Growers are automatically alerted if it finds deviations from any acceptable standards. Not only does this eliminate time-consuming manual inspection of harvested fruit, but it also lets growers and field/orchard managers respond to crop load issues, quality defects or disease issues before the fruit is packed.

“This smart technology will let us respond more quickly to crop load problems, quality defects or disease issues not just before harvested fruit is packed, but also even while the crop is still growing in the orchard,” adds Ontario Apple Growers Vice Chair Brian Rideout. “It’s another tool for growers to ensure we’re producing and delivering the best quality local fruit for consumers.”

HQV is the latest addition to the Croptracker software system, which traces its roots back to the Ontario apple industry and growers needing a tool to automate tracking crop protection applications in their orchards. Apple Tracker, Fruit Tracker and Nursery Tracker were ultimately combined into Croptracker, which offers traceability, record-keeping, scheduling, employee communication and analytics, and reporting capabilities.

“We have a long history of partnership with Ontario fruit growers and our collaborations with the industry and with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs have been essential to the growth and success of Croptracker over the last decade,” says Croptracker Founder and Chief Technology Officer Matthew Deir.

The project is funded in part by the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a five-year provincial-territorial initiative.

The Ontario Apple Growers represents the province’s 215 commercial apple farmers. Visit https://www.onapples.com.

The Ontario Tender Fruit Growers is a not-for-profit, independent farming organization governed by grower members. Visit https://www.ontariotenderfruit.ca.

Croptracker, Inc. develops award-winning farm management software solutions for industry leaders. Its mission is to make crop production safer, more efficient, and more profitable. For more information, visit https://www.croptracker.com.

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For more information:

Phil Tregunno, Chair – Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, 905-984-0437 or ptregunno@talkwireless.ca

Sarah Marshall, Manager - Ontario Tender Fruit Growers, 905-687-0867 or sarah@ontariotenderfruit.ca

Brian Rideout, Vice Chair - Ontario Apple Growers, 519-365-5428 or brian.rideout@live.ca

Kelly Ciceran, General Manager – Ontario Apple Growers, 905-6870-0874 or kciceran@onapples.com

Jeff Chemeres, Chief Strategy Officer – Croptracker, Inc., 416-908-8672 or jeff@croptracker.com