The GeoAg Solutions team worked closely with Duda personnel to ensure that their efforts
would be successful and that the technology would be adopted by crewleaders and
harvesting personnel. Training sessions were conducted on-site with operators as a group
and on an individual basis.
The value of the CitriTrack™ system at Duda is that it provides a benefit to multiple levels
of users. Since the quality and accuracy of the information relies on the harvesting
crewleader to record his data correctly, HarvestPay™ was a practical solution for
encouraging operators to use the system properly and benefit themselves from the
streamlined process of this service. To further enhance this feature GeoAg Solutions
developed a customized payroll report that crewleaders and payroll administrators can
access online.
As the quality and accuracy of the data flowing into the system improved, Harvesting
Managers were able to take advantage of the real-time, remote monitoring capabilities
of HarvestWatch™.
Joby Sherrod views a yield map on HarvestMap™ website.
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CitriTrack™ links the units in the
field to the HarvestWatch™
system. Using the Internet,
harvesting managers can access
up to the minute information on
crews, loads and trailer locations.
Neal Livingston, Citrus
Harvesting Manager at Duda
says, “It’s nice to see if a goat
driver is running” without having
to track them down in the field.
Phil Taylor,who is responsible for dispatching trailers and loads, likes the ease that comes with
HarvestWatch™. “I can be out amongst everything in the north part of the grove and still see what is
going on in the south part.” He also stated that HarvestWatch™ was “a big help” for what he does. As
trailers are being loaded in the field, Taylor, who uses a laptop in his truck with a wireless modem,
can monitor their location and status and schedule pickups and empties better.
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Harvesting Managers, such as Bernardo Barnhart are also using the yield data and maps to improve
crop estimates. Barnhart remarks that it is “a useful tool to make assessments.” These forecasts
are very important for Duda’s fresh fruit packinghouse. The updated information from HarvestWatch™
and HarvestMap™ can be useful for determining how much fruit is left after a spot pick or before a
block is completed.
One glance at a yield map can indicate where production levels are low and should be addressed.
Joby Sherrod, Crop Protection & Research Superintendent at Duda values the CitriTrack™ system in
his department. “It’s an excellent tool when deployed successfully for managing small experiments.”
Sherrod also commented on the system’s effectiveness for this past season. “This past year we
have gotten some really good yield data for our grove.” Duda has used this data to document the
consistent high and low level yields of each citrus block.
