guide tractor drivers to the right field, orchard or specific row, with all the information they need to do the job correctly. The units show them where the hazards are on the way. • Easily Collect and Analyze Data: The TracMap in-cab display GPS units collect and send field operations data back to TracMap Online, where owners can access the platform on their desktop computer or mobile device to view job completion data. “We have a system that’s a bit different than what’s available from traditional GPS providers,” said Colin. “Those systems are primarily designed for people doing broad- acre farming—like grains and oilseeds. The functionality does not work well for what is needed by people growing lettuces and berries. That’s where we come in.” In the U.S., TracMap is currently working with farmers operating in California, Oregon and Washington. Its core focus is grapes and tree nuts but the company is now enhancing the product to serve cherries, apples, strawberries and blackberries. However, the operation still has a significant market share in New Zealand; more than 80 percent of all fertilizer or spray applied in the country is with a TracMap GPS system. In fact, TracMap was the first company in New Zealand to develop a product that allowed farmers to effectively spray and apply chemical fertilizer in uneven terrain. Prior to TracMap, all technologies marketed only allowed farmers to maintain their land if the product was being applied in straight lines. The agtech company has rapidly expanded since first settling in the Golden State in 2017. Brown solely represented TracMap’s presence in America back then, while today, the U.S. team consists of 10 people. “The Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology was an excellent base of operations to start with,” said Brown. “We were able to have a physical presence here in the states at a very minimal cost. Plus, the location was central to farmers.” The company’s U.S. presence has become so large that it has “outgrown” the Center. TracMap recently moved its operation to another building in downtown Salinas that could accommodate the expanding team, but still keeps its residency at the Center.
“We can’t beat the access that the Western Growers’ Center provides us to meet potential clients. Between Grower Days and AgTechx, the opportunities to connect with growers is invaluable,” remarked Brown. Through the unique events offered exclusively to agtech companies by the Center, TracMap has beefed up its portfolio of clients to include ag giants and Western Growers members such as Church Brothers, Andrew & Williamson,
The DiMare Company, Pappas Produce, and Capay Organic. Utilizing the resources of the Center as well as its home base in New Zealand, TracMap plans to continue to improve its technology to make it simpler to use but more robust with added functionality that further improves productivity on the farm, resulting in significant gains in crop yield. For more information on TracMap, contact Colin Brown at colin.brown@ tracmap.com or (831) 287-4338.
Solving the risk of missed rows when spraying at night
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SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019
Western Grower & Shipper | www.wga.com
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