Innovative Solutions for Agriculture Consulting

Revolutionizing Crop Consulting

Fowler Crop Consulting’s success with MapItFast and Strider Forms

BACKGROUND

Fowler Crop Consulting located in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, manages thousands of crop acres in North Carolina and Virginia. In 2017, the company determined that they needed to digitize their data collection operations to streamline workflows for their team of over 20 agronomists and scouts. Operating in remote locations across a large geographic area, they required a solution that was quick to deploy, affordable, easy to use, and designed for professional use.

THE CHALLENGE

The primary challenge was to find a digital solution that could be easily adopted by the team while ensuring data accuracy and efficiency. The solution needed to support field operations without disrupting the workflow.

THE SOLUTION

After evaluating multiple options, Fowler Crop Consulting chose MapItFast with Strider Forms. This tool allowed the agricultural staff to map activities and electronically fill forms from their Android or Apple devices while working in the field. All data entered in the app is automatically synced to their private and secure cloud account, ensuring data is only entered once.

“The flexibility of a general mapping and data collection system like MapItFast with Strider Forms means there is no limit to the business challenges that can be solved.“

Will Connell

Project Lead, Fowler Crop Consulting

IMPLEMENTATION

Will, the project lead, worked closely with AgTerra to understand the reporting requirements and make the data collection process functional. The initial system for field data collection was accepted by the users and deployed in time for the crop season. Will continued to make adjustments and build out the system over time based on the team’s field experience.

Key Benefits Realized

Team collaboration making it easier to manage and complete tasks.
User friendly forms standardizing inputs and centralizing data.
Tracking field activity status visually on maps.

RESULTS

MapItFast and SprayLogger not only fulfilled pesticide application reporting requirements for the county and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), but also enhanced operational efficiency and ensured accountability in the management of noxious and invasive weed control. Sweetwater County recognized the following benefits:

Efficiency: The integration of MapItFast and Strider Forms eliminated the need for manual data entry, reducing errors and saving time.
Collaboration: The mobile app screen provided a visual representation of all team activities, allowing team members to see mapped sites, add new sites, and fill out crop scouting forms directly from the app.
Flexibility: The system’s flexibility allowed the team to capture various types of data and attach multiple forms to mapped objects, enhancing their ability to track changes over time.
Accountability: Active Map Triggers helped keep track of project status by automatically updating the styling of map objects when a form entry was submitted.

CONCLUSION

The implementation of MapItFast and Strider Forms has transformed Fowler Crop Consulting’s approach to data collection and management. The ease of use, efficiency, and improved collaboration have made these tools essential for their operations, allowing them to maintain their competitive advantage and stay ahead of the curve.

Learn More About MapItFast

FUTURE PLANS

Fowler Crop Consulting plans to incorporate weekly route planning into their operations using MapItFast. This will eliminate the need for tedious and time-consuming planning and emailing schedules for each scout.