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Management Setup

Section I: GENERAL DESCRIPTION

Section II: DESCRIPTION OF SETUP ITEMS

Section III: HOW TO SETUP MANAGEMENT

Section IV: HOW TO REMOVE OR CHANGE MANAGEMENT ITEMS

Section V: HOW TO USE MANAGEMENT ITEMS DURING OPERATION

Section I: GENERAL DESCRIPTION

This display uses a management hierarchy to organize data to reflect the real world organization of a farm operation.  The management structure includes people, places, activities, and time. 

• People:  Growers and Operators
• Places:  Farms, Fields, Regions, Data Points
• Activities:  Field Operations
• Time:  Seasons, Data Points (data points contain both time and place)

Grower is at the top of the hierarchy.  Each Grower has a list of Farms and Fields that belong to them.  A Farm is subdivided into one or more Fields. A Field is subdivided into one or more Regions, where a Region is a grouping of data points for an operation.  A Season is a collection of the various field operations that were performed on the crop during the crop's "growing season."  Since the management hierarchy can change over time, Seasons also provide a method of making management changes (e.g. adding or removing a field from your operation).

Growers, Farms, Fields, and Operators are persistent.  That is to say, that you do not need to make new fields every year.  This information can carry over, from year to year, if no changes are necessary.  Therefore, it is important to name these management items properly so that they can easily be recognized from year to year.

Section II: DESCRIPTION OF SETUP ITEMS

Grower Tab Items:

• Grower List shows a list of all growers entered in the display.
• Add button starts wizard for adding a grower to the list.
• Remove button will remove a grower from the list when no longer needed.
• Grower Information box displays contact information for the grower that is currently highlighted in the list.
• Edit button opens the Personal Information window to allow changing the grower information.

To make changes to a Grower, select the Grower in the list by pressing on it. The Information box and Edit button to the right of the list will apply only to the "highlighted" Grower.

Season Tab Items:

• Season List view shows a list of all seasons created and operations performed where data was collected.
• New Season button displays the keyboard to start a new season.
• Edit Name button allows renaming a season in the list.
• Set Active button makes a season active to be logged into.  After the display is used in more season, usually the most recent is set to active.  However, if two different crops' seasons overlap, the Set Active Season feature allows switching between two seasons.
• Remove button will remove an item from the list when it is no longer needed. (For example, you have copied all the data from the display for that season and wish to free up storage memory.)  An individually highlighted operation can be removed, or the whole season can be removed if the Season is highlighted.
• New Season Reminder allows the user to set a date for a reminder to create a new season at the appropriate time.  The default date is January 1.

Field Tab Items:

• Grower Selection filters the Farm/Field List by grower.
• Farm/Field List shows a list of all fields, organized by farm, for the grower selected.
• Add button starts wizard for adding a farm and/or a field.
• Edit Name button allows renaming a field in the list.
• Remove button will remove a field from the list when it is no longer needed. (For example, you no longer rent the field.)
• Field Information box displays additional information for the field that is currently highlighted in the list.
• Edit button opens the Field Information window to allow changing the following field information:
  • Area - This area can be set for Area Countdown display.  It will be entered automatically when a boundary is made.
  • County
  • Township
  • Range
  • Section
  • FSA Number
  • FSA Area
  • Legal Description
  • Farm - Allows editing the Farm that the Field belongs to.
  • Clear Bounds - This button clears the bounds for the field if it is not correct.

• The boundary preview shows the field boundary for the highlighted field.
• The Import button allows for importing a boundary from the memory card and associating it to a Field.
• The Export button allows for exporting a boundary for a field or all fields in one step.

Operator Tab Items:

• Operator List shows all Operators by name
• Add button starts wizard for adding an operator to the list
• Remove button will remove an operator from the operators list
• Operator Information box displays contact information and other details for the operator that is currently highlighted in the list.
• Edit button opens the Personal Information window to allow changing the operator information.

Section III: HOW TO SETUP MANAGEMENT

Press the Management button on the SETUP screen to open Management setup.

Add a Grower

Press the Add button on the Grower tab to add a Grower (by business name).

Press the New button to launch the Business/Person Setup Wizard.  If the Grower was already created, choose from the pull-down list.

Enter a Business name by pressing the keyboard button.  Enter the Business Name for the Grower. (Example:  Johnson Farms)  Press ACCEPT.

Press Next.

Enter the first and last name of a contact person by pressing the keyboard button beside each entry.

Press Finish.

All other Personal Information items can be entered by pressing the Edit button from the Grower tab.  The remaining items are optional, although it is recommended to enter a phone number and contact person (first and last name).

When desired items are entered, press ACCEPT to return to the Grower tab.

To edit the Grower business name or change Grower Information, press Edit on the Grower tab.

Add a Season

• Press Season tab.

• Press the New Season button to display the keyboard.

• A default name is provided where the name is made from the current year. (For example: "2006 Crop")  Change the name if this name is not desired.  Press ACCEPT.

• The Set Active button will make the highlighted season active.  Data is always recorded in the season that is active.

Since the management hierarchy can change over time, Seasons provide a method of making management changes.  The length of time that a Season is defined is the crop's "growing season."  The recommended name of a Season should include the year in which the crop is harvested, since this marks the end of the growing season.  Post-harvest operations should be considered preparation for the next growing season.  Therefore, post-harvest tillage, fertilizer application, etc. should be done under the next harvest's season.

Add Fields

• Press the Field tab.
• Select the desired Grower to add a field to.
• Press the Add button to display the Farm to add a field to.  If the desired farm is not already in the pull-down list then press the New button to create a farm.  The keyboard is displayed to enter a farm name.  Press ACCEPT on the keyboard once the name has been entered.
• Press Next to go to Step 2 of the Field Setup Wizard.  A field list is displayed that new fields can be added to.  Press the New button to display the keyboard for naming the field.  (Enter a name for the field that can be used year after year, and is easily recognizable for selection at RUN screen).  After entering the desired name, press ACCEPT.    When all fields have been entered for the Farm selected in step 1, press Finish to return to the Field tab.
• Repeat procedure to enter additional farms and fields.
• Press the Edit button while a Field is highlighted to enter optional Field Information items.  The Farm to which the field belongs can be changed on the Field Information screen.
• (Optional Item) Press the Edit button while a Farm is highlighted to enter an Farm Owner.

Add Operators

• Press the Add button on the Operator tab to add an Operator.
• If the person already exists in the display, for example they are a grower or the display owner, then select the person from the pull down list and press ACCEPT.
• If the person is not is the list, press the New button to launch the Business/Person Setup Wizard
• Enter a Business name by pressing the keyboard button.  If the operator does not have a business, then just enter the first and last name of the person using the keyboard and press ACCEPT.
• The name is now listed in the pull-down list. Press NEXT.
• Enter the first and last name of a operator by pressing the keyboard button beside each entry.
• Press Finish.
• All other Personal Information items can be entered by pressing the Edit button from the Operator tab.  The remaining items are optional, although it is recommended to enter an Applicator License Number if you plan to create Application Reports.  The operator name and license number will be included on the report when it is generated.  

Section IV: HOW TO REMOVE MANAGEMENT ITEMS

When a management item is no longer needed or valid for a farming operation, the user may desire to remove an item from a list.  This functionality is supported with the following rules:

• Remove a Grower: All Fields, Seasons, Operations, and Regions created for that Grower will also be removed since these items "belong" to that Grower.

• Remove a Field: All Operations performed and Regions created in that field will also be removed since these items "belong" to that Field.

• Remove a Season: All Operations performed and Regions created during the course of that Season will also be removed since these items "belong" to that Season.

• Remove an Operation: All Regions created for that Operation will also be removed since these items "belong" to that Operation.

Remove a Grower

• Press the Remove button on the Grower tab.
• The Grower will be removed from the list
• A confirmation message will be displayed.  Press ACCEPT or CANCEL as desired.
• The person that was created to be a Grower will remain in the display for other purposes (i.e. an operator).  That person will no longer be identified as an grower within the system.

Remove a Season

Warning!  Before removing a Season, make sure that all data has been "copied to card" and archived in the desktop mapping software!  There is no point of return once a season has been removed.

• Press Season tab.  

• Highlight the desired Season line in the list. Press the Remove button. 

• A confirmation message will be displayed.  Press ACCEPT or CANCEL as desired.

• When the Remove button is pressed while a Season line is will remove a season and all regions and operations that we performed in that season.  Removing an old season is the primary method of freeing up storage memory for more operations.

Remove an Operation

Warning!  Before removing a Operation, make sure that all data has been "copied to card" and archived in the desktop mapping software!  There is no point of return once a season has been removed.

• Press Season tab.
• Highlight the desired Operation to remove from the list. Press the Remove button. 
• A confirmation message will be displayed.  Press ACCEPT or CANCEL as desired.

Remove Fields or Farms

• Press the Field tab.
• Select the desired Field or Farm to remove from the list.  Removing a Farm will remove all fields associated with it.
• A confirmation message will be displayed.  Press ACCEPT or CANCEL as desired.

Remove an Operator

• Press the Remove button on the Operator tab.
• The Operator will be removed from the list
• A confirmation message will be displayed.  Press ACCEPT or CANCEL as desired.
• The person that was created to be an Operator will remain in the display for other purposes (i.e. a grower).  That person will no longer be identified as an operator within the system.

Section V: HOW TO USE MANAGEMENT ITEMS DURING OPERATION

Setting the Active Operator

If you intend to track operators, and an Operator has not been set as active for the first time, go to the HOME screen and select an operator.  An alternative method is to restart the display.  The operator selection will be displayed at startup.  

If the operator changes during an operation, go to the HOME screen to change operators, or restart the display an you will be prompted to select the operator.

RUN

RUN Step 1a:  Select Field. At the RUN screen, Press FIELD.  The Field Operations Wizard will be displayed.  Select the desired Grower, Farm, and Field from the pull-down selections.  Press Next. 

RUN Step 1b:  Select the desired Operating Configuration from the pull-down selection.  Press Next.

RUN Step 1c:  Select the appropriate Product(s) for each equipment configuration from the Product pull-down selection(s).  Press Finish. 

RUN Step 2:  Select Region.  The Region Selection window will be displayed to confirm the creation of the first Region.  The Region name can be edited before pressing ACCEPT.

Logging can begin at this point.

RUN Step 3:  Additional Regions can be created at RUN time.  Press REGION button from the RUN screen, then press NEW. 

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SUMMARY

Field Summaries are broken down by Grower, Field, Operation, and Product.  Press the SUMMARY button to view summaries.