If you have a combine with 12V and a clean grain elevator, you can begin yield mapping with FarmTRX. The system includes all software and hardware components necessary to bring precision yield monitoring to any farmer simply and affordably.
To get the most out of harvesting with FarmTRX we suggest following our 10 Step Checklist. Completing the steps ensures you’ll be getting accurate live readings in the cab during harvest, but remember if you miss or make errors in your in-field calibration, you can still get corrected, accurate maps. Post-harvest calibration tools in the web app allow you to fix errors like wrong header width, wrong crop type, or a missing calibration after the fact. Ensure there is power to the Yield Monitor and go confidently!
If you’re new to farming with FarmTRX, here are 10 steps to get the yield monitor harvest-ready:
- Register your FarmTRX Web App account
- Draw or import field boundaries
- Download the FarmTRX Mobile App
- Add headers and crop types to the mobile app
- Verify installation
- Connect to the yield monitor via Bluetooth®
- Perform a sensor calibration in the yard
- Set header and crop type and begin harvesting
- Perform a crop calibration in the field once per crop type per year
- Enter your Web App credentials to sync data to the Web App (whenever you like!)
1) Register your FarmTRX Web App account
Create your FarmTRX Web App account by visiting web.farmtrx.app. This is a good step to complete while you’re waiting to receive your FarmTRX shipment!
Begin the account setup process. Enter account details such as contact information and your preferred units of measurement. Select the combine models, headers and crop types you will be using at harvest. If you want to add custom crop types, you can! Follow these instructions to do so.
2) Draw or import field boundaries
The FarmTRX Web App is the destination where your yield data will be synced, sorted into field boundaries and processed into a variety of yield map outputs. Whenever you decide to upload your yield data, whether daily, weekly or all at once at the end of harvest, the data will need a place to land – this is your field boundaries! Synced yield data will not be visible until the corresponding boundary is present in the Web App.
Create field boundaries by pressing the plus icon in the left side bar of the Web App. Add a field name and draw the boundary using the available tools. If you already have field boundaries, import them to the Web App as .shp files by clicking on the Fields tab. Boundaries can be customized at any time and we suggest reviewing them yearly to ensure they are as accurate as possible and no harvested area is being missed.
3) Download the FarmTRX Mobile App
Through the FarmTRX mobile app farmers connect to the yield monitor via Bluetooth® and perform sensor and crop calibrations. The crop calibration is an important step to get accurate live and average yield and moisture readings in the cab during harvest.
The mobile app should be updated on the Apple App or Google Play store before harvest to make sure the latest version is in use. Updates to the firmware of the Yield Monitor and Moisture Sensor happen over-the-air, meaning no additional update costs.
4) Add headers and crop types in the mobile app
Add the headers and crop types you will be using at harvest under the “Add/Edit Headers” and “Add/Edit Crops” pages. If custom crop types were created in the Web App, they’ll have to be created in the mobile app as well.
5) Verify installation
The Yield Monitor is a single package solution, arriving with all components required to start yield mapping. Patent-pending QuickConnect installation method allows for a quick and easy install of the sensors, completed by the farmer.
Before harvesting, double check your installation. Make sure all wiring and harnesses are away from belts or moving parts of the combine, and that the sensors are securely in place. Test that the sensors are aligned and powered by following these steps.
6) Connect to the Yield Monitor via Bluetooth®
Make sure Bluetooth® settings are enabled on your mobile device in order to connect. If prompted to complete a firmware update, do so.
Navigate to the “Connections” page of the mobile app to find your Yield Monitor.
7) Perform a sensor calibration
To calibrate the optical sensors, engage your separator clutch and run the combine at full throttle while stationary, with no grain running through the elevator. Navigate to the “Device Calibration” page on the FarmTRX Mobile App to run a sensor calibration. Hit the “Start” button once the elevator is running at full throttle. The Yield Monitor will record the elevator and determine the width of the empty paddles.
8)Set header and crop type and begin harvesting
Default values will be used for all fields if not specified by the user. So if you want to see accurate data in the cab while harvesting, set the crop type and header before. If you forget, you can add it after the fact in the Web App and your maps will be reprocessed using the correct values.
9) Perform a crop calibration in the field once per crop type per year
To get accurate readings in the cab, calibrate in the field by volume, by weight or by a combination of both. We recommend calibrating once per crop type per year.
To do a calibration run, visit the “Crop Calibration” page of the mobile app. Select the crop type for the calibration and make sure you are ready to harvest a representative part of the field, not weedy or drowned out. After the known amount has been harvested, enter the measured weight and/or volume along with measured moisture if using the FarmTRX Moisture Sensor. The calibration will be applied to the previously harvested acres. If you could not complete a crop calibration before harvesting, you can calibrate within the Web App after the fact.
9) Enter your web credentials to upload your yield data (whenever you like!)
To get yield data processed into maps and ready to view and export, you will sync the yield data from the mobile app to the Web App over WiFi or using cellular data. Navigate to the “Cloud Sync” page of the mobile app to do so.
As a new customer, you have one year of full access to automated yield mapping, integrations and post-harvest calibration tools for free. This allows you to test out the yield mapping service and features available in the Web App. After the first year is up, you can choose to renew full features of the web app by paying a yearly fee based on the number of acres in the account. The cost ranges from 50 cents an acre down to 10 cents an acre, the more acres in the account.
If you’re just getting started with FarmTRX, we suggest uploading yield data once per harvest day to familiarize yourself with the yield map outputs and double-check that calibration is accurate. If you would rather upload less frequently in bigger data chunks, you can do that too!
We hope this checklist helps you get prepared for harvesting with FarmTRX! Don’t hesitate to contact our team if you require more assistance.
Happy harvesting!
