—story by Matt Milkovich
—photo by TJ Mullinax
Small farms, which often lack the resources to utilize the latest technological tools, are a largely untapped market for providers of labor-saving software. But some of those providers now offer versions of their products aimed at the needs of smaller farms.
Agri-Trak rolled out Agri-TrakGO, a version of its labor-saving technology designed to serve farms with 10 or fewer employees. FieldClock launched FieldClock Payroll Powered by ADP, in partnership with major payroll service provider ADP, as the name implies, specifically for small farms. PickTrace now offers a pay card and remittance product.
Definitions of “small farm” vary. Agri-Trak CEO Jamie Sonneville defines it as a farm grossing less than $350,000 a year. FieldClock CEO Josh Farray defines it as an operation with fewer than 50 employees. In the fruit world, many U.S. operations of that size are in the Midwest and East.
Agri-TrakGO tracks what employees are doing, where they’re doing it and how much time it’s taking them. It also sets a warning when an employee is approaching the overtime threshold, an increasingly important function for New York farms dealing with a shrinking overtime cap. Unlike the main app, Agri-TrakGO doesn’t include H-2A compliance tools, Sonneville said.
“My mission is to make sure family farms are armed with the tools and data they need,” she said. “I’m trying to create an automated system that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.”
Agri-TrakGO’s tablet application can collect data without an internet connection in the field. Employees can use their smartphones to log in and out. They also can scan a QR code or enter data on a website.
“You can see where your staff is, what they’re doing, and use the data to make last-minute decisions,” Sonneville said.
Lynn Fish grows a variety of crops for his farm market in Shortsville, New York, including sweet corn, pumpkins and strawberries. His workers are all local, mostly high school and college students, and his workforce needs fluctuate throughout the year. During strawberry season, he usually hires 10 to 15 pickers.
For years, Fish used “notepad and pen” to keep track of payroll. He decided to try Agri-TrakGO because it was affordable and efficient. In the past, he’s had trouble with workers “skimming hours” — signing out at 1:30 when they actually left work at noon, for example. But because employees now use their phones to sign in via Agri-TrakGO, Fish can use the software to confirm that they are where they say they are, he said.
FieldClock partnered with ADP to set up its payroll system. The software guides employers step-by-step through payroll and new-hire onboarding tasks. Users can put recurring payroll on autopilot and pay employees via direct deposit or other flexible options, Farray said.
Small farms need affordable tools that account for different pay methods, including hourly and piece rate, and also account for the different wage and overtime rules in different states, he said.
“Our core mission is to provide universal access to high-quality tools traditionally limited to large farms,” Farray said. “Labor costs are increasing for all farms, not just large ones, and small farms need to be able to make data-driven decisions, too.”
David Martin, an Oregon blueberry and strawberry grower, recently started using FieldClock Payroll Powered by ADP. Martin hires six full-time employees and about 60 H-2A workers. He pays them by the piece and by the hour, depending on the task. He manages about 100 acres of blueberries and nearly 20 acres of strawberries.
Previously, he hired a bookkeeper friend to do payroll. She was increasingly busy with other things, however, and he needed to try something new. He decided to try FieldClock Payroll for its simplicity.
“A guy like me who knows nothing about payroll can hit a button. That’s what I wanted,” he said, adding that he’s on his own with no office staff.
He’s still mastering the software, but he knows other growers and contractors who want to try it, and he thinks it will be a great product once the kinks are worked out.
PickTrace is offering the PickTrace PayCard, which allows ag employees to check their balance and transaction history and send money to Mexico and other countries with a “reduced fee structure and a superior foreign exchange rate,” said CEO Joel Zemer. It also frees the employer from printing and distributing paper checks.
PickTrace also offers digital onboarding of H-2A employees. The employer texts employees a link where they fill in their passport, visa and other information before entering the United States. Employers also can contact past employees and tell them when work is available, Zemer said. •
Leave A Comment