Electronic Harvest Scale System for Hand-Picked Fruits and Vegetables
Our Scales Follow the Rules
NTEP CC#17-087
How it works -- the weighing process
Manage containers, employees, piece rates, and other settings on your online Customer Portal. Use the Registration Station to assign employee badges (RFID cards) and create configuration cards to program the weighing station with tare weights and other harvest information. Before harvest begins, scan the configuration card at the weighing station to program it.
The FairPick is a mobile time clock. Clock employees in and out to keep good records for minimum wage, non-productive, and paid break calculations. During harvest, the picker places a container on the weighing station scale platform. FairPick instructs the picker to scan his or her pre-assigned badge. In seconds, FairPick records precise weight, GPS location, time, and optional container RFID tag, Batch ID, and Location ID. As a result, growers have full traceability and pay only for the exact weight of produce picked, not an estimate. The picker can print optional receipts after each weigh, and upon clocking out, receives a print-out with total weight picked for that day.
- Place container on scale
- Scan employee badge
- Scan container tag (optional)
- Remove container
- Print receipt (optional)
It takes only seconds!
When the weighing station is in range of a Wi-Fi internet network, upload harvest data through a 2nd Sight router or a personal mobile hotspot to the secure 2nd Sight server. The FairPick can work all day without an internet connection.
View FairPick data on your secure Customer Portal account. Download harvest data in CSV (comma separated value) format from the Portal to open in Microsoft Excel. Included in the small yearly, per unit software license fee are standard Daily and Pay Period Reports. These automatically-generated reports make doing payroll quick and easy. Download 2nd Sight reports in .CSV format to import into most payroll software packages. Ask about Custom Reports to get the right data in the right format. Fully automate data entry to reduce errors and decrease accounting costs.
FairPick not only ensures fair pay for both the grower and the picking crew, it’s faster and more efficient. FairPick data collection can also provide better harvest and crop yield data for more informed farm management decisions. For example, FairPick's data can be used to generate a yield map highlighting areas of high and low yield. FairPick is a better weigh to harvest!
Traceability
FairPick also satisfies increased industry and consumer demands for Traceability with the RFID container tracking feature.
Who: FairPick scans employee badges to identify each picker out in the field.
What: FairPick scans container RFID tags which can be easily placed on bins and other harvesting containers to track what is picked.
Where: GPS in each FairPick weighing station links location with an employee AND container RFID tag number.
Farm Management
Year to year records to compare and inform future decisions
One-year ROI for many growers due to reduced labor costs
Cleaner bins with higher quality produce
GPS harvest yield data per field location
No more overpayments
Safety
Adjustable-height scale for good ergonomics and safe lifting
Reduced bag or bucket weights minimize strain on workers
No need to climb ladders with partially filled containers
Traceability data for improved produce safety
Social distancing maintained in the field
Field Operations
Quiet fields without picker arguments
Reduced puncher bottlenecks
Quick wireless data upload
No more guesswork
Cleaner bins
Legal Compliance
NTEP-certified, legal-for-trade, ruggedized Mettler-Toledo scale
Searchable, detailed, and organized digital records
Cloud data storage for long-term recordkeeping
Minimum wage report flags
Field receipts for workers
Human Resources
Automated reports import into existing accounting and payroll software
Searchable, digital records quickly resolve pay disputes
Fair compensation reduces staff turnover
Accurate, streamlined payroll process
Minimal manual data entry
Traceability
In recent years, food born illness outbreaks have been linked to spinach, bagged salad, onions, peaches, romaine, and sprouts. When contaminated produce is detected by consumers and retailers, there is great value for the industry to be able to tell the full story of the affected product. Traceability systems can help maintain growers’ and processors’ reputations (curtailing negative consumer opinions about a particular crop), decrease the amount of produce inventory that will be discarded (minimizing waste and financial loss), and help with preventative measures that can be taken in the future. Produce tracking also helps keep consumers safe, reducing the number and gravity of food borne illness cases. When food tracking is poor, limited, or takes too long to "trace back" the product through the supply chain, the specialty crop industry as a whole suffers.
2nd Sight hardware and software packages focus on collecting farm labor data in the field. If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, field data is a critical piece of the traceability puzzle. While tracking labor data, our systems are also logging the first human contact with the fruits or vegetables. To stop contamination at the source, you must be able to identify the source.
Date & Time Stamp
GPS
Crew
Location
Employee
Container Tracking
Digital Records
Accessible Information
Case Studies
Many blueberry and cherry growers in British Columbia, Canada received funding through the BC Traceability Grant program to help subsidize the cost of implementing 2nd Sight software and hardware because our systems improve produce traceability.
Contact us to learn more about how simple it is to get started at your farm. Start benefitting from improved labor tracking and produce tracking whether you pay by hours, by piece, or by weight.
Example Data Set
Do you grow produce in British Columbia, Canada?
If you are a fruit grower in BC, you may be eligible to receive funding through the BC Traceability Funding Program. The application opens in January and closes in April. Click here to learn more about this government program and how you could be reimbursed for a large portion of the costs to implement the FairPick at your farm!
Fruit & Vegetable Compatibility
- Apples
- Apricots/
- Artichokes
- Asparagus
- Avocados
- Blackberries
- Blueberries
- Boysenberries
- Broccoli
- Cherries
- Cacao
- Cotton
- Figs
- Gooseberries
- Grapefruit
- Grapes
- Grape Leaves
- Huckleberries
- Kiwifruit
- Lemons
- Lettuce
- Limes
- Litchi
- Mango
- Nectarines
- Olives
- Oranges
- Peaches
- Pears
- Peppers
- Plums
- Raspberries
- Saffron
- Squash
- Strawberries
- Tangelos
- Tangerines
- Tea Leaves
- Tomatoes
- Zucchini
Container Weighing Compatibility
- Bags
- Baskets
- Boxes
- Buckets
- Clamshells
- Crates
- Flats
- Lugs
- Pails
- Totes
- Trays
Components of the FairPick Fruit and Vegetable Farm Scale System
Weighing Station Scale
Mobile field unit that records weigh events, GPS locations, and other harvest information.
Features:
- Voice commands available in English, Spanish, French, and German
- Real-time digital weight display on instructional screen
- Time clock buttons to record accurate clock in and clock out events
- Adjustable-height scale for better picker ergonomics
- Stabilizing "feet" and built-in leveling mechanisms to ensure the device is sturdy and scale is level on uneven ground
- All-day battery life with overnight charger
- 16.5” x 20.5” NTEP-certified scale with a weighing capacity of 150 lbs. and an accuracy of ± 0.01 lbs.
- Thermal receipt printer (does not use expensive ink)
- Spare receipt roll compartment
- Durable foam-filled tires
- Latching Lid to protect electronics during transport and from moisture
Battery Backup
Portable back-up battery for the FairPick weighing station. Never fear an uncharged battery!
Features:
- Easy-grip handle
- Sturdy, protective case
- Back-up power for a full day's harvest
Employee Badge Registration Station
Office-based computer station used to assign employee badges, program container RFID tags, and create configuration, and upload cards.
Features:
- Use your own Windows-based personal computer or laptop
- Plug the RFID Reader/Writer into any standard USB port
- Registration Station app download for one or more users
- Easy 2nd Sight internet router setup
Customer Portal Website
Secure website where growers manage employees, harvest settings, uploaded data, and reports.
Features:
- Import employee lists to save time
- Create Employee Profiles to track minimum wage and break information
- Add multiple container tare weights or set to use individual tare weights
- Turn container RFID tag tracking on and off
- Set and change piece rates per container before, during, or after harvest
- Enter a minimum scan time between weighs to prevent "double-scanning"
- Add additional Portal users with different admin roles
- Easily filter data
- Set the Pay Period to weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly beginning on any day of the week
- View standard and custom reports and download them in CSV format
- Edit, add, and delete data while maintaining a clear audit trail
Do I need Wi-Fi or cellular service to use the FairPick system?
The FairPick scale can run all day without being connected to a Wi-Fi or cellular network. The FairPick only requires a Wi-Fi internet connection to upload harvest data to the secure server at the end of the day. If you are unable to connect the weighing station to your Wi-Fi network through the 2nd Sight router, you can use a personal mobile hotspot.
What happens when the battery dies during harvest?
The scale battery, fully charged, lasts an entire day of harvest (approximately 8-10 hours).
Is there a subscription fee for the software?
There is a small annual license fee per weighing station that includes data storage, basic email and phone 24/7 support, Portal maintenance, and software feature upgrades. Included in the license is unlimited access to your uploaded weigh data on your company's Customer Portal account with standard Daily, Pay Period, and Employee Receipt Reports. Ask us about the custom reports we offer and what we can build for you. We can save you time and the headache of doing payroll and managing data.
How many weighing stations do I need?
Each weighing station accommodates approximately 10-50 pickers depending on your harvesting process. It takes only four seconds for a picker to weigh a container of produce. It's fast. We recommend one weighing station per crew to eliminate Picker travel time to the unit.
How does the weighing station work on a hilly orchard?
We designed the weighing station to work well on uneven terrain. It is similar in size to a hand truck with oversized, foam-filled tires. The weighing station has two easily-adjustable feet for stabilization. Still worried about hills? We offer the Rugged FairPick designed with "spiked" feet for even better grip on steep slopes, plus an additional leveling feature on the scale platform.
Is the data compatible with my payroll software?
Download harvest data from your Customer Portal account in CSV (comma separated values) format. Import .csv files into Microsoft Excel and most accounting/payroll software packages. For seamless payroll integration, ask us about the custom reports we offer.
How much does the system cost?
We would be happy to send you a quote! Please contact us to receive an estimate for a FairPick system. Most of our customers are able to pay for their FairPick systems in one season or less because of the improved payroll accuracy and reduced office hours spent counting tickets and preparing for payroll.
Have more questions? We have more answers!
Check out our Help Forum. This online resource answers questions you may have as a propsective customer and as a user of one or more 2nd Sight Ag labor data collection systems.