Traceability of Fruit Production Practices Enhanced by Trac Record-keeping and Reporting Software

Abstract

Trac Software, an Excel-based record-keeping and reporting software program, enables fruit farmers to easily maintain and report accurate crop protection records that are, 1) vital to their market edge, when increasingly competitive global markets demand detailed pesticide records and product traceability, and 2) critical to their IPM practices, especially when faced with pest or disease control failures and severe outbreaks. Trac Software was upgraded in 2006 for all fruit crops commonly grown in New York and 330 CDs distributed. Trac Software support materials were also updated including a Software Manual, a Getting Started guide, and a comprehensive website. In 2006, the software was programmed for adding more rows to the forms, sending information to specific processor reports, and filtering processor reports. In 2006, Trac Software development began for turfgrass, for fruit farmers in Ontario, Canada, and for the EcoApple report form of Red Tomato. A Trac survey of 253 recipients is underway.