Traditional
farming has changed drastically in the past century, in more ways than
one. Machines and technology especially, have digitized and optimized
farming practices for modern-day growers – and the evolution continues.
Tracking
technology has been incredibly popular in the last few decades –
generically being used to monitor mailed packages, coordinate road-trips
with GPS systems, and tagging your personal location via Facebook.
Shay
Myers, General Manager at Owyhee Produce, has wanted to pair tracking
technology and produce for years, but the technology hasn’t quite been
where it needed to be. The process was rough, inconvenient, and too
expensive to bother implementing – that is, until now. New, disposable,
easy to use technology has been released by Locus Traxx
and Owyhee Produce is on board as an early adopter. During PMA Fresh
summit in October, Owyhee’s Shay Myers penned an agreement for
exclusivity on onions for the new SmartTraxx GO™
technology with David Benjamin, CEO of Locus Traxx Worldwide.
This
new technology provides Owyhee Produce and its customers with a
disposable tracker placed among the load. The tracker is activated upon
release of the shipment and monitors the location and temperature of the
load in real-time.
“It takes out the guess work,” Myers said. “That’s really what it comes down to. The
SmartTraxx GO™
eliminates
the breakdown of communication between the product receiver and the
truck carrier. It’s all about preventing potential problems instead of
having to react to them. When we buy a 10 dollar widget from Amazon, we
expect to be able to track it from shipping to delivery, but not with a
10 thousand dollar load of produce? That seemed crazy to me.”
So
from now on, each electronic Bill of Lading from Owyhee will come with a
tracking number and link. This link works just like when you make a
purchase on online, but instead of just knowing the general location of
you package you will know the specific location and the temperature of
the load in real time.
What are the practical benefits of this system?
-
-
Temperature Control
-
Location
-
Food Safety
-
On time deliveries
-
Assured Routing
-
Damage Prevention
Not only does tracking benefit the produce receiver, but it also benefits the grower/shipper.
"As
a shipper I like it,” Myers said. “It’s very valuable. When a customer
calls, I don’t have to guess where their shipment is, or make three
phone calls, and talk to the driver, etc. I know instantaneously where
the load is exactly, always.”
About Locus Traxx
Locus Traxx
Worldwide is the leader in real-time temperature, location, and
security monitoring for perishable and high value shipments in transit.
Using their Oversight system and the technological superiority and
versatility of the SmartTraxxTM system, Locus Traxx Worldwide can give customers access to critical data, at any time, and from any location. For more information, visit http://www.locustraxx.com.
About Owyhee Produce
Owyhee Produce is a hybrid-farmer/agri-entrepreuneurial
family business that farms over 3700 acres in Oregon and Idaho. The
company is proud to grow food for millions of consumers throughout the
entirety of North America. The company provides customers with some of
the finest onions on the market. For more information, visit
www.owyheeproduce.com.
