Harvest Workflow: Piecework & Pre-Printing

This workflow explains how to run a harvest using pre-printed Croptracker harvest tags and piecework labour tracking. Tags are created and printed before harvest, employees are punched into the harvest event, and each scanned tag becomes a harvest input that can be assigned to the employee who picked it.

You will need the Harvest and Punch Clock modules to use this workflow. For help adding modules to your Croptracker account, contact support@croptracker.com.

Before you begin

Complete the required setup before harvest day so your team can scan tags quickly in the field.

Set up your farm, blocks, and rows in Croptracker. See Harvest Set-Up.
Set up employees, pay schedules, work crews, and piece rates. See Punch Clock Set-Up.
Choose a harvest tag style that contains the information you need on the printed tag. See Harvest Tag Types.
For pre-printed harvest tags, use a desktop label printer connected to the desktop computer or laptop you use to access the Croptracker website. This is different from field printing labels with a Bluetooth printer and the Croptracker mobile app.
Optional: print employee badges if you want to scan badges when assigning pickers to harvest inputs. See How to Print Employee Badges.

Important: Croptracker Harvest Tag Set tags are tied to the farm, block, or row selected on the tag set. When scanning tags into a harvest event, make sure the event includes the same location the tags were printed for.

Workflow overview

Create and print Harvest Tag Sets on the web.
Optional: print employee badges if you want to scan badges when assigning pickers to harvest inputs.
Configure Harvest preferences on each mobile device.
Create the harvest event in the mobile app.
Punch employees into the harvest event with piecework enabled.
Scan pre-printed tags to create harvest inputs.
Assign each input to the picker manually or by scanning an employee badge.
Punch employees out when harvest is complete.

Step 1 — Create and print Harvest Tag Sets on the web

Log in to Croptracker on your desktop browser.
Go to Harvest → Harvest Tag Sets.
Select + Add New Harvest Tag Set.
Fill in the required fields:
- Farm/Block/Row: select the location the tags will be associated with.
- Volume Unit and Amount: select the unit and quantity each tag represents, such as 1 bin, 1 lug, or 1 tote.
- Tag Style: select the label format you want to print.
- Next Tag Number: enter the starting number for the tag sequence, if needed.
Optional: select Crop & Variety and Harvest Class if you want those values printed on the tag.
Select Save.
On the Harvest Tag Sets page, find the tag set and select Print.
Enter the number of tags to print, then confirm the print job. You can print up to 1,000 tags at a time.
Pre-printed Tag Example

For a detailed tag set guide, see https://croptracker.atlassian.net/servicedesk/customer/portal/1/article/1355841539.

Tip: Print tags by the location, variety, unit, or harvest class your team needs in the field. Unused pre-printed tags do not create harvest inventory until they are scanned.

Step 2 — Optional: print employee badges

If you plan to scan employee badges when assigning pickers to harvest inputs, print badges before harvest while you are set up at the desktop printer.

Log in to Croptracker on your desktop browser.
Go to Punch Clock → Employee Badges.
Select the employees or work crews who will be harvesting.
Print the badges using the desktop label printer connected to your desktop computer or laptop.
Hand the printed badges out to employees before harvest begins.

For badge setup details, see How to Print Employee Badges.

Note: Skip this step if you will assign pickers manually from the available picker list instead of scanning employee badges.

Step 3 — Configure Harvest preferences on the mobile app

These preferences should be checked on each mobile device before scanning begins.

Log in to the Croptracker mobile app.
From the dashboard, open the side menu and tap Preferences.
Tap Harvest.
Set the following preferences for a typical piecework pre-printing workflow:

Preference	Recommended setting	Why

Preference	Recommended setting	Why
Harvest Scan Code	Croptracker Harvest Tag Set	Allows the mobile device camera to scan tags printed from Croptracker Harvest Tag Sets.
Show “Add Input” button	Enabled	Shows the button used to create inputs from the Inputs tab.
Automatically navigate to “Edit Harvest Input” screen	Disabled for fastest scanning, or Enabled if you need to edit each input	Keep disabled when the tag set already contains the unit information and no edits are needed. Enable if users must enter weight, harvest class, or other details after scanning.

For more information, see Harvest Preference Menu and Set Up your Mobile App to Scan Tags.

If you use a Bluetooth barcode scanner instead of the device camera, set Harvest Scan Code to Croptracker Harvest Tag Set - Handheld Barcode Scanner. See How to use a Bluetooth barcode scanner with the mobile app.

Step 4 — Create the harvest event on mobile

Open the Croptracker mobile app.
Tap Harvest.
Tap the + button to create a new harvest event.
Set the event details:
- Start Date: confirm the harvest date and time.
- Title: enter a clear name for the event, such as the date, crop, crew, or block.
- Where: select the blocks or rows being harvested.
- Tracking Codes: review or edit the generated tracking codes if your operation uses a specific format.
Tap Done to save the event.

For complete instructions, see How to Record a Harvest - Mobile App.

Location check: The harvest event must include the location printed on the tag set. If a scanned tag does not match the event location, the app may reject the scan or require correction.

Step 5 — Punch employees into the harvest event for piecework

Open the harvest event.
Go to the Worklogs tab.
Tap Punch In.
Select the employees or work crews harvesting in this event.
Confirm the start date and time.
Make sure the worklog is flagged as piecework if the employees will be paid by piece for the scanned harvest inputs.
Tap Punch In to save the worklogs.

For detailed worklog instructions, see How to Record Work Logs Against Harvest Events (Mobile).

Tip: Employees must be punched into the harvest event before they can be assigned to harvest inputs. If an employee is missing from the picker list, return to the Worklogs tab and punch them in.

Step 6 — Scan pre-printed tags and assign pickers

Open the harvest event and go to the Inputs tab.
Tap Add Input. If no location has been selected yet, tap Choose Where first and select the correct harvest location.
Scan the pre-printed Croptracker harvest tag with the device camera or connected barcode scanner.
Assign the picker using one of the methods below.

Option A — Assign pickers manually

Use this option when Scan Employee Badges is disabled.

After scanning the harvest tag, review the Select Available Pickers list.

Tap the employee who harvested that input.
If the wrong employee is selected, tap the name again and choose the correct employee.
Return to the Inputs screen and continue scanning tags until the harvest is complete.

Option B — Assign pickers by scanning employee badges

Use this option when Scan Employee Badges is set to Scan Single or Scan Multiple.

Tap Add Input and scan the pre-printed harvest tag.
When prompted, scan the employee badge for the picker who harvested the input.
If using Scan Multiple, continue scanning employee badges until all pickers for that input are added, then tap Done.
Continue scanning harvest tags and employee badges until all inventory is recorded.

For badge scanning setup and details, see How to Scan Employee Badges onto Harvest Inputs.

Fast scanning tip: You can scan an employee badge once and scan multiple harvest inputs to credit that employee for multiple pieces.

Step 7 — Review and correct harvest inputs as needed

Before closing the harvest, review the Inputs tab for missing or incorrect information.

Confirm each scanned tag created an input.
Confirm the correct picker is assigned to each input.
Open an input if you need to correct the picker, location, amount, unit, weight, harvest class, or other details.
If a tag will not scan, confirm the tag is from a valid Croptracker Harvest Tag Set and that the event includes the matching location.

Step 8 — Punch employees out

When harvesting is complete, return to the Worklogs tab in the harvest event.
Punch out the employees or work crews who were working in the event.
Confirm the end time, breaks, and any required worklog details.
Save the punch-out records.

After employees are punched out and inputs are reviewed, the harvest event is ready for reporting.

Troubleshooting

Issue	What to check

Issue	What to check
The camera does not open when adding an input	Check Preferences → Harvest → Harvest Scan Code. For Croptracker pre-printed tags, use Croptracker Harvest Tag Set - Camera.
The Add Input button is missing	Check Preferences → Harvest → Show “Add Input” button and make sure it is enabled.
The tag scan is rejected	Confirm the tag came from an active Croptracker Harvest Tag Set and that the harvest event includes the same farm, block, or row printed on the tag.
The employee is not available to assign	Go to the Worklogs tab and confirm the employee is punched into the event.
The app asks for an employee badge but you do not want to scan badges	Set Preferences → Harvest → Scan Employee Badges to Disabled.
Scans are too slow	Enable Bulk Scan, disable automatic navigation to the edit screen if edits are not required, or use a Bluetooth barcode scanner.

Harvest Workflow: Piecework & Pre-Printing