Farm Tracker - A guide for farmers
Farm Tracker is a simple tool you can use to help monitor seasonal conditions on your property. An upgraded version of the app has been released that now allows you to not only record conditions, but now also links users with other resources that may be useful to help make business decisions.
Farm Tracker allows you to:
- Complete a simple crop, pasture or animal survey
- Keep and manage a photo diary of your farm so you can monitor the same paddock over many years
- Reports can be completed in a few minutes and they are synchronised with a personal database as well as the statewide database when within mobile or wi-fi range.
The new features of the app connect you to other useful Government services like:
- The NSW Combined Drought Indicator map
- The monthly NSW State Seasonal Update
- NSW DroughtHub
- Local Land Services
- Rural Assistance Authority
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Farm Tracker App do?
Farm Tracker is a very simple mobile phone app that allows farmers to track seasonal changes on their property over time. Each time a farmer fills in a “report”, they can create a geotagged photo diary, monitor dam levels, or record changes at an individual paddock level.
For the farmer, this information provides a detailed and visual record of a farm over time that can be invaluable for budgeting, planning and decision making. The data collected for each farm is not available for other people to see or search.
The app now has additional features that enable you to connect directly to other resources that may be useful such as seasonal conditions and drought information, rural financial and wellbeing support services.
How do I recorded the seasonal conditions on my property?
To make a new report with the app:
- Open the app on your smartphone
- Click on the button “Report conditions on your farm” to start
- Click on the camera icon to take a photo. If you are in mobile reception, the image will be automatically geotagged to record your location, or you can select your location using the marker icon
- Answer any of the questions that are relevant. None of the questions are mandatory
- Use the info icon for help
- Save the report and use the “Your previous reports” button to see all of the reports you have made
Can I manage my reports through a website?
To manage reports on a desktop computer, tablet or phone:
- Use the Farm Tracker website to view your reports online at www.farmtracker.nsw.gov.au
- Just log in to your unique user account using the same email and password you used for the app to get started
- View your reports or download your information into a csv file
How do I download the app?
- Search for NSWDPI Farm Tracker and download the app from the App Store or Google Play Android store.
- Set up a new account (password must contain upper and lower case characters, a numeric value and special character i.e. #$)
- Allow the app to access your camera and location data
How are my reports used and who can see it?
You will have full access to your own data and it is stored in accordance with the Government Information (Public Access) Act (GIPS) 2009 (NSW), the State Records Act 1998 (NSW) and the Department of Regional NSW Privacy Statement.
The data sharing agreement in the app prohibits other people being able to access the data and prohibits the government from using data in the app in a regulation audit or for enforcement.
The NSW Government will not disclose your personal information and in aggregating and reporting you data will no differentiate to areas less than a parish of 20km2.
Does the information collected determine if my area gets more or less government funding?
No, information submitted in the app is not directly linked to the provision of Government assistance to individual farms. The NSW Government recommends that anyone needing support contact the Rural Assistance Authority to discuss what measures are available to them.
Visit Drought Hub for the latest information on assistance available across NSW.