Multinational seed company: five states, one operating standard and blocked plots in plain sight

A multinational seed company uses upCampo at its seed production units in the Brazilian states of Ceará (Aracati), Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Tocantins. Soil preparation, planting, crop protection spraying, harvest and irrigation are managed on the platform, following the same standard at every unit. After each application, the plot shows up as blocked on a dashboard displayed on a TV that the whole team walks past — workplace safety became part of the routine, and audits now have organized information.

The challenge

• Scattered information. Each unit worked with different spreadsheets and systems, with no common database. Even with digital tools in use, information remained scattered, and managing the units was hard.
• Operations disconnected from workplace safety. There was a gap between what happened in the field every day and safety practices. Knowing whether a plot had just been sprayed depended on someone passing the word.

What was done

Centralized operations, one standard

Most spreadsheets and some systems were retired. Daily activities — soil preparation, planting, crop protection spraying, harvest and irrigation — are now recorded as work orders, each with its plot, products, machine and crew. How it works is covered in the operations quick guide.

With every unit on the same database, the same activity is recorded the same way in Ceará and in Paraná. That’s what makes it possible to compare units and answer an audit without building a spreadsheet.

Blocked plots in plain sight

When a spraying work order is entered, upCampo marks the plot as blocked for the restricted-entry interval. The status is available in real time, and the units show this dashboard on a TV in a spot every employee walks past, in addition to sharing the link with staff. Before entering a plot, people check.

It’s a dashboard, not a report: the information is there at the moment and place of the decision.

Reports built around management’s questions

The upCampo team developed custom reports for unit management, based on the questions they actually ask about the operation. Every upCampo report is generated, filtered and exported the same way, as shown in the reports quick guide.

What changed

Administration became more efficient, with less redundancy and fewer data-entry errors across parallel systems. Communication about risk areas improved, and management now makes decisions with a clear view of the operation.

“In seed development and research, upCampo mainly helps us ensure greater safety and standardization in our operations. It also makes it much easier to organize and extract the information we need for audits.”

— Administrative team, Minas Gerais unit

What else the platform offers this segment

Seed research and production units need controls that a commercial farm doesn’t always use. On the same database, upCampo offers:

• Checklists per operation, filled out on a phone or via QR code, with mandatory questions and email alerts — see Checklist Template (in Portuguese).
• Organophosphate exposure control: at most 6 days in 30 per employee, with a block when the work order is executed — see Organophosphate exposure (in Portuguese).
• Product label checked in the work order: minimum and maximum rate, number of applications and interval.

The full setup for this segment is on the seed research and development page.

Who this case is for

Seed research and production units with many plots, large crews, multiple units and frequent audits. For them, pricing is calculated per plot — talk to our team for a quote.

Frequently asked questions

Does upCampo work for seed production companies with multiple units?

Yes. A multinational seed company uses upCampo at its production units in Ceará, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná and Tocantins, with soil preparation, planting, spraying, harvest and irrigation recorded to the same standard at all of them.

How do you let the crew know a plot has been sprayed and is blocked?

In upCampo, when a spraying work order is entered, the plot is marked as blocked for the restricted-entry interval, with real-time status. A multinational seed company’s units show this dashboard on a TV everyone walks past and share the link with staff, who check before entering the area.

Does upCampo help with audits at seed units?

Yes. Since activities from every unit are on the same database, with plot, product, machine, crew and date, audit information comes straight from reports, without building spreadsheets. The administrative team at a multinational seed company’s Minas Gerais unit highlights exactly how easy it is to organize and extract this information.

Does upCampo track employee exposure to organophosphates?

Yes. The Organophosphate exposure screen tracks how many days each employee has been exposed and enforces the limit of 6 days in 30, blocking work order execution for anyone over the limit. The data comes automatically from executed work orders.

Are irrigation and soil preparation also covered in upCampo?

Yes. Any farming activity is recorded as a work order. At a multinational seed company’s units, soil preparation, planting, crop protection spraying, harvest and irrigation are managed in upCampo.

How is upCampo priced for seed production?

For seed research and production units, pricing is calculated per plot, not per hectare as on a commercial farm. The quote is prepared with the upCampo team.