Farming an essential industry which we could not function as a society without. These operations span from small family run businesses to large scale industrial-type agriculture.
When it comes to farming crops, keeping track of the crop type as well as progress is important for harvesting.
Farms often turn to metal identification tags for a highly durable and effective method for marking their crops.
Proper labeling, marking, and identifying using agriculture crop tags ensures a smooth and successful operation.
Applications
Labeling
When farming and harvesting crops, organization is crucial. Farms rely on accurate labels for identifying their crops and other assets.
One of the most common types of marking that farms rely on is row and block marking. Rows in a large scale operation can be easy to get mixed up. Fence posts with numbers help provide clarity as to exactly which row number is which.
Asset Tracking
Barcode tags can be used by workers to import data into an asset management system. This can be used to track processes from start to finish. From planting to harvest and even distribution depending on the scale of the operation.
Large scale agricultural operations will benefit heavily from this level of traceability.
Materials
Anodized Aluminum
Anodized aluminum is a popular material due to its lightweight but resilient nature.
In addition, the material can be adorned with a solid color. This provides the ability to sort via color coding. Color coding works great for quickly identifying various plant types, or marking different rows.
Stainless Steel
Another commonly used material relied upon for marking purposes is stainless steel. This substrate provides the highest level of durability in a metal identification nameplate.
Similarly to anodized aluminum, stainless will also not corrode when exposed to harsh conditions.
Marking Processes
Embossing/Stamping
The two most commonly used marking methods for this industry are embossing and stamping. The process for each is very similar, although they produce opposite results.
An embossed tag creates raised characters in the metal material, while stamping indents the design into the substrate.
Both of these options are incredibly durable, and can withstand decades of usage in an agricultural setting.
Embossing can be used to produce serialized number tags, perfect for this type of application. Each row of crops can have its own unique identifying number which allows for quick and easy identification of location.
Photo Anodization
Photo anodization uses a special process to embed information beneath an anodic layer for high levels of scratch resistance and overall durability.
This process produces a black design on silver aluminum, without the potential for the design to be scraped or wear off from weather.
Photo anodized tags are rated for 20+ years outdoors, making this a viable option in farm settings, even with the exposure to mud, dirt, and weathering.
Unlike stamping or embossing, this process doesn’t require the production of a new stamp or die set for every new design. Every single plate or placard can include unique information or imaging.
Wrap-Up
From marking specific crops to labeling rows and providing more information to workers, identification nameplates are a fundamental element of modern farms.
With the added ability to track inventory and other assets, the potential uses for crop identification tags are endless.