Custom picking list app for apple and pear growers
Appfront builds apps for apple and pear growers who work with picking crews: which plots and rows are picked in which round each day, which crates each picker fills, recorded by scan instead of a tally sheet, the piece rate or hours that follow from that, and how much has come off the tree per plot. So the farm manager knows in the evening what has been picked, and payroll no longer has to retype paper.
What is a picking list app for top fruit?
In top fruit a plot is rarely picked in one go. The first round takes the fruit that is ripe and at the right colour, the second and sometimes third round the rest. At the same time, dozens of pickers work, often on piece rate per crate, spread across plots and rows. A picking list app plans which rows are picked in which round today, and records what each picker picks.
Without such an app, the plan lives on a whiteboard, a crew leader tallies crates on a list handed in at the end of the day, and someone in the office retypes those lists for payroll. A crate that is counted twice or forgotten becomes a dispute with a picker. And only once all the lists are in does the farm manager know how much has come off which plot and whether the round is finished.
We build custom software because the registration has to fit your business: how you plan picking rounds, whether you pay by piece rate, by the hour or a combination, how you number crates and bring them to the cold store, which language your pickers speak, and which payroll system you use. A time registration knows hours; the crate per picker and the round per row are not part of it.
Picking rounds per row
Per plot and row, which round is due today, based on ripeness and colour, with the crew that picks it. The crew leader sees it on his phone.
Crates per picker
Every full crate scanned with the picker's code and the row. No tally sheet, no double-counted crates, and the picker sees his own count.
Pay from the register
Piece rate, hourly wage or a combination calculated from the crates and hours per picker, ready for payroll, with a check that pay does not fall below the statutory minimum.
How we build your picking list app for top fruit
We start with last season: how many pickers, how many crates, how much time payroll took, and how often a count was disputed.
How you plan picking rounds, how crews are organised, how crates are now counted and sent to the cold store, and how pay is calculated.
Plots and rows in the app, pickers with their code and language, and the crate codes linked to each scan.
Planning picking rounds by row, scanning crates per picker, quality checks on each crate, and progress per plot.
Calculating piece rates and hours, exporting to payroll administration, integrating with bin registration and storage, and ongoing management.
What a picking list app for tree fruit actually does
The components below come up on almost every tree fruit grower's farm. Which ones you need depends on the size of your crews and how you pay.
Picking planning
Which plots and rows are picked in which round and by which crew, each day, updated when the weather or ripeness changes.
Crate scanning
One scan per full crate with the picker's code, the row and the round, made on the crew leader's phone or a scanner on the crate trolley.
Quality on the crate
A spot check on the bin with the reason for rejection, such as bruising or undersized, linked to the picker so they receive immediate feedback.
Pay calculation
Piece rates per crate, hourly wages or a combination per picker per day, with a check against the minimum wage and an export to payroll.
Progress per plot
Crates per plot and per round, compared with expectations, so the farm manager can see where a round is finished and where more people are needed.
Multilingual app
The app for crew leaders and pickers in the languages your pickers speak, with large buttons that work with gloves on.
Who we build a picking list app for in tree fruit
The app is meant for growers who pick with crews and whose counting and pay are currently done on paper.
Apple growers
Several rounds per plot and many varieties. Planning picking by row and progress per round are the core.
Pear growers
Delicate fruit and strict quality requirements. Quality on the crate and feedback to the picker matter most.
Growers with large seasonal crews
Dozens of pickers on piece rates. Crate scanning and pay calculation are what is needed.
Contract harvest providers and agency staff in fruit growing
Crews who pick for several growers. Recording per grower and accountability per picker are the core.
Test your idea first: a working prototype in 1 day
With OneDayBuild, we turn your idea into something tangible in one day for €1,150, so you can see whether further development is worth the investment. Decide to go ahead with the full build? Then we credit the full cost.
Explore OneDayBuild →Technology and integrations
This page is about picking in the orchard. For hours registration in the glasshouse, see our page on labour registration software for glasshouse horticulture; for expected yield, see our page on harvest forecasting software; and for farm administration, see our page on agricultural administration software. You can read about how we work at custom software development.
If you pick strawberries, raspberries or blueberries by tray, see our piece rate recording software for soft fruit.
Why choose Appfront for your picking list app in tree fruit?
A tally sheet is a dispute waiting to happen. We build on the opposite: every crate scanned, every picker sees their count, and pay follows from what has been recorded.
No arguments over counts
Every crate is scanned with picker, row and time. The picker sees their own count on the day itself.
Pay without retyping
Piece rates and hours come straight from the records. Payroll receives an export, not a pile of paper.
Knowing what comes off the tree
Crates per plot and round are in the overview each evening. Tomorrow's planning rests on what was done today.
Security and privacy in a picking list app for tree fruit
The app holds data on seasonal workers, pick counts and wage details. Access is set by role: the picker sees their own count, the team leader their team, the operations manager the whole operation, and administration the wages. Every correction to a count is logged with name, time and reason.
The app runs in a European data centre, with encrypted storage and daily back-ups. We do not keep seasonal workers' personal data for longer than is necessary for payroll and tax administration.
Frequently asked questions about a picking list app for top fruit
Questions fruit growers ask before getting started.
It plans, for each day, which plots and rows are picked in which picking round and by which team. It records each picker's crates by scan, carries out a quality check on the crate, calculates piece rate or hours per picker, and shows progress per plot.
When a crate is full, the team leader or picker scans the picker's code and the crate's code, using a phone or a scanner on the crate trolley. The row and round come from the planning. The picker sees their count straight away.
Yes. Scans are stored on the device and sent as soon as there is a connection. A day of picking without signal is not lost.
In line with your agreements: a rate per crate, per variety or per round, an hourly wage, or a combination. The app totals per picker per day and checks that pay does not fall below the statutory minimum wage, as the rules for piece-rate work require.
Yes. The screens for team leaders and pickers are available in the languages you need, with icons and large buttons. Whichever language is chosen, the count is the same.
Yes, if you wish. The crate the picker fills then receives the same code used by the cold store and sorting, so that origin can be traced back to the picking date and row.
Check that first. Timekeeping is enough if you only pay by the hour and the planning is simple. Custom development makes sense if you pay piece rate, if picking rounds need planning by row, or if crate registration must be tied to origin.
No more tally sheets in the picking season?
Tell us how many pickers you have, how you plan picking rounds, and how you count and pay now. We will show you what the picking plan, the crate scan and the wage calculation look like.