Case study: Adding value to diversified Central Valley agronomist’s crop service toolkit 

TELUS AGRONOMY | MARICOPA ORCHARDS | POSTED OCTOBER 25, 2023

Adding value to diversified Central Valley agronomist’s crop service toolkit 

Managing 50,000 acres of tree crops, stone fruits and citrus crops requires meticulous integration of technology tools, data and analysis. We are a key part of that mix for Joe Coelho, director of agronomy for Maricopa Orchards based in Fresno, California. 

Coelho manages a team of pest control advisers and certified crop advisers who are responsible for Maricopa grower crop health, including pest control, fertility and other agronomic inputs. With so many moving parts to the Maricopa Orchards machine, Coelho calls upon multiple service providers and platforms for everything from field-level agronomic management to things like aerial imagery that help PCAs and CCAs make informed decisions and recommendations for grower customers. 

API functionality adds value 

Our agronomy platform is among the tools Coelho uses to get his many jobs done. While he said he’s yet to integrate many of the more advanced functions of the platform into his operations, Coelho’s found value in its crop protection documentation capabilities and ability to integrate it into the operation across the board through an API. Since 2017, he’s been using our tools to track growers’ crop inputs, then feeding that data into a proprietary inventory and billing software platform. 

“The functionality of the API integrates into our accounting system and others like it,” Coelho said. “We have our own surveying app and GIS department, but the recommendation-writing and documentation management in TELUS Agronomy is great.” 

“The recommendation-writing and documentation management in TELUS Agronomy is great.” 

When integrated into existing systems like Coelho’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform, the TELUS Agronomy API functionality also helps users maintain the records necessary to provide optimal agronomic recommendations and meet regulatory requirements, according to TELUS Agronomy Client Success Manager Brianna Davis. 

“The information helps populate invoices and manage data fields in the client’s ERP system. This not only saves time and energy, but because these documents are reported to the county ag commissioner on a monthly basis, you can bet they are accurate records,” Davis said. “TELUS Agronomy documentation is the ‘once source of truth’ for many ag retailers, which is why there are so many needs for pulling that data into ERP systems.” 

A combined approach that ‘eliminates headaches’ 

Coelho describes his approach to using our platform and others as a combination of the “lowest-cost and most sophisticated routes we can take.” The number of crops and acres his team manages calls for a diverse range of tools and technology. It’s all about balancing his growers’ and PCAs’ specific needs in the field with the data output and decision-making it facilitates. And the TELUS Agronomy API makes for seamless integration with Coelho’s existing ERP platform, which streamlines the documentation of key data to meet regulatory requirements. 

“The TELUS Agronomy API eliminates the need for double-entry into customer’s ERP systems because the document creation is started in TELUS Agronomy then pulled into the client’s system,” Davis said. “The document contains crucial information about the grower, location, rates and total product used which is imperative to our client’s billing/inventory/ procurement needs.” 

The combination of easy integration with other platforms through API functionality and the right specific data points it tracks, it helps eliminate the “extra headaches” technology can sometimes cause, especially in field operations like pest scouting where growers and PCAs may have lower-tech preferences. 

“Some platforms may be great, but they don’t fit into overall crop management. I always ask, ‘How will I use this in a meaningful way?’” Coelho said. “There are so many options, but I like TELUS Agronomy. It functions well for our PCAs and solves problems we need it to solve.” 

“There are so many options, but I like TELUS Agronomy. It functions well for our PCAs and solves problems we need it to solve.”