Making maps--Rookie

John,

You do not need FSA maps to do boundaries with Site Mate,. If you are wanting to load the FSA maps to show different areas, you will first need to load them into Farm Site and trace the different areas. These can then be exported as a shape file and loaded as a backdrop into Site Mate.

If you are wanting to create different zones from the FSA map,

1. Load the scanned and calibrated image into Farm Site.
2. Create an Area Layer, and using the multi-line tool, trace and define the different areas.
3. Export this layer as a shape file which can now be loaded into Site Mate as a backgound.
4. You can now pull your samples according to the different zones.

To use the above layer for applications, you will want to be sure to have Sample ID as an attribute as well as ph, P ,& K and any others that you are testing.. Once you have your test results back from the lab, they may be generically imported to this layer.

Calculations for application based on the lab results can not be automatically calculated in Farm Site. Therefore you would export this layer as a shape file. The .dbf can now be imported into a spreadsheet such as Excel. Within the spreadsheet, you can make your calculations for application and export this file as a .txt file, which can once again be imported back into your sample layer in Farm Site. Be sure to add an attribute to the layer such as "lime application" as the description and "number" for the type, so you can match this information when you import the file. You will need to add the attribute for each supply that you are wanting to apply.

As a new user, you are entitled to 30 days free telephone support from the date that you register your software. Feel free to give us a call and take advantage of it!

Thanks
Deb