- Dagobert Widemann at Obsthof Ainser-Widemann near Lake Constance used Farmable's GPS tracking to document chemical thinning row by row across a Gala apple field.
- When harvest came in weaker on the thinned rows, his Farmable spray records identified the cause: the application rate had been too high.
- With precise records from the season, he now has clear data to adjust his thinning programme, and better harvest results to aim for.
- “Now it is very easy to remember and review how thinning has impacted harvest results and yield.”
Obsthof Ainser-Widemann sits near Lake Constance in Germany, a region characterised by mild temperatures, moderate gradients, and a subtropical microclimate that makes it one of Germany's sunniest growing areas, with over 2,000 sunshine hours per year. The farm is run by Dagobert Widemann, and its main crop is apples.
During a farm visit by Max Bangen, Head of Product for Farm Management Software at Farmable, Dagobert explained how he had applied chemical thinning to selected rows in a field of Gala apple trees, and what his Farmable records revealed when harvest came in.
Why thinning matters, and why records matter more
Thinning is one of the most important levers a fruit grower has to control harvest volume and quality. The goal is always the same: balance the amount of fruit on the trees with the leaf surface that provides the energy to grow and ripen it.
There are three main methods:
Manual thinning is highly effective at improving fruit quality, removing the smallest fruits with precision, but it requires significant time and labour.
Mechanical thinning covers large areas quickly and efficiently. The trade-off is less control over how much thinning is done in a specific area, with risk of physical damage to remaining fruit or trunks.
Chemical thinning controls individual branch growth without physical damage. It reduces plant density precisely, but carries a critical risk: if the application rate is too high, you can destroy the entire crop.
For chemical thinning especially, the details matter enormously:
- Timing of the spray relative to phenological stage
- Application rate and concentration
- Exact areas treated
Most farm managers, at the end of a season filled with thousands of daily activities, cannot accurately recall what was applied in a specific field several months earlier. That gap between what was done and what was recorded is where problems begin.
How Dagobert used Farmable to document thinning
Dagobert is an active Farmable user. Last season, he used the app to document treatment and application rates for his chemical thinning programme. He used Farmable's GPS tracking feature to record exactly which rows he sprayed, not just which field.
With that data collected through the season, he was able to sit down with advisors, review his chemical thinning records, and compare them directly against harvest results from the thinned areas.
The thinned rows showed significantly less produce than unthinned rows in the same field.
On further investigation through Dagobert's Farmable spray records, combined with photos he had taken during the blossom period, the cause became clear: the application rate had been too high.
“Now it is very easy to remember and review how thinning has impacted harvest results and yield.”
Dagobert Widemann
What accurate records make possible
Before this kind of digital record-keeping, identifying the cause of a weaker yield would have required reconstruction from memory. The spray timing, the concentration, the specific rows treated, most of that is difficult to recall accurately months after the fact.
With Farmable, Dagobert had a precise record: what was applied, where, at what rate, and when. That record turned a frustrating harvest result into a clear, actionable finding.
The result: he now has specific data on the application rate that caused the problem, the rows it affected, and the yield difference it produced. Next season, he can adjust the rate with confidence, and measure the result in the same way.
This is exactly what digital farm records make possible. Not just compliance documentation, but a foundation for better decisions, season after season.
Frequently asked questions
Can Farmable track thinning applications by individual row within a field?
Yes. Farmable's GPS tracking records the exact path and area covered during a job, including chemical thinning applications. This allows row-by-row comparison of treated and untreated areas against harvest results at the end of the season.
How does Farmable help advisors give better thinning recommendations?
When a grower can share precise thinning records, timing, rate, treated areas, alongside harvest results from those areas, advisors can identify correlations and make targeted recommendations. Without records, the conversation relies on memory and estimation. With Farmable records, it relies on data.
Is Farmable available in German for apple growers in Germany?
Yes. Farmable is available in German and is used by apple, berry, and mixed fruit growers across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.