Splitting fields is in preview. To turn it on for your account, contact FarmQA Support.
Split a field when parts of it are managed differently this season: two crops on one parcel, a refuge block, or an area you scout and apply to on its own. You draw where each part begins and ends, and each part becomes its own field with its own name and crop, ready to scout, plan, and apply against.
A split belongs to one growing season. It doesn't change the field's master boundary, so the next season starts from the whole field unless you copy the split forward. You can't undo a split once it's made, so check each part before you commit. For how seasons and master boundaries relate, see How field boundaries work across growing seasons.
| Action | Where | Who |
|---|---|---|
| Split a field | Web | Enterprise Administrator, Agronomist |
For every role and what it can do, see Breakdown of user permissions.
Before you start
- The field needs a crop in the season you're splitting. Split field doesn't appear until the field has one. See Assign a crop to a field.
- Close out open tasks on the field. QA Advisor by FarmQA won't split a field while a task against it is unresolved, and the message names the work item that's blocking it.
- Select the growing season you want to split. The split applies to that season only.
If the field's harvest status locks it against changes, Split field doesn't appear.
Open the split field designer
- On the Home map, select the field.
- In the field pane, select More (…), then Split field.
The Split field designer opens with a panel on the left and the map in the middle. At the top of the panel, Field being split shows the field's name, crop, area, growing season, and how many shapes are on the map. Below it, Fields in this split lists every field the split will produce.
The original field is listed first. It keeps its name, its crop, and everything already recorded against it this season. Each new field starts with the original's name plus a number, such as North 80 (1), and the original's crop and variety.
Draw the split
- On the map toolbar, select Define boundaries.
- Choose a drawing tool and draw across the field:
- Line: draw a line across the field, select the last point, then select OK.
- Shape: select each corner, or drag to draw. To finish, double-select the last point or select the first point, then select OK.
- Circle: select the center, drag to set the size, then select OK.
- Draw more boundaries if you need them. The shape count in the panel updates as you go.
Drawing cuts the field into shapes. It doesn't decide which field each shape belongs to. You do that next.
Assign shapes to fields
Every shape starts out in the original field.
- On the map toolbar, select Assign field.
- In Fields in this split, select the field you want to give shapes to.
- On the map, select each shape that belongs to that field. The shape takes that field's color.
- Repeat for each field, then select OK.
Each field's area updates as you assign shapes. The colors only tell the fields apart in the designer. Once the split is made, the map shows crop colors.
Fields made of separate pieces. A field can be several polygons, like a field broken up by wetlands. A line you draw divides only the polygons it crosses. Polygons it doesn't touch stay whole, so assign each one to the field it belongs with. A field that holds several polygons is still one field.
Name the new fields and set their crops
- Rename a new field: type over the name in its card. The original field's name can't be changed here.
- Change a new field's crop: choose a crop and variety in its card. The original field keeps its crop.
- Add another field: select Add split field, then assign shapes to it.
- Remove a field you added: select its delete icon. Its shapes go back to the original field. The first new field can't be removed.
Create the fields
- Select Split into [number] fields.
- In Split field?, check that the growing season named in the message is the one you want, then select Split.
Each field appears on the map and in the Fields list right away, ready for its own scouting, recommendations, and application records.
If Split into [number] fields isn't available, either you haven't drawn a boundary yet or a field in the list has no shapes assigned. The designer says what's wrong before anything changes.
To back out without splitting, select Cancel. In Discard changes?, confirm to leave the field as it was, or select Continue editing.
Keep the split in later seasons
A split doesn't carry itself into the next season. When the field gets a crop in a new season, it arrives as one field drawn from its master boundary. To bring the parts across, copy the boundaries from the season that has the split: on the Home map, select the field, select More (…), then Copy field boundaries, and choose that season. Every part comes forward as its own field. See Carry field boundaries forward to a new season.
Frequently asked questions
Q: Can I undo a split? A: No. To get the whole field back for the season, delete the fields you added, then use Copy field boundaries to give the original field its master boundary. Deleting a field also deletes what was recorded against it, so move or re-enter anything you need first. See Delete a field.
Q: Why don't I see Split field in the menu? A: Splitting fields isn't turned on for your account yet, the field has no crop in the selected season, its harvest status locks it against changes, or your role can't split fields. To turn on splitting, contact FarmQA Support.
Q: I split fields with the old Split tool. What happens to them? A: They stay as they are, including any piece named [Field name]-New. Rename or delete those pieces like any other field. They carry into a new season the same way as fields split in the designer.
Q: Can I split a field in the mobile app? A: No. Splitting is web only.