The Packer Podcast: How Technology Leads the Future of Labor Tracking

If you’re still chasing paper timecards at 10pm, this podcast episode is for you! FieldClock joined The Packer Podcast to talk about how even small tech moves in labor tracking can snowball into real dollars saved, cleaner payroll, and less chaotic harvest seasons. Watch the FULL episode>>

Work smarter, not harder

Ever feel like your payroll spreadsheet is stealing daylight you need in the field? Queue up this episode of The Packer Podcast and pocket some high-value nuggets from our Director of Marketing,  Nico Cabral. In a discussion with Christina Herrick, Nico shows how small, tech-enabled efficiency tweaks—capturing time to the second, eliminating double entry, surfacing real-time productivity, and exposing those "minor" payroll leaks—can stack up to thousands back in your margins. Farmers don't need capes; they need clarity. Below are 5 actionable nuggets that stood out and how to put them to work before your next payroll run.

1. Redundant Work Ruins Your Day

Farmers typically start their days early (especially during harvest). When the crew's labor is tracked using pen and paper, the information needs to be digitized at some point before payroll can be processed. That usually involves wasted minutes in front of a computer manually entering the data.  Nico sums it up perfectly: “When the job is done, it's DONE... you don’t have to double-enter anything ever again.” Translation? Payroll that once devoured Friday night now wraps before lunch, freeing you to get back to farming or spending time with your family.

2. Minor Discrepancies = Major Dollars

Nico shared an example where one client marked everyone as "clocked in" at 7 a.m. using pen and paper. FieldClock reality check: once they implemented our system, the crewboss noticed that a trusted employee actually started at 7:30 so he could drop the kids at school and had been paid for the “phantom” half-hour for years. Thirty minutes a day, multiplied by seasons and crews, becomes a five-figure leak. Digital time-stamps don’t judge; they just tell the truth.

3. Real-Time Visibility Beats Monday-Morning Mysteries

Another grower spotted productivity crashing for one crew — while it was happening in real time. A quick check revealed fruit quality in that block had dropped, so the manager redirected pickers across the street to a different block where their efforts weren't wasted. That’s the power of seeing data live instead of “discovering” problems days later in dusty binders (or at the end of the harvest season).

4. Tech Isn’t a Barrier—Mindset Is

Yes, the average farmer is closer to retirement than Gen Z, but Nico argues that growers are world-class adapters. “There’s a stigma around tech,” he admits, but farmers overcome hardship for a living. Once they see how fast a phone replaces three filing cabinets, the resistance fades.

5. Compliance is a Dangerous Game

In a recent webinar, we talked with Warren Williams, a retired Senior Investigator for the Department of Labor. His job was to audit farmers for H-2A compliance and he exposed some shocking horror stories about farms that track their labor using pen and paper. On The Packer Podcast, Nico mentions that auditors never show up at the ideal moment and if your records aren't organized, you could be facing a grueling process digging through old bins and binders. If records are missing or inaccurate, then you're also looking at thousands of dollars in fines. With FieldClock, everything is right at your fingertips with pinpoint accuracy!

BONUS. Efficiency Is a Culture Shift

FieldClock isn’t only about seconds-level tracking; it’s a philosophy. Nico’s dad preached “work smarter, not harder,” and the software turns that mantra into daily muscle memory for crews and managers alike. When employees know every tap is transparent, they police their own punctuality—and farmers gain access to the data to make intelligent decisions that impact their bottom line.

Ready to Stop Guessing and Start Knowing?

Ask yourself:

• How many “minor discrepancies” lurk in my timecards right now?

• Could I redirect a crew tomorrow if I spotted a slowdown today?

• What would I do with the hours I currently spend re-keying data?

If those questions make you squirm, give the podcast a listen. 

Take Action:

1. Stream the podcast. (Link here)

2. Audit one week of labor entries— Check for discrepancies and estimate the time it took to enter that data into payroll, then imagine that process automated.

3. Book a FieldClock demo and put your farm’s real numbers to the test!