Farm Management Guide

Complete guide to creating, organizing, and managing farms and grow sites in the Vertical Farm Management Platform.

Overview

The farm management system allows you to organize your agricultural operations hierarchically, from organizations down to individual grow sites. This guide covers all aspects of farm setup and management.

Prerequisites

Active user account with appropriate permissions
Understanding of your farm's organizational structure
Device information if adding IoT devices

Farm Hierarchy

The platform uses a four-level hierarchy:

Organization
  └── Farm
      └── Section
          └── Zone

Understanding Each Level

Organization: Top-level entity, typically your company or cooperative - Contains multiple farms - Manages billing and subscriptions - Controls user access across farms

Farm: Physical location or facility - Has a unique address and coordinates - Contains growing sections - Manages farm-specific settings

Section: Distinct area within a farm - Could be a greenhouse, building, or field - Contains multiple growing zones - Groups related growing areas

Zone: Specific growing area - Individual grow room, rack, or plot - Where devices are installed - Where crops are actually grown

Creating a Farm

Step 1: Access Farm Management

Log into the platform
Navigate to Farms in the main menu
Click Create New Farm button

Step 2: Enter Farm Details

// Required Information
{
  name: "Main Greenhouse Facility",
  address: "123 Farm Road, Agriculture City, AC 12345",
  coordinates: { lat: 40.7128, lng: -74.0060 },
  type: "greenhouse", // greenhouse, vertical, outdoor, hybrid
  size: 5000, // square feet
  description: "Primary production facility"
}

Step 3: Configure Farm Settings

Operating Hours
Set daily operating schedule
Configure automated lighting schedules
Define maintenance windows
Climate Zones
Define temperature ranges
Set humidity parameters
Configure CO2 levels
Access Control
Assign farm managers
Set team permissions
Configure visitor access

Step 4: Save and Verify

Review all entered information
Click Create Farm
Verify farm appears in your dashboard

Managing Sections

Creating Sections

Select your farm from the dashboard
Click Add Section

Enter section details:

{
  name: "Greenhouse A",
  type: "production",
  area: 1200, // square feet
  height: 12, // feet
  climate_controlled: true
}

Section Types

Production: Active growing areas
Nursery: Seedling and propagation areas
Processing: Harvest and packaging areas
Storage: Cold storage and inventory areas
Research: Experimental growing areas

Section Configuration

For each section, configure: - Default environmental parameters - Lighting schedules - Irrigation zones - Access restrictions

Managing Zones

Creating Zones

Navigate to the desired section
Click Add Zone

Configure zone properties:

{
  name: "Rack A1",
  type: "vertical_rack",
  levels: 5,
  growing_area: 200, // square feet
  irrigation_zone: "Zone_A1",
  lighting_zone: "Light_A1"
}

Zone Types

Vertical Rack: Multi-level growing systems
Bench: Traditional greenhouse benches
NFT Channel: Nutrient film technique systems
DWC System: Deep water culture setups
Soil Bed: Traditional soil growing areas

Assigning Devices to Zones

Select the zone
Click Manage Devices
Either:
Select existing devices from the list
Add new devices using device ID
Auto-discover nearby devices

Device Management

Adding Devices

Navigate to the target zone
Click Add Device

Enter device information:

{
  device_id: "SENS-001",
  type: "temperature_sensor",
  manufacturer: "SensorCo",
  model: "TH-100",
  location: "Upper canopy"
}

Device Types

Sensors: - Temperature/Humidity - CO2 - Light (PAR, lux) - pH/EC - Water level - Flow rate

Controllers: - Lighting systems - HVAC units - Irrigation valves - Nutrient dosers - Fans/vents

Device Configuration

For each device: 1. Set operating parameters 2. Configure alert thresholds 3. Define automation rules 4. Set maintenance schedules

Bulk Operations

Import Multiple Farms

Prepare CSV file with farm data
Navigate to Settings > Import
Upload CSV file
Map columns to farm fields
Review and confirm import

CSV Format Example

name,address,type,size,section_count
"Farm 1","123 Main St","greenhouse",5000,3
"Farm 2","456 Oak Ave","vertical",3000,2

Bulk Device Assignment

Select multiple devices using checkboxes
Choose Bulk Actions > Assign to Zone
Select target zone
Confirm assignment

Farm Templates

Using Templates

When creating a farm, select Use Template
Choose from:
Small Greenhouse (1,000-5,000 sq ft)
Medium Vertical Farm (5,000-20,000 sq ft)
Large Commercial (20,000+ sq ft)
Research Facility
Custom Template

Creating Custom Templates

Configure a farm completely
Navigate to Settings > Save as Template
Name your template
Select which settings to include
Save for future use

Access Management

Permission Levels

Farm Owner: Full control - Create/delete farms - Manage billing - Assign permissions

Farm Manager: Operational control - Modify farm settings - Manage devices - Create reports

Operator: Daily operations - Control devices - View data - Create tasks

Viewer: Read-only access - View dashboards - Generate reports - No control actions

Assigning Permissions

Navigate to Farm Settings > Team
Click Add Team Member
Enter email address
Select permission level
Choose specific farms/sections for access

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Use consistent, descriptive names: - Farms: [Location] - [Type] (e.g., "Downtown - Vertical") - Sections: [Building/Area] [Identifier] (e.g., "Greenhouse A") - Zones: [Section]-[Row]-[Position] (e.g., "A-1-01") - Devices: [Type]-[Location]-[Number] (e.g., "TEMP-A1-001")

Organization Tips

Logical Grouping: Group similar growing areas together
Clear Hierarchy: Maintain consistent parent-child relationships
Documentation: Add descriptions to all entities
Regular Review: Audit structure quarterly
Template Usage: Use templates for consistency

Maintenance

Regular maintenance tasks: - Weekly: Review device status - Monthly: Audit user access - Quarterly: Update farm documentation - Annually: Review and optimize structure

Common Issues

Farm Not Appearing

Problem: Created farm doesn't show in dashboard Solution: 1. Check filters in dashboard 2. Verify permissions 3. Refresh browser cache 4. Check organization assignment

Devices Offline

Problem: Devices show as offline Solution: 1. Check network connectivity 2. Verify device power 3. Review device logs 4. Check zone assignment

Permission Errors

Problem: Users can't access farms Solution: 1. Verify user role assignment 2. Check farm-specific permissions 3. Review organization membership 4. Clear user session cache

Advanced Features

Farm Cloning

Quickly replicate farm configurations: 1. Select source farm 2. Choose Actions > Clone Farm 3. Modify name and location 4. Adjust settings as needed 5. Save new farm

Environmental Profiles

Create reusable environment settings: 1. Navigate to Settings > Profiles 2. Create new profile with: - Temperature ranges - Humidity levels - Lighting schedules - CO2 targets 3. Apply to multiple zones

Automation Rules

Set up automated responses:

// Example automation rule
{
  trigger: "temperature > 85°F",
  condition: "time between 10:00-16:00",
  action: "turn_on_cooling",
  notification: "send_alert"
}

Integration with Other Features

Analytics Integration

Farm structure enables: - Hierarchical reporting - Comparative analysis - Performance benchmarking - Resource optimization

Home Assistant Integration

Connect farms to Home Assistant: 1. Enable integration in farm settings 2. Configure device mappings 3. Set up automation rules 4. Test connectivity

Mobile Access

Access farms on mobile: - View real-time data - Control devices remotely - Receive push notifications - Offline data caching

Next Steps

After setting up your farms: 1. Add and configure devices 2. Set up automation rules 3. Configure alerts 4. Create custom reports

Need help? Check our Troubleshooting Guide or contact support.