I have not seen this year's firmware. But in the past the Trimble data logging would not even allow you to change products in a field. Trimble logs are in a polygon shape file. Most, if not all precision ag software expects point data. It cannot calculate rates from the polygon data. Trimble does not carry any record of the units of measure for any product. In fact, unless there has been a change they only allow one product. Yes they can save and print a pretty picture, but that is all it is. It cannot be used in a record keeping system to record products used, their rates and amounts. Try logging planting varieties with a Trimble system. Try logging split planting with a Trimble system. Try logging varieties and fertilizer rates with a Trimble system.

As farms grow larger and we cover more acres, we need these precision ag logs to record everything we did and every product we used. We need to be able to take that data log into the office and transfer that information to our record keeping system. We need to be able to look at the system and see that I sprayed glyphosate on field X on March 22,2008. My intended rate was 2 pints to the acre. I was using 10 gals of carrier. I covered 23 acres. I used 5.85 gals of glyophosate and 235 gals of solution. All that data needs to be recorded electronically from the monitor.  It needs to be in a standardized format that any software package can read.  Trimble does not do this now.

Trimble has good hardware. I have been using Trimble hardware for several years. But up to now they have only made token attempts at data logging/record keeping. I just pulled a Trimble FMD out of an autosteer system and replaced it with an AgLeader InSight for this reason.