Support Resources

WE’RE HERE TO HELP

At Trace Genomics, supporting our customers is one of our top priorities. Have a question? Check out our frequently asked questions below.

To speak with a member of our Agronomic Services team, please email us or give us a call at +1 650-332-6661. Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM PST.

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I submit samples?

The first step is to place an order for a soil sampling kit. You can place your soil sampling kit order through the Contact Us form. We will contact you and determine the supplies you need.

How do I take a sample?

Proper sampling combines a lot of different decisions. Some of the variables involved are: sample depth, cores per composite, sampling resolution and time of year. We are happy to help you prepare your sampling plan. Please contact us to start the discussion.

What can I do with the results?

Here’s what you can use Trace’s test to inform: crop rotation, variety selection, fertilizer and crop protection, product selection and soil health practices.

What is your turnaround time?

The turnaround time is approximately 4-6 weeks from the time we receive your sample. We are making strides to reduce turnaround time.

How do you protect my personal data and information?

All customer data is stored in the cloud and is encrypted end-to-end using stringent security measures that are similar to those used for storing, encrypting and accessing medical records and patient information. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for detailed information on how we handle customer data, privacy and confidentiality.

How do I check the status of the samples I submitted?

When you log in to your account you will see the Dashboard page. Look at the Status column under Submissions. The Status column lists the completion status of your submitted samples for both biology and chemistry testing.

What does “pending” mean?

Pending means that details have been submitted about your sample, but results have not been finalized yet. If the sample was submitted before 2020, chemistry indicators will remain pending as they will not go through additional processing.

How do I invite someone to collaborate with my results?

Hover over the icon containing your initials in the lower left corner of the Maps page and click on Permissions. Click the Share My Account button and fill out the user’s details.

How do I invite a grower to create an account so that they can access results directly?

You may access the Grower Accounts page by either clicking on the Growers icon on the left side of the Maps page or clicking on the Growers tab at the top of your Dashboard page. Then click Add New Grower, enter their information and hit Invite. A new Trace account is created for the grower and you immediately have full admin access as an initial default setting. The grower will receive an email notification.

What are Smart benchmarks? Why are my benchmarks National and not Smart?

Our Smart Benchmarks to help you interpret the values of not only our new Nutrient Cycling Indicators, but also our Pathogen Indicators. The Smart Benchmarks provide a reference value and insights for fields that have similar characteristics (soils, climate, elevation, etc). The benchmarks are determined from the sample data for these groups of similar fields. The 25th and 75th percentile values determine the benchmarks values to show you where your fields land on the curve. A national benchmark is used If there are not enough fields similar to yours in our database. We continually update our benchmark values as more fields are added to our platform.

My sampling points aren’t accurate, how do I change them?

Navigate to the Dashboard page in your account. Then select View Submission for the submission that contains the error. Details for each of the samples in the submission will be listed and you may modify the latitude and longitude of the sampling points by either directly entering the latitude and longitude, or by dragging the sampling point on the map. In addition, any listed parameter may be directly modified from this view.

How do I see maps of my Trace indicators?

Navigate to the Maps tab after logging in to your account. Then select the desired sampling date range to help find the field(s) you are looking for. Under the Fields menu, double click on a field name to see options to show maps of Pathogens, Nutrient Cycling Indicators or Chemistry.

I thought I had more samples, why don’t I see them all on my map?

Samples are grouped by sampling date. If you have several sampling dates, each creates a distinct map, so that you can more easily see differences between seasons and actions on your field. Click the drop down that says Most Recent Sampling to switch between dates. You can edit the sampling date on the submission page, as described above, if needed.

I sampled by zone, how can I see my results by zone rather than grid?

You can add zones via shapefile on the Field Management page, which can be accessed by navigating to the Growers page and clicking on the pencil icon on the operation card or the Edit Fields button in the upper right on the Farm Overview page. Then, click on the target field and Upload Zones.

Why are some indicators blue instead of red/yellow/green?

Blue means that we do not provide benchmarks for the target indicator / crop combination. If you do not want to view comparative levels of the indicator, choose a similar crop to view with benchmarks. We currently do not provide benchmarks for chemistry indicators.

How are fields ranked?

When viewing the Field Maps page, the various Pathogens and Nutrient Cycling Indicators are listed under their respective menus. When you click on an individual indicator name (Pathogen or Nutrient Cycling Indicator), the field names are listed in order according to the maximum or minimum indicator value found in samples from each field. For reference, the field average for the indicator is also listed below the field name.

Why aren’t there benchmarks for chemistry indicators?

Most farmers and agronomists are familiar with interpreting chemistry test results so we did not calculate thresholds in this release of our web app. We are planning on offering customizable, user-defined thresholds for chemistry in a future release.

What happened to the bar charts?

They are still available! You can navigate to the Analytics page from the sidebar and use as normal. Or if you are on a Field Page, click the Detailed Results button in the bottom card to jump to the Analytics page with filters already applied that match the map you are on.

How do I add a field?

Fields can be added and managed from the Field Management page, which can be accessed by navigating to the Growers page and clicking on the pencil icon on the operation card or the Edit Fields button in the upper right on the Farm Overview page. Click Create a Field and enter a field and farm name. You can then either draw boundaries or upload them via shapefile and optionally add zones by shapefile.

I have lots of duplicate fields, how do I make my account more usable?

Navigate to the Submission page(s) for samples on the duplicate fields and change the farm and field on the samples to the correct one. Then, navigate to the Field Management page (click on the pencil icon of your operation on the Growers page or the Edit Fields button in the upper right on the Farm Overview page), click into the duplicate field, and click the red delete icon in the top right of the Edit card. You will only be able to delete if there are no samples on the field. If you have a significant number of duplicate fields, please contact support@tracegenomics.com and we can help with consolidation.

What do the x% values mean in the markers on my maps?

The percent values are a percent of the benchmark for your field and crop. You can hover over the sample to see the absolute value of the sample. You can also see how the benchmarks relate to the absolute value by clicking More Info on the bottom card in Field Details

What does it mean if an indicator is “High” or “Unfavorable”?

Pathogen indicators that are in the upper 25% of values are classified as “High”. For Nutrient Cycling Indicators, values that are in the upper or lower 25% of values (depending on the indicator) are classified as “Unfavorable”.

How do I print a report that shows the map of my field?

A full printed report for map results is in development. In the interim, you can print the browser screen, or use screenshots to embed images when sharing results.

How do I access my results outside of Trace Genomics?

You can export a csv of all sample results or print out a report from within the Analytics page. You can share results directly by inviting others to view your account.