CART and Precision Agriculture Q & A 6/10/2026

CART 

Q: When CART data is imported, will it be removed from the Available CART Data report? Additionally, if updates are later made at the FSA office, will those changes reappear on the report? 

A: Yes. Once a CART data line has been processed, it is removed from the Available CART Data report. If all data lines are processed, the grower will no longer appear on the report. However, any subsequent updates or changes made at the FSA office will be reflected in CART and will reappear on the report. 

Q: In CART, is filtering limited to CLU only? 

A: No. Users can also sort and filter by FSN/Tract/Field, Crop, Practice, Acres, Plant Date, and other columns. 

Precision Agriculture 

Q: What should be done if Precision Ag data does not match 578 data? 

A: Precision Ag data and 578 data will not always match exactly. For reporting purposes, Precision Ag data or planting maps take precedence. 

Q: If Precision Ag data takes precedence, is it necessary for 578 data to match? 

A: No. Precision data and planting maps become the source documentation and will be used for verification if needed. 

Q: Where does mapping acreage originate, and must it match 578 records exactly? 

A: Mapping acreage is derived from precision equipment and farm management systems. It does not need to exactly match 578 data. 

Q: Why might acreage differ between source systems and calculated mapping acreage? 

A: Differences occur due to how systems convert planting data into field shapes and account for overlaps and turn rows. The goal is to remain within 1% of the source data. 

Q: Must acreage be distributed evenly across fields? 

A: No. Extra acreage can be assigned to a single CLU or distributed across multiple CLUs. 

Q: What is the difference between the Tractor and Intersect options? 

A: Tractor assigns all acres from a shape to one CLU, while Intersect distributes acres proportionally across multiple CLUs. 

Q: What happens when multiple precision shapes cover one field? 

A: Each shape is processed as a separate planting event for that field.