Precision Pays

Water use efficiency is vital for agriculture as our global population continues to grow. To help growers minimize water use while maintaining crop yields, Cermetek offers the new AquaMon Wireless Soil Monitoring Network.

AquaMon allows active monitoring of the soil. Knowledge of soil conditions is essential to achieve high crop yield with less water.  Maintaining the optimal level of moisture in the ground permits crops to flourish.  Doing so with the minimum amount of water requires real-time data on soil conditions. An AquaMon sensor node can support up to six sensors of any variety including soil moisture content, soil temperature, air temperature, humidity, pH sensors, and nitrate sensors.

In addition to monitoring soil conditions digitally controlled outputs can activate external equipment such as flow valves or nutrient injection equipment.  Much as electronic fuel injection permits automobile engines to increase power while reducing fuel consumption and emissions; real-time soil monitoring allows water conservation without impacting crop yield.

The data generated by AquaMon can be viewed in two ways, locally or on-line.  Cermetek created Remote Sensor Viewing Platform (RSVP) software to allow the irrigation decision maker to load the field data on his computer and easily view the data patterns.  The data can also be uploaded onto our server and be viewed in the same format using a standard browser.  Storing the data on-line allows the data to be viewed from anywhere with Internet access and even allows multiple authorized users to view the same data.

AquaMon is expected to be available this spring.  The cost of a single sensor node is expected to start at $300 plus the cost of the sensors.  Cermetek is actively recruiting Irrigation dealers to resell the AquaMon product line.

Yesterday, I provided my list of the “Best of Precision Pays 2009″ for  January through June. Today’s list of stories runs from July through December. And tomorrow, look for the top product-related stories of the year.

I hope you continue to find value in the information provided. And, as always, we appreciate any and all comments from our readers.

Enjoy. And have a fun, safe and happy New Year’s Eve tonight.

July
Planter and Sprayer Controls Make Precision Farming Pay
InfoAg Speaker Promotes Fertilizer BMP Needs
Virtual Weather Technology Helps Agronomic Decisions
InfoAg Talk: Soil Management Zones Increase N Efficiency
InfoAg Talk: Understanding Nutrient Variability

August
Precision Farmers Cut Pesticide Use With Seed
Add Precision Farming Promotion To Your Chore List
Yield Monitors: Extreme Value in Precision Farming

September
Precision Farming: How To Grow Your Technology
Free Satellite Images Help Spot Field Problems
Variable Rate Precision Farming – The Next Big Thing
Precision Farming And Water Quality Efforts

October
The Power Of Harvest Data
Researchers Using GPS To Cut Erosion With Waterways
Precision Soil Sampling Made Easier
Harvest Data That Keeps On Giving
Talk Precision Farming With Your Seed Dealer
Can Precision Farming Cure World Hunger
GPS Accuracy – How Accurate Is Accurate

November
Think About Saving Seed Input Dollars In 2010

December
Precision Farming Adoption And Payback
Precision Agriculture Starts At The Soil Level
Precision Farming 2009 – What We Learned
Technology Helps Farmers Plant And Fertilize More Precisely

All agricultural technology enthusiasts are invited to attend the 10th Annual Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association Conference (NEATA), January 27-28, 2010 at the Midtown Holiday Inn, Grand Island, NE.

Pre-conference programs will focus on Optimizing Pivot Irrigation Management (9:00 to 4:00) and Social Media Applications in Agriculture (1:00 – 4:00) will be offered the afternoon of January 27.

The conference opens Wednesday evening with Dr. Raj Khoslo, Precision Agriculture Specialists, Colorado State University, discussing Precision Nutrient Management on Site-specific Management Zones, followed by Bill Kranz, Irrigation Specialist, University of Nebraska-Lincoln addressing Monitoring Irrigation Water Application with Computerized Controllers.

Thursday morning opens with international guest and precision agriculture expert, Sam Tengrove, Australian farmer, sharing Adoption of Precision Agriculture by Australian Grain Growers. Additional general sessions offered include Broadband: Who Needs It?, Mapping Evapotranspiration with High Resolution and Internalized Calibration (METRIC), and Global Perspectives of Site-specific Weed Management.

Twelve concurrent sessions addressing a variety of emerging agricultural technology topics will also be offered on Thursday. The concurrent sessions in the Ambassador room will be hands-on workshops. See the conference brochure.

Up to 8 CCA credits are available for conference participants with an additional 6 CCA credits available to those who attend the Optimizing Pivot Irrigation Management pre-conference workshop.

More information is available at http://neata.org.

FieldNET's user-friendly web portal

Crop irrigators can now monitor and control their entire center pivot irrigation systems via the Internet thanks to Lindsay’s added pump control on their existing FieldNET system.

The battle for water between agriculture and urban use only continues to gain momentum, yet both sides must focus on further efficiency.

In California, a new study by the Pacific Institute points to ways that agriculture can still flourish despite diminishing water supply and uncertain climate change. But, new steps to significantly increase water use efficiency must be taken.

The good news is that many farmers and irrigation districts have already been making water-use efficiency improvements. The better news is that there is still tremendous untapped potential – in millions of acre-feet. Policy and water management changes are imperative to capture this potential.

The new report, Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future, quantifies the potential to maintain and even increase agricultural productivity while reducing agricultural water withdrawals and vulnerability to drought and climate change. The analysis estimates that potential water savings of between 4.5 – 6 million acre-feet each year can be achieved statewide by comprehensive changes in the irrigation technologies and management practices we use to grow California’s crops. In comparison, this savings is 19 times the amount of water returned to the environment through the recent Delta smelt ruling.

“The three scenarios we evaluated for improving the efficiency of water use in California agriculture all show the potential for significant water savings,” said Dr. Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, “and these are technologies and management strategies that we could implement now, if we would recognize the urgency and have the will to make the tough decisions and policy changes.”

Many farmers have worked hard to improve water-use efficiency in recent years, but the Sustaining California Agriculture report shows that significant potential for water savings remains. For example, an astounding 60% of crops are still irrigated in California by flooding the field – a practice that leads to unproductive water loss. Conversion to sprinkler and drip irrigation allows farmers to apply water with greater precision and uniformity. Other management practices, such as irrigation scheduling and regulated deficit irrigation, have also been shown to reduce water use while improving crop quality and/or yield.

The report features several “early adopters” from the agricultural community, growers who have implemented water conservation and efficiency improvements to benefit both their future and their bottom-line. Craig McNamara, owner and operator of Sierra Orchards, has converted many fields to drip irrigation and installed tailwater recovery ponds to capture excess water runoff. “Conservation has to be a critical part of what we’re doing on the farm and as citizens of California,” stressed McNamara. A video clip and transcribed interview with Craig McNamara is available at the Pacific Institute’s website: http://www.pacinst.org/reports/california_agriculture.

Key to success in making water efficiency improvements for farmers like McNamara has been financial support from federal, state, and local programs. The new report makes specific recommendations to expand this support, such as property and sales tax exemptions, rebates for efficient irrigation equipment, greater federal support through Farm Bill conservation programs, and pricing policies that generate funds that can be invested in local farms.

High returns: Collector T. Soundiah inspecting a field of brinjal, raised under precision farming at Mangalam in Tiruchi district. Photo by M. Moorthy, courtesy of The Hindu

Part of India’s National Agriculture Development Program (NADP) promotes a precision farming technique that is gaining popularity, according to a recent story in India’s national newspaper, The Hindu.

Over the past two years, precision farming techniques have been promoted in 900 hectares across the district in various crops including sugarcane, maize, brinjal, tomato, onion, tapioca, sunflower and groundnut.

With installation of drip irrigation system and fertigation (for application of soluble fertilizers) units being essential requirements, farmers could avail a 50 per cent subsidy for the equipment. A farmer could avail a maximum subsidy of Rs.65,000 a hectare, including the cent per cent subsidy of Rs.25,000 for soluble fertilizer, said Collector T. Soundiah, after inspecting some of the precision farming fields in the district on Tuesday.

The higher yield achieved through the drip irrigation systems and fertigation, under which the soluble fertilizer was applied through the drip irrigation system, has been an attraction for farmers.

“This is the first time we have taken up cultivation of brinjal and the results has been encouraging so far,” said A. Ramasamy, who along with his brother A. Easwaran, has raised the vegetable in two acres at Mangalam village in the drought-prone Thathaiyengarpet union. Mr. Ramasamy, who has grown two different hybrid varieties, even takes the longer variety to the Salem Uzhavar Sandhai where such brinjals find a better market.

A cluster-based approach was also being promoted under the scheme, so that small farmers in villages could come together to avail the subsidy given under the NADP in clusters of 20 hectares each. Farmers could achieve up to 50 per cent increase in yield by adopting precision farming techniques, according to S. Robert Vincent, Deputy Director of Horticulture.

Responding to the request of some farmers, Mr. Soundiah said the district administration would take steps to get subsidy for installing solar-powered fences around their fields. Farmers could come forward to avail the subsidy for purchase of refrigerated vehicles, under the National Horticulture Mission, for transporting their produce, he said.

On variable soils, Indiana farmer Eric Wappel has found precision agriculture success by varying fertilizer and seeding rates, according to a recent story in Indiana Prairie Farmer magazine.

“We use variable rate application to spread phosphorus, potassium and ag lime,” he notes. “What we put where depends upon soil sample results. Soil sampling comes first. We use hybrids, but also factor in soil types and yield goals when deciding how much to apply where.”

Rates for lime, for example, vary from a half-ton per acre to 2.5 tons per acre, largely due to variations in soils. “If we just applied two tons on the whole field, we would be overapplying lime on half of a field like that,” Eric explains. By putting inputs where they’re needed most, he believes they get their highest yields.

Variable-rate application also comes into play when applying nitrogen for corn, Wappel notes. He prepares many of his own prescriptions. Once prepared, they instruct the computer controller on board the tractor cab which rate to apply where. Here’s an example of how they use variable-rate applications to vary N rates.

“We might average 150 pounds of N per acre,” he explains. “But rates applied may vary from 100 to 200 pounds per acre.”

Varying seeding rate for corn is one of the most important things they do, thanks to the variation in their soil types, Wappel says. He writes prescriptions that vary from 20,000 to 35,000 seeds per acre for the same hybrid

“If there’s a sand hill in the field, we want to drop about 20,000 there,” he notes. Average ground typically gets 31,000 seeds per acre. Since it’s cool and wet and hard to get a stand in muck, the rate there might be 35,000 seeds per acre. On what we call good ground, we’re typically going to about 34,000 seeds per acre.”

Track your current and past Growing Degree Days (GDD) to help with crop scouting for pests using a new tool developed through the joint efforts of Monsanto and The Weather Channel.

Since the January launch of The Weather Channel’s ‘Agriculture News & Forecast’ web page, growers who used the site requested the addition of a GDD calculator. To access the tool, simply enter your zip code (or sign in to your Weather Channel home page) and click the Growing Degree Days Calculator link.

“The growth and development of crops is directly impacted by the growing degree days, and having this information available can help farmers make better informed management decisions,” said Boyd Carey, lead of technology development for Monsanto. “TWCi has created an easy way for growers to run those calculations to compare different years at a given location. In a spring like this one where we’ve had so much rain and so many cloudy days across our agricultural production areas, this tool could prove useful immediately.”

Farmers can compare two different years’ GDD (as far back as 2003) for the same date range and location. Additionally, each calculation — one of the most complex on weather.com — includes the 30-year-average GDD for the selected dates and location, alerting farmers to the typical GDD for the selected time frame and location. The calculator uses both forecast and 30-year climatology data from The Weather Channel, allowing for past, present or future calculations. The calculator draws from the most accurate weather data available, using proprietary TruPoint technology created by The Weather Channel. TruPoint forecasts allow for future weather information accurate up to 2 kilometers (1.24 miles). This technology combines traditional weather observations with even more data to create forecasts for more than 1.9 million locations — literally filling in the gaps of the reporting systems used by other providers.

Just as GPS-guided auto steer has helped plant super straight rows, producers can now irrigate in the same straight lines to minimize variances in water application to help maximize yields.

Valley Irrigation now offers GPS Guidance for linear irrigation equipment. Here’s what two farmers said about their trials with this new precision agriculture technology.

Leonard Water Services, the local Valley dealer serving the Abilene, Texas area, had firsthand experience with Valley GPS Guidance on linear irrigation equipment last summer, as part of Valley Irrigation field trials. Jim Leonard, partner, Leonard Water Services, liked what he saw during the trial and agreed with LaRue that GPS Guidance reduces overwatering.

“When you reverse linears at the end of the field, there’s a tendency for non-GPS guidance options to overcompensate the steering of the linear machine during the repositioning, and that can lead to overwatering some parts of the field,” Leonard said. “But GPS Guidance from Valley held the linear to a much more accurate position. We didn’t see any overwatering. Everything about the operation was positive. We haven’t seen a drawback yet and will likely install GPS Guidance on more linear irrigation equipment that our dealership sells in the future.”

Valley GPS Guidance works with virtually all linear irrigation equipment and is compatible with John Deere™ Starfire™ RTK.

That compatibility was important to Steve Coester, farm manager of Ak-Chin Farm in Maricopa, Ariz., who also participated in the GPS Guidance field trials. In addition to eliminating the need for above-ground cable, he liked how Valley GPS Guidance worked with the farm’s current setup. “We use GPS in all our equipment,” said Coester. “So it was easy to integrate GPS Guidance with our operation, and the programming was simple.”

GPS Guidance for linear irrigation equipment is the latest GPS product innovation from Valley Irrigation. In 2008, Valley introduced GPS Ready control panels for center pivot and linear irrigation equipment that provide growers with another choice to determine field position by utilizing the accuracy of GPS technology. LaRue said Valley is currently field testing GPS Guidance for use with corner pivot irrigation. Pending trial results, the company anticipates GPS Guidance for corner pivots will be available in 2010.

GPS Guidance is available through Valley dealers. Producers should contact their local Valley Irrigation dealer for more information about Valley linear irrigation equipment and GPS Guidance options.

Valley Irrigation was showing off its brand new line of GPS Ready irrigation control panels at the Sunbelt Ag Expo earlier this month in Moultrie, Georgia.

“We have our computer panels that are industry exclusive GPS ready,” Sara Sims with Valley said during an interview at Sunbelt with Southeast AgNet’s Randall Weiseman. The GPS Ready PRO2 Pivot Control Panel and GPS Ready AutoPilot Linear Control Panel currently are available from Valley dealers. The GPS Ready Select2 Pivot Control Panel will be available later this year.

“If you’re doing split crops or different crops during the growing season, you’ll be able to computerize and track your programming to change your water and chemigation throughout the field,” Sara said. She added that current customers can upgrade existing PRO2 panels for the new GPS ready panels.

Listen to Randall’s interview with Sara here:

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