Farmers turn to smartphones to monitor irrigation By Vicky Boyd
Thanks to smartphone and computer technology, homeowners can monitor home security, adjust the thermostat and turn electrical appli- ances off and on while they’re away. Now a small but increasing number of farmers are turning to similar tech- nology to automatical- ly monitor water levels and start or stop irrigation systems. At the same time, growers can use smartphones or computers to remotely check irrigation systems and manually make adjustments if needed. Seth Fiack, who farms rice and walnuts in Glenn County, became one of the first producers in the state to install an intel- ligent irrigation management system in a rice field three years ago. “I was looking at the fact that I was spending four hours a day checking water, and I didn’t have anybody to replace me,” he said. “I can quantify the labor savings, which in my opinion is significant. I can look on my phone and see the (water) depth, so that releases that time in my day, and I can just stay working.” Although Fiack believed the technology would also save water, he said he hasn’t yet been able to validate it. He said he hopes to
A solar-powered system in a Glenn County rice field gets readings from soil-moisture sensors to help guide irrigation decisions. Farmer Seth Fiack says he hopes to install a similar system in his walnut orchards with help from state water efficiency grants.
expand the system’s use from the original 30 acres to 80 acres of rice in 2024. Fiack said he was so impressed with the system’s labor savings that he plans to in- stall a similar one in walnut orchards next year as part of a project funded by grant money from the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program. Charles Burt, chairman of the Irrigation Training and Research Center and profes- sor emeritus in agricultural engineering at California Polytechnic State University,
San Luis Obispo, has researched hundreds of irrigation systems during his career. While he hasn’t worked with an automated irrigation management system in rice, he said the concept was intriguing. In orchard and field crops, Burt said he was a firm believer in using soil mois- ture sensors as a tool to guide irrigations. But he doesn’t recommend automated management systems in those settings because wide variability in soil types complicates sensor placement and
getting representative readings. How close or far a sensor is from an emitter can also affect results. Burt said the automated systems won’t replace boots on the ground checking irrigation systems and plant health. Rice fields are different, he said. The fields are typically laser leveled, so water depth is uniform and sensor placement isn’t critical. Plus, the sensor measures
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