The H2Grow team like to ensure you are updated as new technologies reach the market and today's blog post is an example of this. Lindsay
Corporation, maker of Zimmatic irrigation systems, recently announced FieldNET® Pivot Control, the industry’s first
solution for upgrading almost any brand pivot to full remote irrigation control
and monitoring capabilities.
Many
growers today manage multiple brands of irrigation systems. This requires
operators to understand various types of pivot control panels, which takes time
to learn and could lead to operator error. Pivot Control can change the way
growers manage their irrigation by providing a single consistent irrigation
experience.
“It is simple, it is very
intuitive. And the ability to basically tap into any system and have this
product as kind of plug-and-play on there, that’s great. You can take a
30-year-old pivot and bring it right up to date with this unit,” said Jared Gardner, a
grower who tested the product on his Zimmatic pivot and two other brands.
Unlike
other remote irrigation control products, Pivot Control mounts at the pivot
point and combines with GPS at the end of the pivot for increased precision and
greater flexibility. Growers can operate
their pivot in the field at the control box or remotely using FieldNET - both
elements automatically update together - minimising the chance for user
error. From a smartphone, tablet, or
computer, growers can control their pivots and equipment, including pumps,
injectors, and monitor sensors for pressure, flow, soil moisture, rainfall,
temperature, and other devices in the future. The system will send alerts to the growers’ phone to notify them of any irrigation issues. “Making all my pivots universally controlled through one device is great
and having pump control is crucial,” said Gardner.
Pivot
Control comes standard with 360-sector variable rate irrigation (VRI), offering
twice the number of sectors available on most basic (sector) VRI products. Growers
working with agronomists and crop specialists to analyse their unique field
conditions can upload custom prescriptions to FieldNET. “Once the prescription is created it
takes less than a minute to upload,” said Agronomist Lamar LaPorte. “The biggest
advantage is being able to scale the concept of VRI over a whole farm or
multiple farms efficiently. By eliminating the time consuming process of
having to change each sector, it is a huge benefit.”
Gardner
says he has researched VRI and sees it as a next step. “Our inputs just keep
getting more expensive so if we can utilise VRI to grow, that’s the next step,”
says Gardner.
Pivot
Control takes over the existing pivot, giving the grower full access to
precision irrigation control and convenient monitoring. “There’s really nothing
else like it on the market. Pivot
Control provides growers an affordable and easy way to own features that can
more effectively and conveniently manage irrigation resources,” said Stu
Bradbury, Lindsay NZ general manager.
Posted by Sarah Elliot from Lindsay NZ.
