The Ultimate Add-On for Cost Efficient Irrigation

Growsmart Precision VRI with FieldNET is the ultimate add-on for easy and cost efficient irrigation, Maniototo sheep and beef farmer Hamish Mackenzie says.

“It’s simple, easy to use and gives you heaps of flexibility. I can sort and upload a watering plan and set it going at the push of a button,” Hamish says.

Hamish Mackenzie uses Growsmart Precision VRI to apply the right amount of water, in the right place at the right time at Kyeburn Station

At Kyeburn Station, an extensive 3300ha sheep and beef property, 260ha of flats are irrigated. Half the area is watered by a 570 meter Zimmatic centre-pivot. It was installed with Growsmart Precision VRI in 2015 and in November 2016 was upgraded with FieldNET, a remote communication tool making it possible to control Growsmart Precision VRI from any internet-capable device. The limited cell phone coverage means Hamish is not set up for complete remote control but FieldNET has given him greater flexibility over irrigation. And he says the new updated system is far superior to its predecessor.

“I do all of my irrigation plans on the home computer. If we had reliable cell phone coverage I’d be able to send them remotely to the pivot but because we don’t I put them on a memory stick which I then plug into the pivot panel of the irrigator. It’s really simple and straightforward.”

The touchscreen panel allows farmers to easily make changes to irrigation plans out in the field.

This season the pivot watered 37ha of Relish red clover-based pasture; 28ha of lucerne; 12ha of barley; 17ha of swedes; and 7ha fodder beet. The patchwork of different crops, each with different watering requirements throughout the season could have made irrigation planning and management a headache. But the combination of Growsmart VRI and FieldNET made it surprisingly straightforward.

“You can add in as many different fields as needed, and alter the watering rates on each or keep them out of the rotation as required. That’s the beauty of VRI and FieldNET, it’s so easy to alter things.”
Installation of FieldNET was about $1,000 on top of the Growsmart VRI but he reckons he’s easily recouped the cost – and saved water. Efficient use of water is a number one priority given the region’s 500mm annual rainfall and extended summer dry periods.  Water is taken from the Kyeburn River, from a main race which Hamish shares with four farms. He has a 52l/s allocation but over the last year the combination of Growsmart Precision VRI and FieldNET has reduced pivot water use to about 43l/s.


“I’ve been able to cut back the percentage flow through the pivot in summer and we’ve been able to use the extra if needed for k-line irrigation. Also we’ve saved money because we’re not having to pump as much water and we don’t need as much pressure.”

Irrigation development at Kyeburn Station started after completion of tenure review in 2009.
“We surrendered 4700ha of hill country to the Crown in 2009 so we had to intensify what we were doing.”

The goal was to maintain the same number of stock units by ramping up production on flat country. They purchased some neighbouring land that was irrigated, and added another 100ha pivot. There is now 260ha under irrigation, of that 180ha is covered by two Zimmatic pivots, one of which has Growsmart Precision VRI and FieldNET.

“I will sometime in the future retro fit the older Zimmatic pivot with Growsmart Precision VRI as well. I think it’s really important given the push by regional councils to encourage farmers to use less water and become smarter with how they irrigate.”

Lindsay NZ

Managing Environmental Compliance with Precision VRI and EM Mapping

Farm Fast facts:

Farm Name: Seadown Dairies

Cows Milked: 620

Length of VRI Pivot: 565m

Production: 1705/ha, 278000 KgMS

Pasture Grown/Harvested: 17,000 KgDM /14,500 KgDM

Key Benefits from VRI system: Reduced track maintenance, reduced pugging damage less water wasted.

Sustainable farm management was a major driver behind Brendan Caird’s decision to install Lindsay Growsmart Precision VRI with FieldNET on his 565m pivot. A major feature of the farm is a spring fed stream that flows through the middle of the irrigated area of the property. Totalling an area of approximately 5 ha, the streams and springs add to the visual appearance of the property and have been fenced and planted into a riparian zone. However without VRI effective irrigation management would have been considerably more difficult. By installing the VRI system Brendan is now able to work around mother nature and reduce his farms overall impact on the environment.

Riparian Zone in the middle of the VRI Pivot

The costs of irrigating his races and tracks were also a big part of the equation.

“Stock flows better, track maintenance is reduced and water is not wasted on unproductive areas” says Brendan who uses VRI to improve the conditions on the farm races. Nearly 5Ha of the 93Ha irrigated area is able to be avoided which includes races and waterways which allows Brendan to utilise that saved water elsewhere.

With an allocation of only 3.2mm/ha/Day irrigation practices need to be as efficient as possible at Seadown Dairies to maximise water use for grass production. Brendan also finds benefit in the VRI system to help remove paddocks from the irrigation round that are set to be re-sown. In the case of the 2016 season Caird planted fodder beet and set an irrigation plan to avoid the paddock whilst it was being cultivated. You can see the effects of this below. The yellow is the paddock that was avoided. The pink is for zones that were a part of the avoid zones.

As Applied Irrigation for the season. Note the paddock in Yellow.

Agri Optics conducted an EM survey on the property and the major soil zones were able to be identified see (http://www.agrioptics.co.nz/portfolio/em-survey/ for more info). The next step that Brendan and his team are working on is to begin irrigating to the EM soil zone plan. With multiple soil management zones identified on the property the goal is to water according to the relative requirements of each soil zone. This is aided by soil moisture sensing equipment to give the exact time that irrigation is required. Further to this Brendan can also be sure that soils are not being overwatered and water is not being wasted which Brendan says helps make his farm environment plan more comprehensive.

Blog this week by Nick @ Agri Optics
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FieldNET and EM Surveying. The Ultimate Moisture Management Solution.

Electromagnetic soil surveys (EM) and variable rate irrigation are two tools that when used together can have maximum impact on your bottom line and allows for optimisation of the VRI system. On top of this, systems such as the Lindsay Precision VRI and FieldNET can produce a proof of placement map which can be used for analysis with other layers. This feature adds to the power of the EM-VRI combo.

The EM Survey:

• From the EM survey individual zones of soil type can be created, each with different water holding capacities.
• Zone maps are geo-referenced which allows for further use in mapping programs.
• Ground truthing of EM zones with a neutron probe will build a profile of actual soil water holding capacities.

EM Survey Zones

The VRI plan has multiple features:

• Each soil zone has been added to have a different irrigation rate.
• Tracks have been set as avoid zones. Troughs and low points can also have variable rates.
• Pivot wheel tracks have a reduced irrigation rate.

FieldNET VRI Plan

 Once the plan has been run the FieldNET software will calculate the total mm of water applied over a given time period. This produces a map layer that can be used to further investigate relationships with other data layers such as yield data. The proof of placement map serves as excellent reporting tool as the total amount of water applied to each zone on the farm can be accounted for. It is important to remember that the combination of EM and VRI allows for greater precision and ultimately greater efficiency.

FieldNET VRI as applied map:

• Irrigates to a set plan which can be dictated by factors such as soil moisture conditions, crop growth stage and available irrigation water.
• Produces the record of water applied. This can be broken down further into water applied per zone. The reporting features enable accurate proof of water applied.
• If a cost is applied over the water applied map a cost per zone can be quantified.
• Further analysis can then be done on gross margin per zone with the cost of water applied factored in. Stay tuned to the blog to see the latest on this front.

FieldNET VRI as Applied Map

Data from irrigation proof of placement maps can be fed into OVERSEER®. The total amount of water applied can be used at a block level. This has in recent cases reduced leaching values at block level. It shows that there is merit in capturing this information and that there is potential for multiple uses for the data in the future. 

For more info see http://www.precisionirrigation.co.nz/en/pages/products/?content=7

Another post from Nick, Precision Ag Technician. 

The Road to Complete Control from your Mobile Device

Here's an insight to the development pathway from the world's first true variable rate irrigation system through to the release this year of Growsmart® Precision VRI with FieldNET® - complete remote pivot management, with VRI control, monitoring and reporting. 

For more information visit precisionirrigation.co.nz/fieldnet.

This video clip has been shared with you by Sarah Elliot from LindsayNZ.

NEW Growsmart® Precision VRI with FieldNET® offers Complete Irrigation Remote Management

(Feilding, NZ) – April 4, 2016 – Lindsay New Zealand has announced that it now is offering Growsmart® Precision VRI with FieldNET® to provide complete remote pivot management, with VRI control, monitoring and reporting.

With Precision VRI, growers can precisely apply the correct amount of water over multiple crops, soil types and terrains.  When integrated with FieldNET remote management, growers have the ability to easily create or edit irrigation plans. The detailed irrigation reports assist with better decision-making. Multiple users can also be added with controlled access, which simplifies communication with staff and stakeholders.

Creating irrigation plans is easy with the new integrated tool. To set an irrigation depth you can simply click on a management zone/area and enter the desired depth or use the table to apply an irrigation depth according to a predefined characteristic such as crop type.

The irrigation application reports allow you to illustrate the irrigation that has been applied over a specific time period.

“The correct amount of water on every part of the field is essential for maximum yields. When coupled with FieldNET, Precision VRI gives growers the pinpoint accuracy they need along with the efficiencies that result from full remote capabilities,” said Richard Hall, Lindsay regional manager for Australia and New Zealand. “Configurable inputs allow for real-time system status data feeds, and the cloud stored backup reduces maintenance and repair system downtime.”

Ashburton farmer, Phill Everest uses Precision VRI to irrigate his farm in accordance with local council regulations, while demonstrating a passion for environmental efficiency that he hopes others will follow. Three years ago, he converted his beef and cropping farm to dairying. Flemington Dairies features deep silt loams braided by shallower stony soils, the result of historic riverbeds. Springs pop up in wet conditions, and one area of the farm has open drains running down its length.

With precision technology, he is able to turn off irrigation over and around pivot ruts, tracks, water troughs, gateways and drains. He also can avoid irrigating boggy areas, reducing rutting and allowing them to recover before changing his plan and irrigating again – effectively managing problems posed by heavy, seasonally waterlogged soils. He describes his decision to adopt precision technology as a means to “kill five birds with one stone.”

“The first time using the new FieldNET tool for Precision VRI, I found it very easy,” Everest said. “It was much simpler and quicker having just the one place to go to control my pivot and manage the Precision VRI plans.”

Using Growsmart Precision VRI to irrigate 132 hectares, Everest is able to reduce his water usage by 3,350,000 litres in comparison to a standard system applying a uniform rate application of 15 mm across the property. The additional water can irrigate an additional 23 hectares on his farm. Looking to the future, Everest said he’s interested in investing in Precision VRI on his remaining pivots.

“Some people call me a green farmer, but it’s something that spins my wheels,” he said.

Adding FieldNET to Precision VRI requires additional hardware that allows farmers to customise and remotely manage water applications. A strong, long lasting steel enclosure houses the new control panel in which you can view irrigation plans in colour at the pivot point. Irrigation depths can be changed on the fly, a handy feature for instance when the dairy herd are going into a paddock that the irrigator is about to cover, the irrigation on that paddock can be turned off then and there.

There will be a live demo on show at the ZImmatic site (site 17) at the IrrigationNZ Conference in Oamaru this week, so come along and check it out. For more information about Growsmart Precision VRI with FieldNET, visit your local Zimmatic dealer or growsmartprecisionvri.co.nz. 

This announcement has been bought by Lindsay NZ.

Variable Rate Irrigation Pioneers

Ashburton cropping farmers Eric and Maxine Watson (Rangitata Holdings) were the South Island’s original Precision VRI pioneers. Ordering four VRI systems in 2008, after only two systems had been built and tested less than twelve months earlier, Eric and Maxine took a lot of trust and belief that the system would achieve what Precision Irrigation claimed.

This 3 News clip has been bought out of the archives from 2008. Eric and Maxine Watson along with Stu Bradbury, one of the engineers who developed the technology, showcasing the first system up and running in the South Island. And the results exceeded their expectations. The Watsons now have seven out of their nine lateral-move irrigators fitted with Precision VRI. 

http://www.precisionirrigation.co.nz/video/3news.mp4

The Watsons farm 490 hectares on the Canterbury Plains, with annual rainfall of 600mm, growing a wide range of crops on different soil types. In 2005 Rangitata Holdings water right restricted their annual and daily water take, so they started looking for ways to stretch their available irrigation water. With an annual water volume of 1,183,500m³, 3.7mm per hectare per day and 5ha of irrigator overlaps, VRI was considered as the solution to save water where it was being wasted. An unlooked-for advantage was the negated need for turning taps off and on when watering in pivot mode.

At least partly as a result of maximising water efficiency, and being able to prove minimal wastage, ECan raised the Watsons’ annual water volume to 1,420,000m³, 4.1mm per hectare per day. This consent only permits pumping 270 litres per second across all pumps. When one irrigator is watering in an over-lap situation or using different rates over different crops, they are able to use the saved water to turn on another smaller irrigator elsewhere on the property, thus ensuring soil moisture levels are maintained at critical times.

“It’s a great system with a big future... Now that I have VRI, I wouldn’t want to run the machines without it.”

Caption: Eric and Maxine say that the Growsmart Precision VRI system exceeded their expectations allowing them to maximise the use of their limited annual water volume allocation.

The couple’s dedication to efficient water use has seen them recognised with numerous awards including the 2011 Canterbury Ballance Farm Environment Award and the Environment Canterbury Water Efficiency Award. The Watsons say they were just doing what was needed to get the best out of their limited water take. Once they identified the greater efficiency with Growsmart Precision VRI, the opportunities snowballed. 

Eric and Maxine had the property electro-magnetically (EM) mapped and the soil water holding capacities quantified. Soil moisture sensors were installed to measure the actual moisture content of the soil. This allows the Watsons to schedule the correct amount of irrigation to individual zones which is then applied by the intelligent Growsmart Precision VRI system. This results in the crops getting the exact quantity of moisture required and no water is wasted. Resulting in a considerable saving of 15% of water that can then be used elsewhere.

"Being able to match application rates to the exact amount of water needed to ensure the soil has enough moisture is important to water efficiency and means that over-watering of crops is eliminated."

For More information contact your local Zimmatic by Lindsay irrigation dealer or visit growsmartprecisionvri.com.

VRI & Irrigator Maintenance

In some areas it will not be long before pumps start up and irrigators are set in motion. So if you have not already done so you may want to consider a quick irrigator WOF check to make sure you get the best out of this critical piece of farm infrastructure. It may also be worthwhile evaluating if your irrigation system can be optimised or improved to save on costs such as water or energy.

Simple pre-season maintenance checks are able to be done by farm staff. A basic inspection while the irrigator is turned off can help assess if you will require service work to be carried out. It is recommended to park the pivot in an accessible position and ensure that the electrical isolator switch is tagged and locked to prevent accidental starting.

Every centre-pivot should be supplied with an operation manual which can come in handy, for most you will find this in the inside door of the main panel. Some manuals actually include recommended maintenance checks with instructions to show you how to carry them out. Whoever is carrying out the checks needs to be aware that centre-pivots are generally high voltage electrical systems, so leave all electrical checks to a qualified Service Technician. And if there is a need to work at heights make sure you have safe equipment to do so.

A walk up the length of the machine will allow you to assess any damage and parts requiring repair. Tighten, adjust or replace if possible, or note down so you can inform your Irrigation Dealer. Greasing of all the grease nipples as you go is highly recommended, important parts to maintain well-oiled are the pivot point, gear boxes and drive shafts. Checking that all moving parts around tower boxes are free and lubricated will help reduce problems for the upcoming season.

The uniformity of a centre pivot relies heavily on the correct sprinklers being fitted to each dropper, checking that the sprinklers installed match the sprinkler chart will allow your pivot to apply the specified application rates. Armed with a pole of some description you should be able to free any sprinklers that have become tangled over the truss rods.

It pays to check that the tyres are pumped up to their optimum pressure rating. As tyre pressure is critical not only for the life of the tyre, rim and gearboxes, but also the application rate of the sprinklers. Over or under-inflated tyres can apply higher or lower application depths than planned.

Once you have checked everything over with the pivot stationary, providing there are no required repairs, the next step is to run the pivot. This is ideally done when the soil is not too wet so that you don’t create big wheel ruts, or worsen those that need attention. Wheel ruts significantly increase the load and wear on the drive train so should be dealt with when possible. GrowSmart Precision VRI technology can be used to reduce the spray onto the wheel tracks to help minimise wheel rutting.

Obvious checks while running the pivot are leaks. Some of these can be fixed with simple repairs such as replacing droppers, but others may require a call to your Irrigation Dealer to sort out. While walking the length of the irrigator listen for excessive vibration or noise that may indicate issues on the towers motors, gear boxes and drive shafts.

Some component wear will depend on water quality as high concentrations of iron, suspended solids and effluent solids or grit can increase damage and degradation to parts. A general check is recommended every season to ensure that worn sprinklers and pressure regulators are replaced to maximise the efficiency of the pivot. Common causes to check for are blockages or damages from knocks during the previous season, missing sprinklers and spray plates.

At the end of the irrigator remove the sand trap cap (with the irrigator turned off) and flush the system to get rid of any sediment build up, this is very often common in the overhang. If your water supply has a high level of sediment than it is recommended that this is done regularly.

Reducing the risk of breakdowns during the irrigation season will help avoid production loses due to downtime for repairs. Long term water and energy cost savings are also possible through the installation of technology such as variable rate irrigation, which can reduce nutrient leaching as well. If you would like more information on recommended maintenance checks for your irrigator, system calibrations or technology to improve water use efficiency call your local GrowSmart by Lindsay Dealer. 

New Release: Irrigation Management Solution - FieldNET® Pivot Control

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.

For more information, visit www.myfieldnet.com/pivot-control or talk to your local Zimmatic dealer.

Posted by Sarah Elliot from Lindsay NZ.