Irrigate fields from anywhere using FieldNET technology

Irrigate fields from anywhere using FieldNET technology

This remote irrigation management solution has won several global awards for its use of the latest technology to enable farmers to grow better.

Globally, it is estimated that farms using smart technologies to manage their irrigation operations save up to 40% in resources. This makes sense, as FieldNET can lead to a saving in time, water and labour. Gone are the days of having to send out teams of workers to drive from field-to-field to check up on a pivot. FieldNET is so intuitive, that it can pick up potential issues before they even arise. If a pivot does encounter an issue, FieldNET can be set to try and overcome it on its own. If it cannot, it will alert the grower so that a team can be dispatched to attend to the problem. Virtually no irrigation time is lost in this scenario.

One of the most impressive features of FieldNET is that it offers farmers a single, easy-to-use platform to monitor their pivots in real-time. Through state-of-the-art tracking technology, a farmer simply needs an internet connection and smart device to easily track the position and irrigation progress of their pivots. When monitoring pivots through FieldNET, growers can also easily control their irrigation equipment. For instance, a pump can easily be switched on and off with the click of a button. A pivot can be turned off or programmed to perform a certain irrigation cycle from anywhere in the world using FieldNET.

Farmers are often faced with the tough question as to how much their crops should be irrigated and when this needs to happen. Calculating this can be time-consuming and tedious. There is, of course, also room for human error which could lead to inefficient decisions. FieldNET seamlessly integrates with FieldNET Advisor to create an irrigation plan for each field on a farm, based on information such as crop type, soil conditions and weather patterns. These plans can automatically be sent to a farmer’s pivot and be executed with the click of a button.

FieldNET has the additional benefit of storing all in-field irrigation data in the cloud. This way, a grower can easily access their irrigation records when planning future irrigation strategies.

A case study by Lindsay in the United States of America found that a field using FieldNET Advisor to determine when and how much to irrigate saw a 17% saving in pumping costs and water usage, while increasing yield.

FieldNET can work on any brand of pivot, no matter its age. This is because it can be retrofitted on older-generation equipment. There are various pieces of hardware available that integrate FieldNET with a farm’s equipment. This includes ultra-low cost-effective solutions like FieldNET Pivot Watch, which is an excellent option for all those interested in taking the first steps in technology. It’s a product the customers can install and configure by themselves.

Other solutions are more comprehensive, like FieldNET Pivot Control and FieldNET Pivot Control Lite. Zimmatic, Lindsay’s pivot brand, also produces advanced irrigation control panels. These panels boast FieldNET as a pre-loaded application and can also work on any pivot, no matter age or brand.

FieldNET can be connected with auxiliary equipment like pumps and weather stations to gain additional data and make even more accurate recommendations. Some farmers might be concerned about how to get their pivots online, as an internet connection at equipment is essential for the proper functioning of FieldNET. Lindsay has developed several options to connect pivots into the FieldNET platform, such as cell phone signal, radio and Ethernet. This ethernet solution extends an existing internet connection to a farmer’s pivot so that it can get online and connect to FieldNET.

If you would like to learn more about the FieldNET technology, you can visit our website. FieldNET is available from all of Lindsay’s dealers.

To locate your nearest dealer, visit www.lindsay.com