Growers Embrace New Irrigation Technology (Sponsored)

Growers across the world continue to embrace the latest in irrigation technology, maximizing profits and minimizing risks, all while saving water, time, energy and labor.

Lindsay Corporation, a leader in irrigation technology, began 60 years ago in the town of Lindsay, Nebraska, with an electric-driven Zimmatic by Lindsay center pivot. It was the first pivot that could operate on uneven terrain. Today, the publicly traded company operates on a global scale, with factories around the world. The company has produced more than 125,000 pivots, which irrigate 11 million acres (4.45 million ha).

Lindsay works with growers to offer a complete package of irrigation solutions. Remote monitoring and control of irrigation systems, variable rate irrigation, integrated pump stations, modern tracking solutions, water flow meters, soil moisture sensors, and microclimate stations combine with pivot, lateral and drip irrigation systems to produce crops more profitably and efficiently.

FieldNET

FieldNET PivotControl VRIsector Tablet

FieldNET wireless irrigation management is available as an app on both major smartphone and tablet platforms.

One of Lindsay’s most popular irrigation technology platforms is FieldNET wireless irrigation management, which provides comprehensive options to control entire irrigation systems. With an app on both major smartphone and tablet platforms, growers can see what their irrigation systems are doing and control them from virtually anywhere in the world using a smartphone, tablet or computer.

With FieldNET wireless irrigation management, growers can manage and control pivots and laterals, micro irrigation systems, end guns, injectors and pumps. They can also monitor and record water usage, energy usage, tank or pond levels, soil moisture, and weather information.

What this ultimately means to growers is less time and labor in the fields, less spent on valuable resources, and greater control of their farming operations.

Pivot Control

FieldNET PivotControl RedBox

Lindsay’s new Pivot Control enables growers to upgrade almost any existing electric pivot.

Pivot Control is a new controller introduced this year by Lindsay that is designed to upgrade almost any existing electric pivot, even pivots manufactured decades ago. Used in conjunction with FieldNET, Pivot Control allows full control and monitoring of pivots, pumps, wells, injectors, flow meters and other devices connected to the pivot.

Pivot Control continues to see early and rapid acceptance by growers looking to reduce labor costs and increase overall irrigation efficiency in their operations.

With farms consolidating, multiple pivot brands are being used and products such as FieldNET and Pivot Control allow these operators to have one user interface on any system, regardless of brand or control panel. Increasingly, growers want to be able to control their entire irrigation system, from the pivots to the pumps and sensors, remotely and wirelessly from their smartphones, tablets or computers.

Modern irrigation technology, including wireless irrigation monitoring and control of entire systems, will continue to advance as farms consolidate and growers operate pivots that vary in age and by brand.

Growers will use technology that goes with them. If a grower is leasing land and has five pivots that have different competitor control panels, they can have full monitoring and control of those pivots with products like FIeldNET and Pivot Control, and take that technology with them in the future if needed.

Precision VRI

VRI Corn

A field of corn is irrigated with VRI technology.

Variable rate irrigation (VRI) technology allows growers to apply exactly the right amount of water or chemicals to each area of their field, maximizing yields, profitability and efficiencies. With Growsmart by Lindsay’s Precision VRI, growers define custom irrigation zones that can be defined by soil type, topography, crop type or field obstacles.

The variable rate program is then loaded into the Precision VRI controller that directs individual sprinklers through wireless nodes. Sprinklers turn on or off for zone control, or pulse at the precise speed to achieve full variable rate application.

Lindsay designed this system to work on almost any brand of center pivot or lateral irrigation system. Benefits include less over or under watering, reduced runoff and leaching, and decreased fertigation and chemigation costs.

Magnetic Flow Meter

Magnetic Flow Meter

Growsmart by Lindsay magnetic flow meter.

Water is a finite resource and growers understand they have to use it wisely to help feed a growing population. Lindsay recently released a magnetic flow meter that is designed to take the guesswork out of water usage. Compared to propeller flow meters, the Growsmart by Lindsay magnetic flow meter does not have any moving parts such as propellers or bearings that may break.

The magnetic flow meter comes in a range of sizes and includes an optional battery pack. It can be used with FieldNET for remote management capabilities and is tested by the International Center for Water Technology (ICWT), an independent testing lab dedicated to advancements in water management and irrigation technology.

NFTrax

NFTrax Potatoes

The airless wheel assembly of NFTrax at work in a potato field.

NFTrax is an airless wheel assembly designed by Lindsay to never go flat and to minimize wheel rutting in fields. NFTrax’s steel core vulcanized rubber belt is tensioned over 10 drive points. This airless wheel assembly applies even pressure across the entire belt surface, creating a large surface area. Without large ruts in the field, there’s less wear and tear on farm equipment. Farmers also like not having to change flats on a pivot in the middle of the field during peak irrigation season.

Future Technology

As the irrigation industry looks to the future, variable rate irrigation technology will continue to be a major trend, with more and more farmers utilizing VRI as costs decrease over time. We will also see more sensors and diagnostics added to irrigation systems, especially components and products that can be integrated into Lindsay’s FieldNET remote management irrigation system. And, there will be continued conversion of flood-irrigated land into more efficient and profitable pivot-irrigated land.

Worldwide, pivots are an extremely efficient way to irrigate crops and will continue to play a major role in helping feed a growing global population. Lindsay is committed to using its technology to produce more and better crops while encouraging responsible stewardship of the world’s natural resources.