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August 24, 2018 CapitalPress.com 9 Irrigation innovations abound to increase productivity By DIANNA TROYER For the Capital Press At 2:30 a.m., an irrigation software alarm beeped on Kelly Mangum’s smart phone at his bedside, alerting him to a problem. “We had a power outage that affected the pump on one of our pivots,” said Mang- um, co-manager of Mark Darrington Farm and Marsh Creek Farms near Declo, Ida- ho. “I drove out and took care of it,” he said. “Nothing melt- ed or burned up. This is our third season to use the soft- ware, and it has reduced our workload and improved effi- ciency incredibly.” The farms’ 12 pivots were retrofitted with control mod- ules containing a software program. “It’s a beautiful thing, like having eyes in the field with- out having to drive there,” he said. “We save so much time and have reduced wear on ve- hicles. We don’t have to drive through a field to check the pivots, so we’re not ruining part of a crop.” Wherever he is, Mang- um can monitor irrigation on fields of potatoes, wheat, bar- ley, corn, hay and sugar beets. With a swipe of his finger on his phone screen, he can stop and start a pivot and control flow rates. “If it’s going to be 100 de- grees, I can put more water down. If a crop is ready for harvest, I can turn it off.” The system prevents part of a crop from being damaged when a problem occurs. “What if a pivot gets stuck in a spot? Before, the crop in that section of a field might have been overwatered and ruined, and you’d have lost revenue. With this program, Dianna Troyer/For the Capital Press While working at the farm shop, Mangum checks on pivots from his phone. Mangum says the software saves time and wear on vehicles at the farms he co-man- ages in southeastern Idaho. University of Idaho Lowering the sprinklers closer to the crop canopy reduces water loss to wind drift. Kelly Mangum we know the second a prob- lem happens and what it might be, whether a gear box or a tire.” Along with the software, the farms’ first variable fre- quency drive pump was in- stalled three years ago. “We decided to switch over because in one area we’re pumping water more than 3 miles from a creek, feeding a system of five piv- ots and six pumps. There are so many variables, and the pump automatically adjusts to those.” Mangum said farmers are working in an era of ingenuity with software written to deal with just about anything. “The innovations in irriga- tion software have been dra- matic,” he said. Innovations abound During the past few years, innovative approaches to ir- rigation “have been the most fascinating and productive I’ve seen since I started my research in Idaho 26 years ago,” said Howard Neibling, water management engineer at the University of Idaho’s Kimberly Research and Ex- tension Center. To select the best irrigation system, he advised farmers to analyze many factors: cost versus benefit, water sources, and the soil types and topog- raphy in fields. He described several inno- vations. LESA: LESA is an ac- ronym for Low Elevation Sprinkler Application. Noz- zle heads are lowered to just above a crop canopy or slight- ly into it. “You’re reducing the need for pumping 15 to 20 percent because you’re not losing wa- ter to wind drift,” he said. Nozzle control: Variable rate irrigation control soft- ware will shut off water at nozzles at certain points in a field. “If you have a big rock pile in one part of your field, you don’t want to waste wa- ter there or grow weeds. It’s effective, too, if you have different soil types in a field that require different amounts of water. If part of a field has runoff or seepage, you can re- duce water application there.” Mobile drip irrigation: In- stead of sprinklers, drip tubes are used. “The length of a tube var- ies outward along the pivot. It might be 3 feet near the pivot point and 100 feet at the out- er end. The benefit is an ex- tremely high efficiency. How- ever, if you’re using surface water and have to filter it, it may be cost prohibitive.” Soil moisture sensors: After inserting soil moisture sensors in a field, farmers can check data from a smart phone to decide irrigation needs. “I like to dig a hole and push them in sideways at dif- ferent depths in undisturbed soil,” he said. Free web-based irrigation scheduling: Neibling said Troy Peters, a colleague at Washington State University, developed a free app, Irriga- tion Scheduler Mobile, avail- able for Android or iPhone at http://weather.wsu.edu/is. “This app uses local AgriMet weather and crop water use information to provide a running estimate of soil water content and de- gree of plant water stress,” he said. Neibling said with all the innovative irrigation options available, “it comes down to a cost-benefit analysis and what systems will best meet your needs.” Your partner in precision agriculture Courtesy Agri-Service Additionally, we offer inte- grated positioning services to deliver the accuracy require- ments you need to support the types of crops you farm. To learn more call 1-877-530- 8333 or visit our website at www.vantage-northwest.com 20179 Main St. St. Paul, OR 97137 SuTech18-4100 Vantage-Northwest is the precision farming branch of Agri-Service which has 13 locations throughout Idaho, Washington, Utah and Ore- gon. We are your local preci- sion agriculture expert on the full suite of Trimble solutions, making precision technology work seamlessly across com- plex farming operations. Our team has an exten- sive skillset in all areas of precision agriculture, and is equipped to bring our indus- try level technical expertise, customer service and support capabilities to your farm. Vantage-Northwest offers agronomic services including soil sampling to take your farming decisions to the next level. We also have a team of certified professionals to in- stall, train, support and repair all of your precision agricul- ture equipment. 503-633-1111 www.ErnstIrrigation.com SUTECH18-2/108
