SYSTEM INTEGRATION & AUTOMATION
System integration & automation: What’s the manufacturer’s perspective?
Irrigation systems and their capabilities are becoming more and more technologically advanced every year. Irrigation Today turned to four irrigation manufacturers on the forefront of system integration and automation technology to get their unique perspectives. We asked each to tell us what they see as the primary benefits and challenges growers experience when using a fully automated or integrated system and how their company believes these technologies improve irrigation efficiency, profitability and sustainability.
Jain Irrigation
Irrigation system integration and automation in agriculture, at its essence, is about using advanced ag tech to do more with less and finding ways to increase yields without burdening already overtaxed water resources. At Jain, we view optimized irrigation with highly integrated intelligent scheduling that utilizes satellite imaging, high-resolution
weather forecasting, soil moisture monitoring and machine learning as the only path to sustainability. However, rising water costs (+$1,000/ac-ft), inflationary input costs and labor shortages force today’s growers to invest in system automation to maintain depressed profitability. This is all while facing the challenges of overcoming field worker education and technology adoption, not to mention choosing the right supplier when ag tech startup-driven companies fail as fast as new companies enter the market.
Challenging times call for innovative and sustainable solutions supported by tried-and-true technology from companies that will be there for the long haul. With over 15 years of commitment to ag tech, Jain’s technology focuses on providing a holistic approach, ensuring irrigation system distribution uniformity (DU) meets acceptable standards. No amount of ag tech will overcome poor DU, a fact too often overlooked. Jain’s broad suite of automation technology is deployed in over 25,000 locations globally, saving users billions of gallons of water and millions of dollars in labor and costly inputs, providing sustainable economic and environmental returns. Jain believes a true partnership with growers using our integrated data-driven agronomic tools is the answer to achieving the full potential of water-use efficiency and “More Crop Per Drop.”
Jeff Tuel Executive Vice President Jain Distribution Holdings
18 Irrigation TODAY | Winter 2022
Technology development and adoption in all parts of our lives are on the rise. We are seeing widespread usage of autonomous vehicles, utilization of artificial intelligence and machine learning, and it is now commonplace to have “smart homes” that help us save energy and water every day.
Farmers throughout the United States,
and the world, are now able to fully automate their irrigation systems by utilizing the latest digital farming technologies. However, realizing the full sustainable benefits of a fully automated irrigation system comes with its own challenges. Automated irrigation systems can apply precise amounts of water and nutrients through a site-specific recommendation based on the crop’s development stage. This is an important benefit that can lead to yield and quality improvements, but this represents a fundamental change in agronomic decision-making. Both industry and farmer education are necessary for any system to work, including a fully automated system.
Sustainability is at the core of everything we do at Netafim. Included in any sustainable model is the profitability of the farmer. Not only do automated systems save water while increasing yield, they also lower the farmer’s dependance on labor. Ensuring the biodiversity of the land, while saving natural resources and increasing yield, should be a goal of every farmer. Technology and agronomic expertise delivered through companies like Netafim and other precision agronomy companies are helping us to realize these goals. Companies in the agricultural industry will need to continue to cooperate and work together to increase the commitment to sustainability in order to make our goals a reality. It truly is an exciting time to be a part of the irrigation industry!
President and CEO Netafim USA
irrigationtoday.org
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