AquaSpy Blog
Our blog articles bring information and commentary related to agriculture in the US as well as worldwide, as well as the impact of progressive agriculture technology (agtech) on the world food supply.
Climate Smart Agriculture: Tips for Produce Growers
February 18, 2024
The USDA National Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) has announced that for fiscal 2024, they are increasing Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry Mitigation (CSAF) activities that are eligible for Inflation Reduction Act funding through EQIP. Their list of nine mitigation categories starts with soil health, which is a good place to focus initial Climate Smart Agriculture
Cotton growers increase profitability by monitoring soil moisture and salinity
February 6, 2024
Cotton is a unique crop with specific demands for temperature, moisture, and salinity levels that require careful attention throughout the season. And since it’s often grown in hot regions where water may be a scarce resource, efficiency is key. Below ground technology can provide actionable insights that make irrigation timing more efficient and timely. Layer- Vegetable farmers save money, improve crop quality with underground sensors
December 4, 2023
Vegetable farmers throughout the U.S. are growing better quality crops and saving money in the process by using AquaSpy’s multi-sensor layered approach, a technology that provides insight on soil moisture in the active root zone, as well as how the crop is consuming available water and nutrients. Recently, AquaSpy interviewed Chuck Elam, Seedway’s Watermelon Category 
How alerts can help keep winter vegetable crops healthy
November 6, 2023
Growers with winter vegetable crops in California and Arizona are particularly vigilant about water use. With climate change and persistent drought, growers need real-time actionable information for better precision around vegetable crop irrigation and soil management decisions. Typical Winter Vegetable Crops Yuma is known as the lettuce capital of the world. In winter, the average
Process Improvement for Regenerative Practices in Nut Trees
August 20, 2023
If you are like the majority of California pistachio and almond farmers and have a multi-generational family farm, your goal is to pass it down to your children or grandchildren. This means that land stewardship is a key focus and sustainable business decisions are foundational for keeping operations strong and resilient for the long term.
Tune Irrigation Practices for Peppers with Crophesy Below Ground Sensors
July 13, 2023
Yield and quality are closely related to irrigation practices for peppers. Like tomatoes, optimal irrigation of sweet peppers leads to healthier plants, higher quality fruits, and better yields. For ideal pepper fruit set and development, strive for consistent watering throughout the season. If you are using Crophesy below ground intelligent sensors, you can keep an
Start your Regenerative Ag Continuous Improvement Journey Here
July 5, 2023
Last week we had the opportunity to participate in the Leading Harvest Regenerative Ag Workshop in Chicago. The term “regenerative ag” has been appearing more and more often in farming and ag discussions, literature, and articles over the past couple of years. It is often used interchangeably with “sustainable ag” as well as “Climate Smart- Irrigation timing, amount still important for almond crops in 2023
June 13, 2023
Last winter brought welcome drought relief for parched almond growers in California. However, the cooler spring weather also brought challenges and the USDA NASS Pacific Regional Office initial forecast predicts smaller production and yields for almond crops in 2023. Given the new abundance of water, almond growers suddenly need to switch their water management mindset. 
Optimize apple quality and size with irrigation process control
June 12, 2023
Northwest apples are looking good with a normal or average crop predicted. New York started off well, but growers are concerned about lingering effects of smoke-filled skies from Canadian wildfires. And even with a promising start to the season, climate data continues to show a trend of warmer temperatures across the US. There’s no guarantee
AquaSpy to Exhibit, Present at Tech Hub Live 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa
June 2, 2023
AquaSpy will be exhibiting at this year’s Tech Hub LIVE Conference and Expo, taking place July 24-26, 2023, at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines, Iowa. The 3rd Annual Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo, powered by the CropLife Media Group®, the nation’s leading voice for the ag retail industry, in collaboration with the Global AgTech Initiative + AgriBusiness
Crophesy Below Ground Technology Helps Tune Onion Irrigation Practices
March 13, 2023
Studies have demonstrated that onion yield and grade are closely related to onion irrigation practices. Onions have a shallow root system and don’t require a lot of water after they’ve been established, requiring only small amounts of frequent irrigation. Careful attention to irrigation practices can help assure high onion yields, better bulb storability, and better
How AquaSpy supports Irrigation Water Management
February 17, 2023
What is Irrigation Water Management? According to the USDA’s Conservation Practice Overview, Irrigation Water Management (Code 449) is “the process of determining and controlling the volume, frequency, and application rate of irrigation water and is primarily used to manage soil moisture to promote plant growth.” Irrigation Water Management or IWM, can also be used to
How improving soil health supports farm profitability while protecting natural resources
February 9, 2023
Your land is your legacy. Optimize your farm profitability and build your legacy by improving soil health. Traditional farming methods going back many generations have focused on maximizing yield goals by applying as much fertilizer and water as possible. The green revolution had many benefits and led to high productivity of crops and a massive
Swiss “IrriSalgesch” project demonstrates water savings potential of AQUA4D® technology in irrigating vineyards
January 13, 2023
The Swiss municipality of Salquenen, with the AQUA4D and partners including AquaSpy, launched the project “IrriSalgesch” in 2022. The IrriSalgesch project investigated irrigation water savings potential using AQUA4D® water treatment technology. The water savings through AQUA4D were determined by comparing two plots with drip irrigation, one with normal water and one with
Precision Agriculture Trends and Realities
December 5, 2022
World agriculture is confronting a major challenge: in order to sustain the population that will exist in 2050 and end chronic worldwide food insecurity, agriculture will need to produce 60% more food on essentially equivalent arable land. Producing high yields of a narrow suite of cereal grains using indiscriminate quantities of inputs and water as
Impacts and risks from rising soil salinity in agricultural soil
November 27, 2022
Excessive soil salinity has become a severe problem for growers in several parts of the U.S. including Florida, Texas High Plains/Rio Grande and California Central Valley. Successive years of drought have forced growers to rely on irrigation water, which can contain salts. If the salts are not leached out of the soil by rainwater or
AquaSpy Releases Industry’s First Yield Correlated Study Comparing Thousands of Growing Fields
October 18, 2022
Results derived from grower yield responses and unique automated approach reveal new crop health insights SAN DIEGO, CA 4 October 2022 – A new AquaSpy study is the agricultural industry’s first using yield correlated data to compare multiple variables across thousands of growing fields and different crop types. Study results reveal the relationship between optimum
How AquaSpy supports the first pillar of Climate Smart Agriculture
October 9, 2022
For the past decade there has been growing awareness that climate change combined with a growing global demand for food is driving a need for climate smart agriculture. While we often hear solutions that talk about green house gasses and carbon sequestration, the first pillar of climate smart agriculture (CSA) – increasing agricultural productivity and
AquaSpy increases cotton farming profitability
August 21, 2022
We can’t make it rain, but we can help you best utilize the water you do have The United States is the world’s leading cotton exporter. In August 2019-July 2020—the United States produced nearly 20 million bales of cotton, representing about $7 billion in total value (lint plus seed) (source: USDA ERS). The brutal reality
How to Use Soil EC in Irrigation Management
August 5, 2022
Monitoring soil EC can be a valuable part of your toolkit for sustaining crop production in drought stricken or arid regions. Soil is an electrical conductor. The soil EC is a measure of how easily an electric current flows through the soil. Soil EC responds to the amount of salt in the soil as well
AquaSpy Expands Crophesy Pay as you Grow Monitoring to Row Crops
May 17, 2022
Water scarcity means that farmers need more tools to ensure that crops utilize every drop. To help farmers monitor every type of crop they grow, AquaSpy has added additional options to the Crophesy Pay as You Grow Service that enables monitoring crops with root depths up to 60 inches. Crops and vegetables best suited for
Avoid salt toxicity in fruit and nut crops
April 20, 2022
When water is scarce, growers should monitor every aspect of water use and plant health. In particular, soil salinity resulting from salt build up in dry soils can impact deciduous fruits, nuts, citrus and avocado which are among the most salt sensitive crops. How salt toxicity affects plant water uptake This is a good time
AquaSpy is a Proud Supporter of Leading Harvest
April 11, 2022
We are proud to announce that AquaSpy has joined Leading Harvest as a Program Supporter to help advance their mission. Leading Harvest is a nonprofit organization at the vanguard of advancing sustainable agriculture, providing assurance programs comprised of standards, audit procedures, training and education, and reporting and claim offerings that are optimized for flexibility, scalability,
How to Take the Guesswork Out of Vegetable Crop Irrigation
February 15, 2022
Growers have relied on gut instinct and field inspections to tell them when to water their vegetable crops. Yet with climate change threatening and persistent drought in many growing areas, growers need better information to help guide them to better precision around vegetable crop irrigation and good soil management decisions. According to a recent study
How to Improve Nut Tree Yields with AquaSpy Soil Moisture Monitoring
February 14, 2022
The Western U.S. and Northern Mexico are experiencing their driest period in at least 1,200 years, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Climate Change. With the spring budding season in full swing, orchard farmers have some tough decisions to make about how to manage their scarce water resources through the coming
How to Improve Crop Yield
February 10, 2022
Let’s start with this fact: maximizing crop yield doesn’t mean you will maximize your profitability. Too often, a farmer will think that maximizing yield is the goal. When in reality that goal can have a negative impact, not only on profitability, but also result in unnecessary application of costly and potentially limited resources like water.
Why Volumetric Soil Water Content Measurement is a Fallacy
January 4, 2022
How do researchers measure volumetric soil water content (VWC)? Volumetric soil water content measurement requires in-field destructive testing – meaning you have to carefully dig up multiple soil samples and take them to a lab for analysis. Fundamentally, measuring soil moisture in inches / mm cannot be done in any reliable, convenient way. To calculate
Soil Salinity, Another Climate-Change Related Issue
November 13, 2021
Rising soil salinity is a serious, climate change-related issue that growers are increasingly struggling with. Why is soil salinity an issue? There are several factors that can drive salinization in soil: the use of certain high-salt fertilizers; saltwater intrusion in coastal regions where seawater from the ocean seeps into groundwater reserves; drought, particularly in arid
How AquaSpy Provides Key Soil Quality Indicators for Regenerative Farmers
June 20, 2021
Recently I had a chance to chat with David Kleinschmidt at Understanding Ag. After reading the Hutchinson News article about how they are working with General Mills to teach farmers and ranchers how to raise crops with regenerative practices, I wanted to learn more about their approach. In particular, I wanted to hear how they
Why Evapotranspiration Affects Crop Yield
April 1, 2021
The evapotranspiration process is composed of two separate processes: transpiration (T) and evaporation (E). Often the term “ET” is used interchangeably with crop water
Growing Industrial Hemp-Risks and Rewards
November 29, 2020
In 2013, Colorado became the first state in the US to legalize industrial hemp. The 2014 Farm Bill granted US farmers the right to cultivate hemp in states where production is legal and established hemp pilot research programs nationwide. Industrial hemp is grown for food, feed, fuel, building materials, and more. Traditional hemp, grown for
Why Vertical Crop Monitoring is Essential to Regenerative Agriculture
October 28, 2020
A farmer’s day may be different every day during the growing season but the one constant is that each day is dedicated to doing what needs to be done for a healthy crop. Today’s growers also know that they are the custodians of the soil they farm. Our planet’s population depends on their willingness and- Progressive Farmer: Probing The Depths (PDF)
January 31, 2019
South Carolina Farmer uses AgSpy system to manage irrigation on his 1,000 acre 
The Next Evolution in How Farmers Grow Crops
July 25, 2017
I’ve never heard of a farmer that isn’t constantly busy, juggling all sorts of variables such as: the weather; soil moisture levels and nutrient content; plant health; or pests, all to optimize yield and maximize profit. But do any of them understand the dynamics of each of the layers that the roots occupy? AquaSpy® shows
Cost-Saving Irrigation Measures Growing in Popularity on Nebraska Farms
July 12, 2017
Farmers across the state aren’t getting much of a post-planting reprieve, as temperatures continue to heat up and rainfall continues to stay away lately across most of the Cornhusker state. As such, irrigation motors are firing up rapidly as producers fret about their emerging crops amidst the hot, dry conditions. Peer pressure is most certainly
How AquaSpy Goes Beyond, While Others Barely Scratch the Surface
May 26, 2017
How We Scientifically Improve Yield by The Process Control of Matching Root Demand to Soil Supply AquaSpy allows the grower to use data to make input decisions every minute of every day to absolutely control the human part of the equation (nurture). Every crop, and every demand it has, is distinct every year; therefore, AquaSpy
When It Comes to Improving Soil Health on Your Farm, Set Your Sights on the Long-Term Goals
March 15, 2017
Article from: Article Posted on Oklahomafarmreport.com At the recent annual meeting of the Oklahoma Association of Conservation Districts, North Carolina farmer and soil health expert, Russell Hedrick, shared with local producers the strategies he has implemented on his operation using cover crops to improve the health of his soil – and how to make money
It’s a Relative World After All
October 26, 2016
What if our lives were bound by only relative measures? In Agriculture, most Farmers measure the vital moisture in their soil only by relative measures with soil moisture sensors or drones or even sticks thrust into the soil. AquaSpy is very unique and different in that we dissect and segregate the soil into 12 distinct- AquaSpy Vector Probe Measurement Accuracy
August 26, 2016
As you install an AquaSpy Soil Monitoring System you may ask yourself, how accurate does it actually measure? The answer may surprise you: the AquaSpy Vector probe is very accurate but that is not what actually matters. Here is why. Soil probes pick up information from the soil using different methods. Most probe systems are 
In a Case Study Conducted by Lux Research, AquaSpy-Managed Fields Generated 22% Higher Yields
August 18, 2016
Lux Research maintains a profile on AquaSpy. The following press release reveals additional research: The Internet of Things is Coming to Agriculture, Bringing a Mixed Bag of
The Moisture Gauge for Every Pivot
April 13, 2016
Think of Your Entire Field as Your Gas Tank Try to imagine our vehicle centric world without some of the instruments and gauges that someone once invented and that today we take completely for granted. Without something as simple as a speedometer, we would all go as fast as we judged possible. Turn signals are
Determining Volumetric Soil Moisture is a Fallacy
April 11, 2016
Volumetric Soil Moisture (VSM) requires knowledge of soil type, crop type, and water holding capacity for each layer in the soil which is not practical for typical commercial installations. However, by using an automated system that first detects rooting depth, then sensor by sensor detects Full Point (field capacity), and then derives the Refill Point, AquaSpy
Revolutionary Probe
April 6, 2016
The First Multi-Sensor Probe in the World to Accurately Separate Moisture from Conductivity AquaSpy’s multi-sensor probe is a vertical 12 sensor probe which measures moisture, EC, and temperature at every 4 inches, for a total of 48”. The top sensor can be at any desired level. All of the processing intelligence is centralized in the
Deep Thoughts
March 12, 2016
I’m not exactly sure what Adele is rolling in but whatever it is, she is rolling in the deep. When Sarah Palin couldn’t tell Katie Couric which magazines she reads, she was thought to be out of her depth. When Mathew McCaughey went deep into Interstellar space, he was discerning the intricacies of the space- It’s A Mixed Up Muddled Up Shook Up World
March 5, 2016
Sometimes you do all the right things and conform to every conventional wisdom and have nothing special to show for it. You study, hire the best minds with whom to consult, buy the very best seed, with the very best pesticides and chemicals, plant at the right time with the right spacing, diligently fight off 
An Age Old Question
February 25, 2016
Among the eternal questions mankind has pondered along with why are we here and to what purpose and how did life itself begin, is a seemingly more “down to Earth” question of how are we similar and how are we different and why? This is of course the fascinating and endless debate about nature and- Want Yield?
February 20, 2016
It’s half past sun up; do you know where your roots are??? Want Yield? Put your money where your crops’ mouths’ are. Like humans, crops have to absorb nutrients to flourish and grow. Unlike us, they must rely upon their roots to forage for liquid sustenance throughout the various depths of soil zones where they - Crop Whispering, Measuring Behavior
January 23, 2016
Everyone is quite familiar with and has a FICO score that is essentially a measure of past financial behavior and used as a predictor of future financial behavior in order to price risk into the credit equation. Similarly, though not as ubiquitous or well known; driving scores begin to reflect how, when and where you 
AquaSpy’s Moeller: Agriculture is a Vertical Business; Tracking Weather is Not Enough
December 14, 2015
AquaSpy is a soil moisture sensing and data platform that was founded in 1998 in Australia. It started off manufacturing and selling soil moisture probes but now has a data platform providing growers using drip irrigation and center-pivots with data analytics and best-practice irrigation templates. The aim is to help improve yields and reduce costs