AgTech That Farmers can Use to Shift Focus from Yield to Profitability

After decades of enjoying increasing yields, in the past few years, farmers are finding that the traditional methods they used to maximize yield to be profitable, simply aren’t working. Farmers are under pressure from shrinking subsidies and mounting climate threats that range from drought and record heat to floods and decreasing soil fertility and health. These impacts leave growers increasingly looking for new ways to be profitable.

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In many cases, multi-generational growers are irrigating and fertilizing the same way in their fields that they have been for generations, pouring on water and fertilizers to push for maximum yield. Over time, between the soil depletion and climate changes, the soil may not have the same holding capacity, or weather conditions are impacting the soil. In addition, salinity levels are rising as there is less beneficial rain in many regions along with shrinking aquifers.

What all this means is that it’s even more important than ever to not just know if the top few inches of soil are wet or dry or leaves are wilting to make that crucial (and expensive) decision to turn on the pivot. Today, intelligent below ground sensors can help farmers know where the active root zone is at any point in the season and if the water is available there where it’s needed. This technology can also show if the crop is actually taking up the available moisture. Once you have that complete picture, you have the elements for the process control needed for irrigation water management.

By using intelligent, layer-by-layer soil moisture monitoring technology, you’ll find that in most cases, how you irrigate today will dramatically change. And those changes will mean you can still get good yields while cutting your inputs of water and nutrients by up to half.

You can see this yourself by testing the technology out in a field. You can also check out years of competition results from UNL TAPS or similar programs in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas High Plains, Colorado, and Mississippi. Launched in 2017, these annual farm competitions and master irrigator programs offer farmers a way to compare / contract various operational approaches. AquaSpy has supported UNL TAPS from the very start. Typically the winners of the Farm Profitability challenge use AquaSpy below ground sensor technology to guide their winning decisions around irrigation and nutrient inputs that lets them gain solid yields while minimizing inputs and driving farm profitability.

Below ground, layer-by-layer insight is critical for crops which need to have water where and when it’s needed most for yield efficiency.

AquaSpy’s patented multi-sensor probes measure soil moisture, salinity, temperature and root zone activity independently at 4-inch intervals all the way down to 48 inches. Proprietary algorithms give yield-optimizing insights for ideal irrigation at critical growth stages that impact the outcome of crop yields. The powerful AgSpy system provides analysis and actionable insights so growers can easily understand what is going on without having to visit the orchard or farm. To try it in your field, contact us today.

Related reading: Beyond the pivot: 5 ways AquaSpy technology improves yield and soil health