Kathleen Glass

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. You are striving for a sustainable food system that connects your business and consumers, building value over the long term. To achieve this, you need a path for continuous improvement along the way.

Regenerative and sustainable practices begin with the soil

Healthy soils deliver more crop consistency, quality, and yields. Soil health and regenerative practices go hand in hand to enhance soil health and optimize crop quality and yield while protecting long-term soil productivity for nut trees. Process control measures can proactively meet regenerative and climate smart objectives and performance measures for soil health, soil conservation, water use, and water quality in nut tree orchards.  While there are a variety of climate smart techniques that can be deployed over time in the field to improve soil health, one very simple change can be made in the first season by using low-cost, below ground technology that give insights that drive better irrigation decisions.

What’s your current assessment? Update your baseline.

Review the practices you have in place and document those that need improvement to grow your crops sustainably. Growers don’t all start from the same place and many nut growers have already made steps toward conservation. You may already be using some sustainable or regenerative practices such as cover crops, or water usage management. This means it’s important to do an overall assessment of where you are today so that you have a baseline against which to measure continuous improvement over time.

Begin data collection

Data is your friend in this effort.

Use ag technologies such as IoT sensors above ground, below ground, or on the leaf, to benchmark where you are today, your soil health, water infiltration and capacity, salinity levels, your average yields, the amount of inputs you are using today, and farm profitability numbers. Use this baseline to begin your process control improvement over time. You’ll be able to measure results season over season.

Inspect your irrigation system

No matter how you look at it, nut trees consume a lot of water so you want to avoid wasting a drop. Even if you have already moved to a more water conscious drip or micro irrigation system, issues can arise. In particular, irrigation leaks can waste gallons of water. Take a look at:

• Filtration
• Efficiency
• Uniformity of delivery
• Leaks
• Runoff
• Water quality

Keeping your irrigation system well maintained is critical to water conservation efforts.

Get support

Start a support group. Talk with other growers in your area and compare approaches and numbers. What are they doing? What’s worked for them and what hasn’t?

Talk to your local cooperative focusing on sustainability such as Greenpoint Ag or regenerative ag or sustainability specialists covering a number of different crops such as Aqua4D or Understanding Ag.

Look for educational and farm research programs such as TAPS, Master Irrigators, university extension programs and demonstration fields. AquaSpy supports a number of these programs.

Explore standards

It might be helpful to utilize defined standard to focus your efforts. The Leading Harvest Farmland Management Standard is designed to address farmers’ unique needs and grow with agricultural operation over time, providing a framework for continuous improvement. The Leading Harvest Farmland Management Standard 2020 program is a third-party audited certification program that provides assurance for the sustainability of farmland management. It is an outcome-based program which relies on users to provide conformance evidence to demonstrate their conformance with the program.

Look for grants and funding programs

Look for state and federal programs. Some examples include:

NRCS Climate-Smart 2024 Mitigation Activities https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/conservation-basics/natural-resource-concerns/climate/climate-smart-mitigation-activities

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Healthy Soils Program https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/healthysoils/

Blue Diamond USDA Climate Smart Grant https://bluediamondgrowers.com/usda-climate-smart-grant/

Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) https://www.almonds.com/tools-and-resources/grower-tools/incentive-opportunities

Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/rcpp-regional-conservation-partnership-program

When’s the best time to start or hone your regenerative practices for your nut trees? It’s today. For more information on how AquaSpy data insights can help you with your baseline metrics and process control for continuous improvement, contact sales today.

Related articles:

https://aquaspy.com/start-your-regenerative-ag-continuous-improvement-journey-here/

https://aquaspy.com/impacts-and-risks-from-rising-soil-salinity-in-agricultural-soil/

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 eye on your green band and your YES! Score. Keeping your score high means you’ll have a better pepper crop. Set your alert notifications so you know immediately if you are below the green band midpoint. And you definitely want an alert if your moisture value is below the recommended refill point for either sweet or hot peppers. While some experts suggest hot peppers like a little less water, sweet peppers are sensitive to blossom end rot if under irrigated.

Even though some growers suggest waiting to irrigate until the leaves on hot peppers wilt, that wilt means the crop is stressed and ultimately will produce fewer fruits.  Crophesy below ground wireless technology transmits soil moisture and crop status hourly so growers can immediately take action, before crops are stressed, without having to step foot in the field.

Crophesy by AquaSpy utilizes intelligent algorithms and underground sensors to monitor the pepper plant’s active root zone and moisture uptake, allowing growers to use precise process control to give their pepper crops exactly what they need and when. Crophesy shows when the moisture reaches the active root zone so you can avoid pushing precious water and nutrients below where they are needed. This saves money and conserves nutrients.

Another aspect to monitor when growing peppers is the soil salinity. Since they are actually a fruit, many pepper varieties are sensitive to salinity. Crophesy intelligent probes arm growers with critical data on soil salinity levels layer by layer in their pepper fields.

Crophesy Process Control for Optimizing Irrigation Practices for Pepper

With a Crophesy annual subscription, you receive a free, three-sensor, wireless, soil moisture probe and access to the AgSpy software and AquaSpy app, making your data accessible on the go – on your mobile, tablet or desktop. Place the rugged, water-tight probes throughout your pepper or garlic field and connect them to the app via your smartphone. Then you can constantly monitor soil and crop health for all of your peppers and receive alerts if your soil moisture or salinity falls outside of the crop-specific desired tolerances.

Crophesy enables you to open your app from anywhere and show you what kind of nourishment is available in your soil at your pepper crop root depth. With this data, you can determine when the active root zone needs water or other vital nutrients.

Each Crophesy data access subscription come with:

• Free hardware! 16” wireless, battery-operated below ground probe
• Custom 24” auger
• Pre-programmed pepper and garlic templates
• Works with pivot or drip irrigation and is soil agnostic

The Crophesy app can show you data on a mobile phone, tablet or computer:

• Moisture consumption at the root level
• Salinity level in the active root zone
• Root depth
• Soil temperature near the sensors
• Irrigation depth

And it tells you all this without you having to step foot in your pepper field. Get the insights you need for optimized pepper irrigation practices with Crophesy by AquaSpy.

Learn more about how Crophesy works.

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 Ag”, perhaps leading one to assume that these all mean the same thing. Admittedly, there is some overlap, though they all have their own purpose and intent which we are going to break down here.

Climate Smart Agriculture

Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) puts emphasis particularly on the farming impacts of climate change. CSA encompasses practices that:

• Increase soil carbon
• Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
• Improve water use efficiency

In April, the USDA announced $40M in investments in adoption and implementation of climate smart practices including nutrient management and soil health and another more than $3B in programs for small holders and specialty crop growers.

Read more about Climate Smart Ag in our blog.

Regenerative vs. Sustainable

The practice of sustainable agriculture isn’t new. It was introduced in the 1990 Farm Bill as an integrated system of plant and site-specific plant and animal production practices that sustains economic stability. Sustainable practices look at the existing farm and ranch conditions and seek to maintain those as they are. The goal is to maintain and prevent further degradation of the land.

On the other hand, regenerative practices seek to improve – to restore land and promote soil health through the application of continuous improvement practices. For example, regenerative practices don’t just prevent loss of top soil, they work to build up the soil, reducing disturbance, improving nutrients, increasing microbial activity, conserving water, and increasing water infiltration, to name a few.

Where the confusion comes in is that many of the practices are the same for sustainable and regenerative ag such as:

• Soil testing
• Crop rotation
• Precision Ag systems and technology
• Reduction of pesticides
• Reduction of chemical fertilizers
• Water conservation
• Cover crops
• Automation

Read our blog on how layer by layer soil monitoring supports sustainable and regenerative practices.

Regenerative vs. organic

So, are regenerative practices also organic? Not necessarily, though again, there are a number of overlapping goals and principles. The main difference lies in that organic farming requires eliminating synthetic pesticides and fertilizers or substituting them for permitted inputs. According to the EPA, “’Organically grown’ food is food grown and processed using no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. Pesticides derived from natural sources (such as biological pesticides) may be used in producing organically grown food.”

Interestingly, sustainable and regenerative ag practices focus on using less synthetic inputs but don’t require eliminating them. Though there are some specialty crop growers who are doing that as well, experimenting with advanced technology like laser weed robots or even bringing nature’s own weeders into the field – cattle, sheep or goats.

Read our blog about how AquaSpy technology provides key soil quality indicators for regenerative farming.

Leading Harvest Farm Management Standard

Regenerative ag is a journey. No matter what you compare it to, it is a multi-step, multi-year process that doesn’t happen overnight. Numerous food and beverage brands and ag leaders realize that to encourage better farm practices takes a carrot rather than a stick. In addition, every crop, every region, every soil is different so it’s not practical or feasible to apply a one-size-fits-all approach.

To that end, Leading Harvest, a coalition of public and private leaders from conservation, investment, agriculture, and research, has developed a flexible, outcomes-based farm management standard.

“The Leading Harvest Standard 2020 is a third-party audited certification program that provides assurance for the sustainability of farmland management. Farmers can use the Leading Harvest Standard 2020 to certify farmland and make market claims about their management.

The Leading Harvest Standard 2020 is outcome-based, using non-numeric indicators that describe required management outcomes. This provides farmers with the flexibility to apply the unique set of activities suited to their operation and achieve sustainable outcomes identified by the indicators.”

Leading Harvest provides assurance programs comprised of standards, audit procedures, training and education, and reporting and claim offerings that are optimized for flexibility, scalability, and impact.

Read more about the Leading Harvest Farm Management Standard.

Now is the time to get started on your regenerative ag journey

Armed with knowledge and some guiding principles, it’s time to get started. This isn’t an overnight effort, and it will require patience, experimentation, and documentation. Data is your friend in this effort. Benchmark where you are today, your soil health, water infiltration and capacity, your average yields, how much inputs you use today, and farm profitability numbers. Compare to other growers in your area. What are they doing? Is it working? What’s worked for them? Look for educational and farm research programs such as TAPS, Master Irrigators, or university extension programs or demo fields. AquaSpy supports a number of these programs. Look for grants and programs. Join groups like Leading Harvest and others who bring likeminded growers and groups together to share and explore.

When’s the best time to start? Today.

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.

While it might seem logical that deep rooted crops like almonds might be able to forego irrigation for quite a while to let things dry out, by now, most farmers have turned on their drip irrigation to feed their crops through their critical blooming and maturing stages. We’ve seen most fields start to dry down by late April and May and growers who have been monitoring this progress carefully were turning on their drip irrigation.

We have also been seeing more growers experimenting with cover cropping which changes soil temperatures and absorption rates so monitoring and adapting irrigation practices according to these changes is critical for optimization and process control that improves yield.

Growers in the northern regions should be keeping an eye on temperatures with the growing El Nino influence. El Nino’s can drive summer temperatures higher in the northern regions despite promises of additional rainfall in the west.

Another question almond growers have on their mind is soil salinity. Increasing salt levels built up over the years long drought were not completely eliminated despite the heavy rains. We do see some salinity levels improving in the top layers as some salt was pushed lower in the profile. Unfortunately, a number of growers only saw small drops in overall salinity levels over last year. And some growers are seeing higher spikes again as they turn on their irrigation. Hopefully we’ll see this trend lower as the Sierra snow melt feeds the ground water tables from spring through summer.

What’s unique about AquaSpy’s approach to precision irrigation

AquaSpy intelligent crop-specific root monitoring technology can continuously monitor trees such as apple, pear, pistachio, pecan, walnut, or almond over single or multi-year crop production and contribute up to 40% increased yield while further increasing water efficiency.

AquaSpy looks layer by layer into the soil and can see what’s occurring at the active root zone. This insight is critical for deep rooted trees which need to provide water where and when it’s needed most.

Patented multi-sensor probes measure soil moisture, salinity, temperature and root zone activity independently at 4-inch intervals to 48 inches. Proprietary algorithms give yield-optimizing insights for ideal irrigation at critical growth stages such as budding, blooming, maturing, up and hull-split, that impact the outcome of almond and other nut tree 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.

Learn more about AquaSpy Soil Moisture Monitoring intelligence for almonds or contact a sales rep today.

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 that the normally mild Northwest won’t see more high temperatures June through September. Now is the time to implement irrigation process control for the season to come. 

For apple orchards, precisely timing crucial spring and summer irrigation is critical for high quality fruit production. Sufficient irrigation ensures that canopy, fruit, and leaves develop at this key time. Poor canopy development can limit tree development and hinder long term productivity. For adult apple trees, varying the amount of water can control fruit size, whether the aim is maximizing fruit size or limiting it, depending on goals.

Irrigation Process Control for Apples

What many apple growers have found is that simply knowing the temperature or the soil moisture at a point in time isn’t enough to adequately plan irrigation amounts and timing. US-based AquaSpy has solved this challenge for apple growers with irrigation process control technology that literally has a fuel gauge that shows the grower details about the crop root behavior in the active root zone:

• How deep is the active root zone
• How much moisture is available in the active root zone
• How the crop is taking up the available moisture
• Soil salinity
• Soil temperature layer by layer

Called “stepping” the AquaSpy summary chart shows each irrigation and how the crop is taking up moisture. When the crop is “drinking” what’s available, apple growers can see the moisture leaving the profile. It’s time to irrigate when the line heads toward the bottom of the green band. The crop-specific green band makes it easy to see when the crop needs water. When it needs refilled, the grower will get a notification via email on their phone or desktop that lets them know it’s time to irrigate.

Salt sensitive fruit crops

Fruit frees are among the most sensitive crops to soil salinity. Irrigation water contains salts and in dry periods such as the Northwest recently, those salts can build up in the soil. To alert growers to salt stress before it harms their sensitive crops like apples, apricots, cherries or citrus, AquaSpy sensors also measure soil Ec which is a measurement that indicates salt levels in the soil. Handy charts can inform salinity levels and alerts can be set to advise of impending dangerous levels that could cause the crop to stop taking up available moisture.

AquaSpy’s irrigation process control approach

AquaSpy looks layer by layer into the soil and can see what’s occurring at the active root zone. This insight is critical for deep rooted trees which need to provide water where and when it’s needed most.

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 such as bud development that impact the outcome of fruit and nut tree 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.

Be prepared for El Nino which can mean a drier and hotter season for the Pacific Northwest from June to August 2023. Learn more about how AquaSpy Soil Moisture Monitoring intelligence can help provide more insights for better irrigation decisions: contact a sales rep today.

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 3^rd 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 Global brands, is a must-attend event for those developing and deploying the latest ag technologies to advance agribusiness.

Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo is the premier event convening the ag tech and ag retail communities to connect, engage, and share insights and experiences with the latest innovations to deploy data-driven tech-enabled agriculture solutions. The 2023 Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo will provide an unparalleled experience for both delegates, commercial clients, and allied constituents.

There will be sessions from industry leaders discussing a variety of pertinent topics, including:

• Getting the Most from Digital Ag
• Scouting Tools Best Practices
• Creating and Executing a Successful Digital Strategy
• Sustainability and Carbon Sequestration
• Autonomous Equipment and Robotics
• The Latest in AI and IoT
• Cybersecurity Risks and Mitigation Strategies
• Optimizing On-Farm Efficiency
• Leveraging Big Data and Analytics
• Getting Maximum ROI from Tech Investments

Plus, there will be over 90 exhibit booths and meeting rooms for you to meet and evaluate products.

If you can attend this summer, please be sure to stop by and visit us at Booth 401 and catch our Tech Talk on the main floor. Don’t miss the panel discussion joined by AquaSpy VP of Marketing, Kathleen Glass titled The Future of Sustainable Farming: The Ag Distribution Chain’s Role in Climate on July 25.

We encourage you to register for this one-of-a-kind event showcasing the latest in ag tech and agribusiness! Below is the link to register.

Use Promo Code: THLEX23 to save $95 off registration! See you in Iowa!

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 internal quality. But what’s the best way to tune your onion irrigation practices?

Crophesy by AquaSpy utilizes intelligent algorithms and underground sensors to monitor the crop’s active root zone and moisture uptake, allowing growers to use precise process control to give their onion crops exactly what they need and when. Crophesy can show when the moisture is reaching the active root zone but not going below it, which will push costly nutrients past the root zone. This saves money and conserves nutrients.

An excess of water can cause waterlogging. However, underwatering can impact yield as well. Onions rarely show signs of drought so make sure to water during dry conditions to prevent bolting. Crophesy below ground wireless technology transmits soil moisture and crop status hourly so growers can immediately take action, before crops are stressed, without having to step foot in the field.

Crophesy Process Control for Onion Irrigation

With a Crophesy subscription, you receive a free, three-sensor, wireless, soil moisture probe and access to the AgSpy software and AquaSpy app, making your data accessible on the go – on your mobile, tablet or desktop. Place the rugged, water-tight probes throughout your onion or garlic field and connect them to the app via your smartphone. Then you can constantly monitor soil and crop health for all of your onions and garlic and receive alerts if your soil moisture or salinity falls outside of the crop-specific desired tolerances.

While you can look at the visual analysis of leaves, spending hours in your field, Crophesy enables you to open your app from anywhere and show you what kind of nourishment is available in your soil at your onion/garlic crop root depth. With this data, you can determine when the active root zone needs vital nutrients.

Each Crophesy data access subscription come with:

• Free hardware! 16” wireless, battery-operated below ground probe
• Custom 24” auger
• Pre-programmed onion and garlic templates
• Works with pivot or drip irrigation and is soil agnostic

The Crophesy app can show you data on a mobile phone, tablet or computer:

• Moisture consumption at the root level
• Salinity level in the active root zone
• Root depth
• Soil temperature near the sensors
• Irrigation depth

And it tells you all this without you having to step foot in your onion or garlic field. Get the insights you need for optimized onion irrigation practices with Crophesy by AquaSpy.

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 optimize the application of various inputs including fertilizer, reduce erosion and runoff, and manage salts in the root zone. It’s important to note, that IWM is an annual practice which should vary by crop type and should changes each season as well as throughout the season.

What is NRCS IWM Code 449?

NRCS Conservation Practice Standard (CPS) Irrigation Water Management (Code 449) is a required component when CPS Sprinkler System (Code 442), Irrigation System, micro irrigation (Code 441), or Irrigation System, Surface and Subsurface (Code 443) are used. Practice Standard 449 provides an incentive payment for irrigation management technology and tools. For more information, visit the NRCS Irrigation Water Management webpage.

IWM is important for plant and soil health as well as water use efficiency

Poor or ineffective irrigation management often has negative impacts, not only on crop health and yield, but also can have negative environmental impacts on water resources as well as long term soil health and ultimately can decrease farm profitability and value. As water resources become more constrained across the globe, farmers and growers turn to agronomy advisors, equipment dealers, federal agencies and university extension programs for advice on new practices and technology to help them with improving irrigation management.

There are a number of technologies that growers use for IWM including above and below ground soil and plant sensors and imaging. Each of these have their various benefits, costs, and ROI. It’s important for growers to use the right technology or mix of technologies that drive farm profitability. University programs and farm competitions such as the UNL Taps program have shown that IWM processes applied produce positive outcomes using below ground sensors used such as those by AquaSpy as they guide more informed irrigation decisions that are prompted by the crop needs at that precise time in the season. IWM supported by AquaSpy below ground sensor technology allows for increased irrigation water use efficiency while delivering optimum yields for maximum farm profitability. These results have been demonstrated in multiple studies and field competitions.

IWM and Process Control

Evolved IWM processes and soil moisture monitoring technology go hand in hand.  The question most farmers have is how to put that to the test? There are numerous ways to conduct a study. One way is to participate in an extension competition like TAPS or one of the regional Master Irrigator programs. Those give growers the added benefit of learning from their neighbors in real time, comparing notes and tuning processes. Other methods can be to reach out to trusted local agronomy consultants familiar with the region and technology, or the agronomy services teams at your regional cooperative or dealer. Another option is to parse out a test area and grown your own side by side comparison.

What you’ll find is that in most cases, how you irrigate today will dramatically change. Many growers are irrigating the same way in their fields for generations, pushing for maximum yield. Over time, between the soil and climate changes, the soil may not have the same holding capacity, or weather conditions are impacting the soil. Even more, salinity levels are rising as there is less beneficial rain. 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 important decision to turn on the pivot. It’s better to know where the active root zone is and if the water is available there as well as if the crop is actually taking up the available moisture. Once you have that complete picture, you have the elements for the process control need by IWM.

AquaSpy and Irrigation Water Management

AquaSpy has conducted yield correlated field studies that reveal the relationship between optimum soil moisture, salinity, temperature, and crop health throughout the growing season. The findings reveal new insights into how to better manage the timing of farm inputs throughout the growing season for a number of different crop types including soybeans, corn, cotton, potato, sorghum and alfalfa.

TAPS and Master Irrigator Programs

Here at AquaSpy we know that the best way for AgTech adoption to grow is for it to get into the field and into the hands of farmers so they can experience how it interacts with their crops. Now celebrating its seventh year, the real-time annual Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS) Farm Management Competition is a successful peer-to-peer program that offers the ability to compare / contrast one operation with another, giving farmers direct and immediate insights into the effects of the decisions they and their peers make during the season.

In the years since it’s launch in 2017, UNL TAPS has become a model for other programs.

“The idea that Chuck, Daran, and Matt had for this program quickly became a model for extension and goes far beyond the classroom paradigm. By partnering with OSU, we have proven that it can be replicated in other locations, crops, and with differing issues, yet still provides stakeholders similar opportunities to learn from each other. I believe the model will be replicated in more locations, as the program continues,”
Krystle Rhoades, TAPS Program Manager.

AquaSpy has supported UNL TAPS from the very start. Typically the winners of the Farm Profitability challenge use AquaSpy technology to guide their winning decisions around irrigation and nutrient inputs that let’s them gain solid yields while minimizing inputs and driving farm profitability.

The success of the UNL TAPS program has spawned a number of related and similar competitions and master irrigator programs throughout the US. AquaSpy is a proud supporter of many of these programs including:

• UNL (University of Nebraska Lincoln) TAPS
• OSU TAPS/ Master Irrigator
• CSU (Colorado State) TAPS
• KS WISE
• Colorado Master Irrigator  
• North Plains Master Irrigator

If you have a master irrigator or farm competition program and are looking for support, please reach out. Or, if you are interested in starting a program in your region, we’d be happy to help. Contact us today!

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 increase in the ability to produce cereal crops consistently and reliably.

However, there are a number of challenges resulting from this approach that impact farmers’ legacies and profits:

1. Soil depletion – Over time, soil can become depleted by too much fertilizer, leaching, or runoff that erodes valuable topsoil.
2. Water stress – Continued demand for fresh water over time can reduce groundwater tables, deplete aquifers, and increase soil salinity.
3. Loss of farm profitability – In the chase for maximum yields, profits are eroded due to the high costs of seed, fertilizer, crop protection, and fuel / energy required to pump water in irrigated farmlands.

Fortunately, there are a number of proven approaches that can be applied today that will reduce soil depletion, conserve water resources, and increase farm profitability. While there are a variety of climate smart techniques that can be deployed over time in the field to improve soil health, one very simple change can be made in the first season by using low-cost, below ground technology that gives insights that drive better irrigation decisions: Crophesy technology by AquaSpy. In just one season you will be able tune your irrigation process control to reduce inputs, save water, and increase farm profitability. AquaSpy technology has been proven through use across thousands of acres of commodity and specialty crops as well as demonstrated results in university studies and competitions such as UNL-Taps.

Related articles:

Impacts and risks from rising soil salinity in agricultural soil

How AquaSpy supports the first pillar of Climate Smart Agriculture

How AquaSpy Provides Key Soil Quality Indicators for Regenerative Farmers

Soil Health and Conservation 

Soil health and conservation go hand in hand to maintain or enhance soil health to optimize crop yield and protect long-term soil productivity on agricultural lands.

Tips for improving soil health over time:

• Apply inputs only when needed
• Use less fertilizer through precision applications and careful timing
  • Reduced fertilizer use reduces harmful runoff. This allows for increased productive soil activity (microbes) that can lead to improved soil. Be sure to monitor for leaching.
• Utilize a cover crop strategy
  • This isn’t an overnight change, but even small steps and experimentation can bring about changes. Analyze soil temperature, changes in moisture retention and availability as you change up your approach.
• Use a crop rotation strategy to naturally increase nitrogen and other nutrients in the soil

Healthier, less stressed crops better utilize available nutrients and contribute to a more balanced nitrogen – carbon cycle, helping to capture more carbon and mitigate climate impact.

Protect Water Resources 

Protect water resources and manage water for efficient agricultural productivity. Groundwater is part of your farm legacy. AquaSpy below-ground technology gives growers insights to be able to:

• Use water more efficiently
• Use less water and reduce runoff
• Reduce leaching to protect regional water sources (aquifers, rivers)

Process control measures proactively meet sustainability objectives and performance measures for soil health, soil conservation, water use, and water quality

Intelligent soil and crop sensor technology provides process control for best practices which drive a direct and measurable impact on both soil health and protection of water resources. The ability to continuously remotely monitor and more precisely manage the use of inputs including nutrient applications and irrigation water leads to a demonstrable reduction in the use of inputs while simultaneously benefiting the grower with better outcomes – more predictable, consistent, and higher yields and farm profitability.

• Better outcomes – Using a unique vertical approach of looking at each crop’s roots, a grower can gain up to between 25 and 40% more yield in addition to conserving valuable water and costly nutrients.
• Reduced inputs – Grower reported yield surveys and University studies have shown that using vertical insights into soil and crop consumption lead to a minimized use of inputs.
• Less runoff – Better control over timing and amount of irrigation reduced runoff from nutrients.
• Mitigate effects of salinity – Certain high value fruit and nut crops are highly sensitive to salinity in the soil and our technology improves management and plant health.
• Saves energy and fuel – Precise management and remote monitoring means fewer trips to the field and fewer pivot turns.
• Realtime remote monitoring – Growers as well as partners such as agronomists or farm managers can remotely monitor soil moisture, temperature, Ec/salinity, and crop consumption via desktop, tablet or mobile device.
• Field Comparison and Year Over Year History – Compare fields and gain insights for year over year improvements and tuning.

Interested in learning more about the proactive measures you can start using to improve soil health today? Contact a regional AquaSpy sales rep or your local coop or dealer.

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 AQUA4D-treated water, where the amount of water was adjusted through monitoring to the exact needs of the vines.

Switzerland is considered the “water castle” of Europe, but the effects of global warming and the unpredictability of the climate are being felt here, resulting in risk of water shortage. In the municipality of Salgesch (Valais) as well as other communities, there is already an acute risk of a water shortage that threatens local agricultural production. 

How precipitation is distributed in this Swiss region has changed. Now there is less rain in the summer, more in the winter, and most damaging, less in the form of snow. In this most recent winter (2022 – 2023), ski resorts throughout the Alps have shut down due to lack of snow, leaving local citizens and agricultural growers concerned about the spring and summer to come.

The current context of climate change and increasingly frequent periods of drought underlines the interest and urgency of evaluating the contribution of technologies in agriculture, like AQUA4D and AquaSpy, for a better efficiency in the use of resources, especially water and energy.

Monitoring of soil moisture and water status

The water savings achieved with AQUA4D® were evaluated by comparing 2 plots of vineyards irrigated with drip irrigation, one with normal water and one with water treated with AQUA4D®, with a monitoring system allowing to optimize the quantities of water applied according to the exact needs of the vineyard. AquaSpy sensors were installed in the test plots in order to track the irrigation effects on soil moisture. A pressure chamber and additional sensors measured leaf potential and drones gathered overhead overview data.

An additional water saving target of 20% on top of the savings achieved with drip irrigation was set for the side treated with AQUA4D®, and this without any decrease in yield and production quality.

Project participants recognized that by the end of the year 2022 that:

• The AQUA4D® treatment saved 20% more water compared to a vineyard irrigated with a drip system, and this with plants kept in a state of moderate water stress
• The yields and the quality of the crops of the 2 plots are identical in spite of the 20% less water on the AQUA4D® side

Order of magnitude of possible water savings depending on the means implemented

General conclusions in the report: “Research and field analysis have already confirmed that replacing sprinkler systems with drip irrigation systems can yield savings on the order of 25%. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to monitor the situation in real time and optimize irrigation cycles based on this monitoring, with automated and remotely programmable irrigation.

With additional savings of 20-30% with AQUA4D, water savings of about 45% can be achieved, with at least the

same quantity and quality of crops. Based on their experience, the specialists at AQUA4D believe that the savings will be higher in the second year of irrigation than in the first year, as the plants adapt by developing hairy rootlets.”

For more information on the IRRISALGESCH project access the full report:

Integrated Water Management with Hi-Tech Solutions in Switzerland’s Valais