Measuring & Managing Soil Moisture Data
About the Event:
Welcome to the recording of a webinar focused on our collaborative work with two different sensor providers, Sentek & Tuctronics. We've had the opportunity to work closely with both of these companies at our Smart Orchard Project and we'd like to share the implications of collecting data relating to soil moisture to better manage growers water usage and labor cost's associated with irrigation management. Watch this to learn more about soil moisture probes and other brand new products that help growers gain insights on the soil profile, such as soil moisture, and temperature all at multiple depths. To learn more read our Soil & Irrigation Sensor Partners blog.
Sensor's used at Smart Orchard:
Tuctronics/AgriNET is a Sentek dealer. They combine an industry-leading soil moisture sensor with AgriNET's reliable telemetry line yield information. These "drill & drop" sensors are used to detect soil moisture, salinity, temperature, and changes in the soil over time, reaching depths of up to 120 centimeters/48 inches.
Tuctronics also utilizes pressure switches throughout customer systems to capture exact start/stop times for irrigation. Combined with soil moisture data, their package identifies water percolation rate across different areas of farms, which vary due to soil types.
About the Grower:
Hear From Guest Grower Todd Davis (Owner of Davis Orchards):
Davis Orchards is a family owned orchard run by Todd Davis and has been in the Walla Walla Valley since 1951. Operating on 180 acres Davis Orchards operates and owns its own packing plant to deliver about 250,000 boxes of fruit locally and worldwide. This orchard manages to produce a wide variety of apples including Gala, Red Delicious, Golden, Granny Smith, Cameo, Fuji, Pink Lady, Braeburn and even some other fruits on the side.
Todd Davis saw the importance of better managing water and labor not only to save money, but also for environmental purposes. Eventually installing Weather Stations alongside soil moisture probes, Davis Orchards has had the opportunity to collect data that allows them to monitor water levels at various times of the day. This information then informs Todd when his employees should irrigate different orchard blocks, allowing Davis Orchards to maximize growth while also saving water.