Irrigation is used widely in Wisconsin specialty crops, such as potatoes, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage, snap beans, and peas, in addition to corn and soybeans.
Already Wisconsin farmers are probably thinking about a potential drought. Some farming operations have access to irrigation systems to help them manage through, and they take that water seriously. Aaron Lauer, part owner of Badger State Irrigation, explains the technology farmers have access to to help manage each drop.
“Something most people don’t know is 90 percent of them are remote-controlled off your phone now,” Lauer says. “There’s whole teams of people decided when and how to irrigate just to not be wasteful.”
Sustainability enters the conversation now more than ever. Soil probes and weather stations help manage water. People utilizing this technology has resulted in less energy and water usage. It also protects the crop from too much moisture.
Today’s irrigation technology can ensure that each sprayer can be customized to meet the “prescription” of the field based on weather, soil moisture/condition, and yield data.
Artificial intelligence is coming to irrigation that will update you on machine health, and predict when parts need servicing so there’s no downtime.