Farmers have to make decisions daily that can impact their crops, yield, and return for the entire season. These constant choices can become overwhelming, so it’s important to have a plan in place to streamline the decision-making process. That’s why when it comes to irrigating your crops, a schedule is key.
Irrigation scheduling is the process of determining when and how much water to apply to your crops. Before we had modern technology, this was done mostly by physically going out to the field and digging your fingers into the soil to see how moist or dry it was. Fortunately, today there are tools available to help you schedule irrigations more accurately.
Timing irrigation just right can be tricky.
Because you can never anticipate just how much rain or heat Mother Nature will provide, farmers have to take their best educated guess about when it’s time to water their fields and how much water is necessary. This can be challenging, because you don’t want to rely on rainfall and end up underwatering, or anticipate it incorrectly and end up overwatering. To make this constant call, you must monitor indicators like soil moisture, evaporation potential, weather and climate, and visible crop conditions.
Irrigation scheduling saves you time, money, and labor.
By planning ahead of time (as best as you can) to apply the exact amount of water necessary for crop growth, you maximize your irrigation efficiency. The advantages of increased irrigation efficiency are plentiful and tangible. They include:
- Minimize water stress on crops for maximum yield
- Less money spent on wasted water, labor, and fertilizer (as runoff is reduced)
- Save time if you irrigate yourself
- Improved soil quality, which improves crop quality and increases seasonal return
New technology has made irrigation scheduling easier for farmers.
Equipment automation, as well as greater data availability and access, have made irrigation scheduling efforts more accurate and, ultimately, more successful. Automatic irrigation systems play an important role in scheduling and overall efficiency, as they can be set to water when certain external conditions are met without the farmer having to estimate or track indicators.
Much of this equipment can also be scheduled or operated remotely from a smartphone or computer, making it easier for you to make and implement quick irrigation decisions. Many systems will even track data for you, allowing you to evaluate their efficiency and fine-tune your schedule even further.
Any farmer, irrigator, or agricultural professional looking to enhance their irrigation efficiency should be taking advantage of the Drip-Well system for their lubed turbine pumps. Drip-Well is a complete oiling system with automatic operation that will keep your pump well-lubricated at all times. This allows your irrigation pump to run reliably and efficiently with minimal worry or effort on your part.
Contact L&M Manufacturing today to get your Drip-Well turbine pump oiling system!
