As the farming industry continues to embrace technology, Justin Gibson says the integration of weather stations into irrigation systems is a game-changer.

“We have a real gap in our understanding of rainfall,” explains the senior manager of digital agronomy for Lindsay Corp., maker of Zimmatic irrigation systems. “We don’t have a strong density of rainfall observations across the entire U.S., or really globally.”

To address the issue, Lindsay recently acquired a 49.9% minority interest in Metos, a sub-brand of the company Pessl Instruments GmbH, which offers Internet of Things hardware and software tools. This includes field monitoring systems such as weather stations.

COLLECTING DATA: Justin Gibson, senior manager of digital agronomy for Lindsay Corp., shares how adding weather stations to more farms through a strategic partnership is transforming how Lindsay is helping farmers manage water resources, making irrigation more precise and efficient. (Photo by Mindy Ward)

Gibson says the new partnership will ensure closer collaboration and continuous improvement in weather data accuracy for Lindsay’s irrigation technology.

“By integrating these weather stations with our irrigation scheduling tool, FieldNet Advisor, we aim to enhance the precision of irrigation recommendations,” Gibson explains. “We want to make sure that our growers have the most accurate, up-to-date weather information to make decisions on when to irrigate, how much and where.”

Struggle to find rural weather data

One of the primary challenges in irrigation management is accurately gauging rainfall.

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In urban areas, Gibson explains, weather stations are densely packed, allowing for detailed and reliable data. However, once you move beyond these urban centers, the concentration of weather stations diminishes significantly. This creates substantial gaps in rainfall data, particularly in rural and agricultural areas.

These gaps in records can lead to inefficient irrigation practices.

Here are two ways weather stations and technology can transform irrigation practices:

Focus on water savings

As farmers face increasing pressures to optimize water use and manage resources efficiently, Gibson says the role of weather stations, in conjunction with irrigation tools such as FieldNet Advisor, is vital for modern irrigation.

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“Growers, when they have that type of information, typically reduce irrigation applications by 10% to 25%, but still maintain yield,” he says. “We can produce the same amount of food but on a lower amount of irrigation application. It's a win-win for everybody from the sustainability side.”