Background

I’ve been involved in Agriculture, specializing in Agronomy and Crop Production, for 30+ years. Over that time, I’ve worked across many sectors of the industry, from the agri-business supplier to the farmer to the consumer gardener. I’ve conducted field trials in both a replicated small plot design, as well as large field-wide demonstrations; on client farms; and at our home farm where I rotated small demonstration and research plots with a fresh market and pick your own enterprise along side my parents and staff. In recent years, I’ve moved more toward smaller farms, organic producers, urban farmers, and consumers with interest in growing their own food. While facilitating the activities of various organizations, I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the brightest minds in Agriculture while planning and implementing conferences at many levels. I try and share what I’ve learned over the years educating the community and individuals with interest in farming, while learning from them as I go.

Action

Fresh market vegetable and fruit farmers are in search of every opportunity to increase the precision with which they manage their operations because maximizing yields and crop quality is so important in today’s markets. I’ve welcomed an opportunity to demonstrate and field test the Connected Crops Advanced Irrigation Unit to measure soil water content in real time. Cooperating with Dan Roelofs of Arden Farms and in my own educational garden located here in East Aurora, NY; we will be measuring soil moisture and modifying low-flow and overhead irrigation schedules in response to the ConnectedCrops app and solar powered monitoring system.

Results

ConnectedCrops software and hardware sensors are practical and cost effective solutions for farmers, gardeners, foresters, nut grove developers, and other agriculturalists. Such applications seem to be concrete steps towards reducing water, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides use, making more efficient use of any such uses, potential for boosting nutritional value of editable food, while reducing costs for all producers in the local and national food supply chain.

Decisions based on rules of thumb and guesswork are becoming a thing of the past. There just isn’t any room for error any more. With this technology, we now have access to affordable tools that provide real-time information in my beds and fields that are easy to use and apply.

I recommend any grower who needs better site-specific, precision measurements of temperature and moisture to use these new and affordable tools from ConnectedCrops.