July is Smart Irrigation Month! This initiative from the Irrigation Association is used to promote the social, economic, and environmental benefits of efficient irrigation technologies in landscape, turf, and agricultural irrigation. Optimizing water resources is an extremely important part of irrigation.

We can learn a lot from our fields. Working with an agronomist is the best way to learn about your soil and crop conditions, and how you can produce the best yields. Here are a few quick tips that you can use to avoid common soil problems, and make your mechanized irrigation more effective.

Now more than ever, there is a wide range of products available to assist you with your farm operations. Having so many options, and knowing where to start, can be a difficult process. To help you get started, the irrigation.education team created this list of companies that you need to check out! 

Our friends at Valley_® Irrigation have a revolutionary new way to control your center pivot. Through the Valley ICON10™ and ICON1™ smart panels equipped with Valley ICON WiFi Access, and their Valley ICON Mobile App, you can access and control your panel remotely through your connected mobile device. 

Because Valley is committed to continuous improvement, the Valley ICON mobile app release 2.0 (available for Apple and Android devices) provides growers with the functionality to configure multiple Valley ICON panel devices to a single wifi network. Growers will also gain more flexibility with farm networking and will be able to opt one-to-one or one-to-many device configuration when setting up and connecting to devices.

In 2014, there were 270 million metric tons of sugar beets produced worldwide according to FAOSTAT. From sugar beet pulp used for livestock feed to table sugar used for human consumption, sugar beets are an extremely important crop.  

Over 65% of potato production is for human consumption according to the International Potato Center. Potatoes are also the world’s fourth-largest food crop, following maize, wheat, and rice.

Telemetry systems are found in many places – cars, smart meters, power sources, robots, and more. In agriculture, telemetry is becoming a popular tool for monitoring farm equipment. Did you know you can access and control your center pivot using your smart phone or computer?

Soybeans are the leading oilseed crop produced globally. Like other legumes, soybeans are valued for their high protein content, with about 35 to 40 percent of their calories from protein. Because of this high protein content, soybeans are extremely important in the animal feed industry.

If you grow soybeans, you know how important it is to know what the water requirements of the plant are. At each growth stage of a soybean plant, different water requirements will be needed for optimal growth and yields.

Corn is one of the most important crops grown around the world. Although you may not realize it, corn is used in the things you use every day. From the corn meal used in items such as bagels and breads, to the sorbitol used in some toothpastes, corn is a very common ingredient. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, there were 1.04 billion metric tons of corn produced worldwide in 2014.

If you grow corn, you know how important it is to know what the water requirements of the plant are. At each growth stage of a corn plant, different water requirements will be needed for optimal growth and yields.

This year’s irrigation season is ending for many farmers across the western hemisphere. Several are already out in their combines, and reaping the fruits of their labor.