Thinking about using remote or automated irrigation at your farm in Australia? Wondering how a remote/automated system works, and what the benefits are of investing in an automated irrigation system?

In this article, we will take a look at the basics and explain everything you need to know. Read on to learn more about remote irrigation in Australia.

What Is Remote Irrigation?

As the name implies, remote irrigation is a method of irrigation that uses a system of sensors and computers to automatically schedule irrigation for your crops.

Using technologies like temperature and moisture sensors, automated clocks and internet-connected devices, you can quickly and easily automate the process of irrigating your crops.

Rather than manually pumping water and opening up valves on your irrigation systems, which can be time-consuming, remote irrigation uses automated valve opening systems and other technologies to streamline the process of irrigation.

In most cases, all you have to do when using a remote irrigation system is set a schedule for irrigation, and use a device such as a laptop or smartphone to update and change these settings, as needed.

The process of installing and using remote/automated irrigation is similar for most major providers of these systems. However at FMS, we have developed an automated irrigation system that can be installed quickly and adapted to your existing setup. It consists of a number of sensors that can be installed onto the various parts of your irrigation system, such as:

• Pumps
• Valves
• Pipelines
• Water Source

These sensors are wired back to an FMS Multipro field device, which is installed near your pump site and can be battery or solar powered. This device communicates the data from the sensors with an FMS base internet gateway, which is located in your home or office. It uses LoRawan (low frequency radio) technology which offers the best communication over long distances.

This FMS gateway serves as the hub for your system. It processes your data and sends it to a cloud-based system, which provides you with real-time updates about your irrigation system.

Once setup is complete, you can completely automate the process of irrigation by making a few simple updates to the FMS system through your laptop or smartphone. Once your irrigation schedule is set, your system will automatically begin operating according to your specifications, eliminating the need for any further manual intervention.

What Are The Benefits Of Remote Irrigation?

Now that you understand the basics about automatic/remote irrigation, you may be wondering why it’s so valuable for your farm. Here are just a few of its benefits.

• Optimize water use & yields – You can easily fine-tune your water usage to provide the best balance of hydration and cost-effectiveness, and ensure your crops get enough water to grow properly without the risk of overwatering.
• Eliminate manual control of valves – Actuators can control each individual valve automatically, eliminating the need to spend valuable time operating valves manually before irrigating.
• Save time and money – You can save on labour costs as well as water usage, which helps your farm become more cost-effective.
• Can be easily operated at night – Manual irrigation at night is impractical for a number of reasons – including worker safety, lack of proper lighting, and interruptions of your non-working hours. But automatic irrigation can be used at night, which allows water to soak into your crops with less evaporation, compared to daytime watering.
• More insights into crop performance – The sensors used to help you control your irrigation systems can also help you learn more about your crop hydration and provide you with data that will help you understand your crop performance more in-depth. Analyzing this data can help boost yields in the future.

For all of these reasons, investing in a remote/automated irrigation system from a company like Farm Management System is a great choice.

Know How Remote Irrigation Systems Work – And If They’re Right For You!

At Farm Management System, we specialize in cost-effective, powerful automatic irrigation systems. If you’d like to learn more about how remote irrigation works and get information about the price and installation time for an automated system, please feel free to contact us online or by phone at 1300 003 367.