SUMMER 2017
TECHNOLOGY HELPS COLORADO OPERATION IMPROVE
PRODUCTION AND MAXIMIZE PROFIT POTENTIAL
Silver Reef Organic Farms – Wellington, Colorado
In Northern Colorado, the majority of
seasonal water comes from adjudicated
wells and from purchased or rented
water from ditch companies – both
sources can be expensive.
“With adjudicated wells, there is
usually a limit on the amount of
water you can pump every year.
And, in the case of ditch water, we
must project our water needs before
the season starts,” said Amanda
McGee of Silver Reef Organic Farms.
“If we underestimate our needs,
we are out of luck. There is no
additional water to be rented after
the season starts.”
And that, McGee said, is one of the
reasons FieldNET® by Lindsay is
an important part of the 2,300-acre
operation near Wellington, Colorado.
“FieldNET allows us to monitor our
water use throughout the season,
which gives us a better estimate
for how much water to rent for the
following season,” McGee said.
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McGee added that FieldNET has also
resulted in meaningful labor savings.
“FieldNET has helped our bottom
line through labor savings, because we
no longer have to walk or drive out
to each pivot every time we need to
change or move direction,” she said.
“We’ve also seen electrical savings,
because we are now able to start and
stop the pivots exactly when we need
to, rather than overshooting or having
to sit and monitor.”
The industry’s leading remote
irrigation management solution,
FieldNET also gives Silver Reef’s
irrigation manager the ability to view
and control the operation’s 18 pivots
from almost anywhere.
“We have fully integrated FieldNET
into our operation through the
use of the apps on our phones and
tablets, as well as a dedicated officebased computer,” McGee said. “Our
irrigation manager is able to monitor
the pivots throughout the day and
make changes easily and efficiently
without having to drive to each pivot.
The alerts and safety features of the
technology allow us to address issues
before they escalate to potentially
costly repairs.”
FieldNET is just one of the new
technologies utilized at Silver Reef
Organic Farms. They also use Variable
Rate Irrigation and drone technology
to improve production.
“All of our fields have electromagnetic
profiles, which show extreme variables
in soil types,” she said. “Variable Rate
Irrigation allows us to manage each
soil type individually and adjust to
reflect holding capacities and run-off
potential. The ease of FieldNET’s VRI
dashboard allows us to make these
changes quickly based on our weekly
field health monitoring system.”
Their weekly system includes both
on-the-ground and birds eye views of
their fields.
“Walking the fields is effective to find
trouble areas, but inefficient to cover
every acre, every week,” she said.
“Our drone uses near infrared
imagery to give us a ‘green index’ of
our crops – showing us where there
are areas of concern or areas that are
growing well.”
With the help of this technology,
the growers at Silver Reef were able
make one of their “trouble fields”
more profitable.
“The field has significant changes in
slope and elevation, as well as extreme
variations in soil types,” McGee said.
“In 2016, the bottom half of this field
was planted to corn silage. Our first
drone flight showed that we had some
significant areas of crop health. At
that time, our water schedule was a
baseline 1-inch without changes in
variable rate. We found that in the
areas of lower holding capacity, this
rate was effective. But in areas of
higher holding capacity, this rate was
too much, and it was causing the roots
to drown.”
A VRI prescription with the necessary
adjustments was designed for the
field and within a few weeks the crop
health profile became more uniform.
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Electromagnetic Profile
July
August
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“Due to the extreme variations in
soil profiles, this field has historically
produced no more than 16 tons of
organic corn silage per year,” McGee
said. “Because we were able to use
VRI through FieldNET, we produced
25 tons of organic corn silage, which
equated to about $500 per acre more
in gross revenue.”
“We want to be the best farmers we
can be with what we have. We’ll
use technology with our equipment,
tractors, irrigation and data to become
the best,” he said. “The data that we
receive helps us better understand
our farm’s capabilities, so that we can
make informed decisions to maximize
profit potential.” IA
Owner Greg Schreiner said he and
his staff will continue to implement
new technologies as part of their
commitment to being good stewards
of the land.
For more information about FieldNET by Lindsay, Growsmart®
by Lindsay Precision VRI and other new irrigation technologies, talk
to your local Zimmatic® dealer or visit www.zimmatic.com.
DEALER CONTACT:
Quality Well & Pump
23275 U.S. Hwy 85
LaSalle, CO 80645
970-353-3118
970-356-7842
Website:
www.qualitywellandpump.com
SILVER REEF FARMS
Website:
www.silverreeffarms.com
Facebook:
@silverreeforganicfarms
Twitter:
@SROrganicFarms
LinkedIn:
Silver Reef Organic Farms LLC
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REVOLUTIONARY IRRIGATION
MANAGEMENT TOOL OPTIMIZES IRRIGATION
THROUGH BETTER DECISION MAKING
A groundbreaking new tool from
FieldNET ® by Lindsay is taking
irrigation management to a new level.
FieldNET Advisor™ is a new “smart”
irrigation decision support tool that is
integrated into the existing FieldNET
remote management platform.
This FieldNET-exclusive capability
incorporates the grower’s existing field
data and massive amounts of data
from several high-quality third-party
sources. It leverages patented and
proprietary technologies derived from
proven crop-science to deliver valuable
information to make faster, betterinformed irrigation decisions – helping
to maximize profitability per acre.
growers can put those decisions into
immediate action and monitor their
progress via the integrated remote
control and monitoring functionality
provided by FieldNET.
By providing recommendations
to help growers know when crops
need irrigation and how much water
to apply in every zone throughout
the field, FieldNET Advisor helps
simplify and add confidence to
growers’ irrigation management
decisions. Further, due to the
seamless integration with FieldNET,
“FieldNET Advisor is a gamechanger for growers and the irrigation
industry,” said Brian Magnusson, vice
president of technology products
at Lindsay Corporation. “This
innovative solution uses FieldNET’s
industry-leading remote irrigation
management platform to drastically
simplify and automate the use of
proven irrigation scheduling methods,
Field trials have shown the financial
benefits, as well. FieldNET Advisor
helps maximize yield potential by
keeping crops at an ideal moisture
level throughout their development –
avoiding both water stress and
overwatering. This also reduces input
costs and increases yield potential by
avoiding the leaching of key nutrients
in the soil and saving unnecessary
pumping costs and water usage.
which are backed by more than
40 years of research, to help growers
decide precisely when, where and
how much to irrigate.”
In a single map or list view, you can
see the most critical information
across all your fields, including current
soil water depletion, recommended
next irrigation start date and
application depth recommended to
avoid crop stress.
Magnusson said FieldNET Advisor
provides growers with continuously
updated, science-based irrigation
recommendations that are customized
for each field. After entering the field’s
crop type, hybrids and planting dates,
FieldNET Advisor will:
• Track the available soil water
throughout the field by combining
a soil map of the field, proprietary
dynamic crop canopy and root
growth models, the most accurate
hyper-local weather data available,
and the applied irrigation history.
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4
much water to apply. One of the
tests, conducted on corn fields in
north central Nebraska, showed that
FieldNET Advisor delivered a three
percent yield increase, while using 17
percent less water than the control
field – resulting in almost $35 per acre
increased profit.
• Create a high-resolution map
showing the amount of water
available to the crop on a 5-meter
grid across the entire field.
• Forecast the crop’s future water
needs and predict when and where,
without additional irrigation, the
yield will begin to decline due to
water stress. It also calculates the
amount of yield that would be lost
due to the stress, which varies based
on the crop’s development stage and
the severity of the stress.
Before FieldNET Advisor, growers
typically had to manually track the
critical variables at each growth stage.
FieldNET Advisor automates this
process and removes much of the
guesswork from irrigation decisions,
which helps maximize yields while
reducing water usage and other
input costs.
In field trials conducted last
growing season, FieldNET Advisor
demonstrated its value to growers –
delivering critical, science-based
information to help determine when
to run the irrigation system and how
Magnusson added that for growers
who already have FieldNET remote
monitoring and control equipment
installed on their pivots, FieldNET
Advisor requires no additional
hardware or sensors. IA
For more information about
FieldNET Advisor, talk to your local
Zimmatic ® by Lindsay dealer or visit
fieldnetadvisor.com.
ROOT DEPTH
FieldNET Advisor
delivered a three
percent yield
increase, while
using 17 percent
less water than
the control
field – resulting
in almost $35
per acre
increased profit.
CROP DEVELOPMENT
CROP WATER USAGE
• Automatically generate Variable
Rate Irrigation (VRI) prescriptions,
which are continuously updated
to account for soil variability
throughout the field, as well as the
dynamically changing crop water
requirements and root growth,
season-to-date and forecasted
weather and the up to the minute
as-applied irrigation.
• Provide growers the ability to
immediately put their irrigation
decisions into action by controlling
their pivots and monitor their
progress via the full integration with
FieldNET.
“This incredibly powerful new tool
takes the hassle out of irrigation and
helps growers better optimize their
irrigation management” Magnusson
said. “FieldNET Advisor gives growers
information that’s based on years of
proven crop research to help them
make better-informed decisions about
when to run their irrigation systems
and how much water to apply –
helping improve yields while reducing
overwatering and the related input
costs and nutrient losses.”
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GROWSMART® IM3000 MAGNETIC FLOW METER
OFFERS UNPARALLELED VALUE
by Woodie Zhao, President, GloTech Corporation – Coral Springs, Florida
It’s a growing trend in rural America –
more and more local water districts are
requiring growers to add flow meters
to their irrigation systems to monitor
groundwater usage.
Magnetic flow meters (“mag meters”)
are generally the preferred option, as
they have proven to be more accurate,
reliable and maintenance-free than
traditional turbine meters. But with
more than a dozen manufacturers that
offer mag meters for the irrigation
market, how do growers know which
one is best for their operation?
When choosing among the different
mag meter options, we recommend
growers consider the following critical
product features:
1. Reliable measurement accuracy that
meets or exceeds local regulations
2. Quality and durability to withstand
harsh, outdoor environments
3. T
he cost and ease of installing the
meter in the field
With a robust and heavy-duty design,
the Growsmart IM3000 delivers a
unique combination of all three key
features: accuracy, durability and,
unlike many competitors, ease of
installation.
While experts agree that optimal
measurement accuracy typically
requires long run of straight pipe
upstream of the meter, a recent study
shows that the IM3000 delivers
exceptional accuracy even when
installed with little or no straight
upstream pipe. The study, conducted
at Utah State University, showed
that the IM3000’s accuracy can be
maintained to within +/- 2%, even
when close coupled to a turbine
pump discharge. These exceptional
results are the best of any meter on
the market. It means that growers can
typically avoid the high installation
costs often associated with retrofitting
existing pipe layouts to meet the more
stringent straight pipe requirements
necessary for other meter brands to
deliver a similar level of accuracy.
“Our biggest obstacle when
installing flow meters is
staying within the
state’s straight pipe
guidelines on existing
pump stations with
extremely small
“Our biggest obstacle when
installing flow meters is the state’s
straight pipe guidelines . . .
It’s nice to know they (Growsmart
IM3000 flow meters) can be
installed with much tighter
straight pipe distances and still
be extremely accurate.”
footprints. Moving pump pads,
indives, trust blocks, booster pumps
and fittings can get very expensive,”
said Brice Beck of Butte Irrigation,
Inc. “We have been installing the
Growsmart IM3000 since 2014 with
good results. It’s nice to know they can
be installed with much tighter straight
pipe distances and still be extremely
accurate. This can save the grower a
lot of money and the welder a lot of
time if they don’t have to redesign and
fabricate the entire pumping plant to
make room for the meter.” IA
For more information about the
Growsmart Magnetic Flow Meter,
including its performance relative to
straight pipe requirements, contact
your local Zimmatic dealer or visit
www.Growsmart.com.
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FIELDNET EXPANDS PIVOT CONTROL LINE OF PRODUCTS
PIVOT CONTROL LITE OFFERS
SIMPLE, AFFORDABLE REMOTE
IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT
FieldNET® by Lindsay has added a
new product to its industry leading
line of remote pivot monitoring and
control solutions – Pivot Control Lite.
This innovative product provides
growers with a simpler, more costeffective option for remote monitoring
and control of existing center pivots.
An end-of-pivot mounted controller,
Pivot Control Lite delivers many
advanced irrigation management
capabilities that previously were only
available with more expensive and
complex solutions.
“Pivot Control Lite is the simplest
and most economical way to add
remote control and monitoring
capabilities to center pivots,” said
Reece Andrews, product manager and
FieldNET business manager at Lindsay
Corporation. “This lower cost option
is the perfect solution for growers who
don’t need or want some of the more
premium capabilities that come with
the full FieldNET Pivot Control™
solution – such as remote start.”
Pivot Control Lite is designed for
retrofit on virtually any brand or
model of electric center pivots. The
many advanced capabilities in this
compact yet powerful solution gives
growers the ability to:
• Check the status of their pivot
anytime from virtually anywhere via
smartphone, tablet or computer
• Utilize FieldNET Advisor™, the
only fully-integrated smart irrigation
management solution that delivers
recommendations on when, where
and how much to water
• Consolidate different brands of
pivots onto one universal remote
interface, so all irrigation equipment
can be monitored and controlled via
the same FieldNET web portal and
mobile applications
• Easily transfer the equipment from
one pivot to another on leased or
rotational land
“This is an especially great solution
for growers with leased land where
they have no ownership of the pivot
but want the benefits of remote
monitoring and control,” Andrews
said. “Its location at the last tower
makes it extremely simple to install
any time of the year.”
Pivot Control Lite also comes with
an optional cable theft detection
“Pivot Control Lite is the simplest
and most economical way to add
remote control and monitoring
capabilities to center pivots...”
package, so even when the pivot is
powered off, Pivot Control Lite will be
actively monitoring the span cable.
“Thieves can strip miles of cable very
quickly and often go unnoticed,”
Andrews said. “With cable theft
detection, an email or text alert
will be sent when a disruption
in continuity is detected. This is
valuable, real-time information that
can be passed to law enforcement or
neighbors to prevent further theft.”
IA
For more information about Pivot
Control or Pivot Control Lite, talk
to your local Zimmatic® by Lindsay
dealer or visit www.myfieldnet.com.
• Receive immediate and
customizable text message alerts
when the operational status of the
pivot changes
• Remotely change the application
depth, reverse or stop the pivot,
control the end-gun and run
variable rate plans
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DEALER VIEW
NEW ZEALAND NATIVE INVESTS IN
THE FUTURE OF MONTANA AGRICULTURE
“Brett has always been the kind of
guy that can figure anything out. I
love his ability to see what things can
be,” said Missy. “We look at things
from different angles and that can be
challenging, but he’s able to put things
together and make them work. That
ability makes it easy for him to design
irrigation projects – big and small.”
Their full service Zimmatic dealership,
Severinsen Irrigation, is located in the
north central part of Montana. When
it opened, there were 86,000 irrigated
acres in the region and no local
Zimmatic dealer.
Brett Severinsen’s journey toward
becoming a successful Zimmatic dealer
began rather atypically – actually, it
began nearly 8,000 miles away.
“I’m originally from New Zealand –
raised on a sheep and cattle operation
on the North Central Island. I also
spent time working on the South
Island before traveling to the U.S. in
1987,” Severinsen said. “At that time,
I was part of an agriculture exchange
program that sent me to a ranch
near Bynum, Montana. I loved the
ranching life, but after a while I felt
led to do something different. I then
worked for Greyn Fertilizer for a while
and later I began my own business
building houses – which is what my
granddad had done in New Zealand.”
It was during that time that Brett met
his now wife, Missy. Married in 1999,
they have six children and live near
Fairfield, Montana today.
“I felt like I was a good fit as a dealer
for the area,” he said. “And, because
we’re a full service Zimmatic dealer,
we have also become certified to sell
other Lindsay products including
Watertronics™ pump stations,
Growsmart Precision VRI™,
FieldNET® and other plug and play
add-ons.”
The only family owned and operated
irrigation business in the area, the
Severinsen team is made up of four
full-time staff members – Brett
manages sales, service and designs;
Tyler Strutz completes the service
work and fills in where needed; Jeff
Thompson, the owner/operator of
Western Sky Enterprises, does the
welding and other projects; and
Missy is in charge of the books and
computer-related part of the business.
In addition, Shelby Strutz, Tyler’s wife,
fills in at the office on a part-time
basis, when needed.
Irrigation Advances is published at the corporate office of Lindsay, Omaha, Nebraska, for the educational purposes of growers,
customers, dealers and employees. Editorial correspondence should be directed to Brian Magnusson, Editor, Irrigation Advances,
Lindsay, 2222 N. 111th St, Omaha, NE 68164. Questions or comments are welcome. Call Brian Magnusson at 402-829-6800.
© 2017 Lindsay. All rights reserved. All brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.
“We are a small, local business and
when you do business with us, you do
business with the owner,” Severinsen
said. “We love what we do – especially
visiting with farmers and ranchers and
finding the best irrigation solutions for
their operations.”
Severinsen also is involved in an
irrigation research project at Montana
State University’s North Ag Research
Center (NARC), which focuses on
water saving technologies. He and
his team designed the center pivot
irrigation system and installed two
Zimmatic pivots, a Watertronics pump
station, a weather station, soil sensors
and Variable Rate Irrigation – all
monitored and controlled remotely
through FieldNET.
“We’re excited about the research
NARC can now do with the
Growsmart variable rate irrigation
system to identify crops that use water
more efficiently to help Montana
growers – and I wanted our Zimmatic
pivots to be a part of this project,”
he said. IA
DEALER CONTACT:
Severinsen Irrigation
2231 Hwy 89
Fairfield, MT 59436
Phone: 406-467-3999
Fax: 406-467-3993
Website:
www.severinsenirrigation.com
Facebook:
Severinsen Irrigation LLC
Lean, Clean and Green. Lindsay Corporation is committed to developing
environmental awareness and implementing sustainable practices to reduce
the use of and protect energy, water, and all other resources.
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