IrrigationNZ’s Submission Updates

What should a farmer ask if they want to consider these tools?

Purchasing soil moisture monitoring equipment is an investment that should provide a significant advantage to the purchaser. This will only be the case if the equipment is fit for purpose. The list below is intended as a guide to asking the right questions before buying.

SOIL MOISTURE SENSORS

• Will the sensor work well in my soils? • Will the soil moisture sensor be installed by a suitably qualified person? • Will the sensor be suitable for my crops and agronomic management? • Will the sensor provide depth profiling of the root zone, so I can detect drainage? • Will the data and soil moisture limits be set up by a suitably qualified person to ensure they are set correctly, so I have confidence in using the data for my irrigation management program? • Who will interpret the data and/or will there be training in interpretation of the soil moisture data, and is this included in the purchase price? • What is the life expectancy and warranty of the sensor? • What level of servicing is covered in purchase price, and does it cover guidance on site selection and installation? • Where will the soil moisture data be displayed? • Will I need to remove the sensor prior to undertaking soil cultivation work? • Is the equipment easy to uninstall for soil cultivation work? • Are there annual fees?

TELEMETRY SYSTEMS

• What is the warranty on battery, parts, and workmanship? • What is the life expectancy of the hardware? • Will it operate on cellular network only, and what options are there if cellular coverage is poor? • Does this have the ability to gather multiple sets of data? • Will this be a futureproofed option for my farm? Can I add additional soil moisture sensors, water meter, weather station, effluent monitoring, etc, onto this one telemetry unit. • What are the annual data charges?