MOULTRIE —
A soil moisture monitoring system new to Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition can help conserve water and allow farmers to irrigate before plants become stressed from lack of water.
In one instance this year in Mitchell County, a farmer using the system saved an estimated three inches of irrigation.
Over an 8,000-acre field, that amounts to 6.5 million fewer gallons of water pumped on the field, said Rad Yager, a Dougherty County cooperative extension agent who also does research at the C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park outside Camilla.
For the farmer, that means 1,120 fewer gallons of diesel used to pump that water, which at $3 a gallon means $3,360 in fuel savings, Yager said.
Probes measure soil moisture at five different depths in four-inch intervals, providing a better picture than can be gained from a hand probe or shovel. The solar-powered transmitter in the field sends information to farmers’ offices or a laptop computer in a pickup truck. The information is updated each 15 minutes.
“I like to think of it in terms of a rain gauge in the soil,” Yager said. “This shows you what happens to the moisture in the dirt.”
The systems are expensive, costing up to $5,000, but also are available to lease for $2,200 per year.
In some situations it can be worth the cost, Yager said.
“It’s an investment where if you have water restrictions or water limitations, or you have a high-value crop that’s water sensitive, those are situations where it makes sense,” he said.
In corn, for example, farmers can irrigate less heavily early and late in the season, when water uses is not as great, but ensure sufficient water during the crucial part of the season to maximize yield, Yager said. They also can delay turning on the irrigation pumps and wait for a rain at certain times.
For David Reckford, director of the Flint River Basin Partnership, the fate of species threatened by diminished river flows, such as mussels, are a concern. The partnership includes the Georgia Corn Association, the Nature Conservancy, and the Coca-Cola Co., which provided five of the soil moisture monitoring systems last year.
About 61 of the systems are in operation in the Lower Flint River Basin, with 54 of those going in this year through a federal program.
The 54 probes cover 5,000 acres on 27 farms in the Flint River basin.
The five-year program to provide advanced irrigation practices, now in its third year, is available through the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“Our goal is not just to conserve water, it’s to improve the earnings of the farmer,” Reckford said.
Michael Williams, farm manager at Expo, said the moisture sensors have worked particularly well in corn.
“The benefit is you get to see the moisture level at several different stages, so you can kind of predict when stress is going to come about in the corn stalk,” he said. “By predicting that oncoming stress, you can prevent that stress and you can bring it out of stress.
“I can go onto the Web site and I can check it at any time. You can go from the bottom (soil) upwards. You can see when that moisture is going to reach the root.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
Dougherty County extension agent Rad Yager explains soil moisture sensors Thursday during the Sunbelt Agricultural Exposition Field Day event. Alan Mauldin
Discussion
Soil moisture monitor draws raves at Field Day
- Local News
-
-
City pools to open Monday
-
Case ready for Jury
The 16 jurors in the trial of five alleged gang members finished hearing all of the evidence in the case Friday afternoon and could begin deliberating as early as Tuesday.
-
Tragedy to keep Ryan James from graduation
Ryan won’t walk after all.
A hue and cry went up earlier this week when the Colquitt County Board of Education refused to let a senior with a developmental disability walk at today’s graduation. The board reversed its decision on Wednesday, but tragic events will prevent Ryan James from joining his classmates at Mack Tharpe Stadium. -
'Farewell Concert' set for Sunday
-
Did you buy from burglary suspects?
The Colquitt County Sheriff’s Office is seeking anyone who may have purchased items from two men accused in a string of burglaries around the county.
-
LSD-topped candy seized in Thomas County
Narcotics agents were waiting when a black Mustang that was to deliver LSD arrived at its Thomas County destination.
-
Opposition in 3 school board races
Two candidates qualified on Friday to run for seats on the Colquitt County Board of Education, setting up three competitive school board races in the July 31 election.
-
Youth Crusade starts Monday
-
Women's health center cuts ribbon
-
Tifton pediatrician named associate dean for SW Ga. campus
Dr. C. Granville Simmons, an established educator and pediatrician from Southwest Georgia, has been named campus associate dean for the Southwest Georgia Clinical Campus of the Medical College of Georgia, the state’s public medical school. Simmons starts his new duties June 11.
- More Local News Headlines
-
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
