Weather station – Integrated Irrigation, BushLinx
Integrated Irrigation’s weather station has varied uses, from a simple rain gauge to a Bureau of Meteorology style weather predictor.
Benefits
BushLinx weather station allows you to fine tune your production system, with confidence in the decision-making process.
It is more accurate than data from a regional weather station located many kilometres away, as there can be a wide variation of rainfall within a small area. This can have a profound impact on irrigation scheduling and available crop water in dryland systems.
Temperature and rainfall data can be compared daily, weekly, monthly, annually or between seasons. Bushlinx can also:
- calculate the number of growing days and track plant growth
- inform when spray chemicals can be applied, and estimations of frost damage to crops
- be customised with a prediction for fly strike risk.
How it works
Bushlinx monitors rainfall, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, evapotranspiration, Delta-T, frost events and fire danger index.
Data from the weather station can be used in conjunction with the BushLinx soil and temperature probes.
Information is accessed through the BushLinx monitoring system, with data displayed on your tablet, phone or computer.
Installation and power
The weather station is mounted using a stable but compact tripod system that is pegged into the ground.
Open areas away from buildings and trees are the most suitable site locations. The corner of a paddock is a convenient spot to fence off the station from stock.
Power is supplied by a solar panel and battery.
Bushlinx dashboard for the weather station data
Connectivity requirements
The weather station is compatible with 4G CATM1 and NB-IoT networks.
Local radio solution is often able to reach areas that are outside 4G coverage. You can also use your farm Wi-Fi network to transport data.
Pricing model
A range of pricing options are available through the vendor.
Producer case study
Producer case study
Mike Gruetzner is the owner and manager of a vineyard in Penola, South Australia. After witnessing the potential that Integrated Irrigation's service was achieving on other properties, Mike installed 2 in-canopy weather stations and soil probes on his property.
'It was important for us to install a site-specific monitor because vineyards can be severely affected by frosts and downy mildew. The weather station paid itself off before the first bill arrived by its frost monitoring ability,' Mike said. He was also impressed with the vendor’s customer service and commitment to the product.
Later in the season Mike started to see the benefits of the disease modelling. With the low disease pressure that was reported, he had the confidence to reduce certain spray applications. Instead, he used products that help the vine to fight disease and increase the health of the vine at the same time.
The data from the weather station enabled Mike to cut costs of chemicals and the diesel to irrigate. It's critical gear to have in a vineyard operation for identifying stress levels of the vines.
Mike’s advice to producers wanting to install a weather station, is to just do it and don’t think twice. Get advice about the optimum location and placement of the weather station. Be specific and think about where you are going to get the most benefit from it. Other considerations are:
- the type of support you are going to receive from the supplier if issues arise
- whether you want it to be compatible with other technologies, such as soil moisture probes.
See it in action
To view BushLinx weather station, contact the AgTech Extension Officer at Struan and Kybybolite demonstration farm.
Struan AgTech field day demonstration
Contact vendor
Tim Powell – Integrated Irrigation
Email: tim@integratedirrigation.com.au
Phone: 0459 231 028
