Soil Moisture Monitoring
The Valley SoilPro 1200 uses advanced technology to collect detailed soil moisture data and to provide practical advice for growers on when and how much to irrigate. Potato producers who utilize irrigation can pump less and use only the water their crop needs, using just the right volume of water to achieve maximum yield.
Powered by AquaSpy, the SoilPro 1200 is an accurate, high-quality capacitance probe that contains 12 sensors spaced at four-inch intervals. These sensors measure crop root depth, soil moisture, soil electrical conductivity, temperature, and water penetration from both rainfall and irrigation.
The information gathered by the sensors is analyzed, converted into irrigation scheduling recommendations, and delivered to a website that subscribers can access from anywhere with a computer, smartphone, or tablet. This real-time data gives growers the information they need to make smarter decisions and irrigate more efficiently.
“The user interface is what really makes our product stand out,” says Cole Fredrick, product manager for Valley. “The interface is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. It allows growers to easily see when and where water is needed to maximize yields and use water to its fullest potential. It also allows users to see electrical conductivity data, so they can see where nutrients have landed in the soil profile as well.”
Because each crop has different water and nutrient needs throughout the growth cycle, SoilPro 1200 ensures the crops get exactly what they need precisely when they need it. That accurate application can save an average of one to three inches of water per acre as growers learn when the crop needs moisture.
For more information on the Valley SoilPro 1200, contact your local Valley dealer or visit valleyirrigation.com.
Supercoulter Improvement
The Supercoulter tillage implement from Summers Manufacturing Company, Inc. has a new feature. The rolling basket is an optional attachment that goes on the back of the Supercoulter as it prepares seedbeds for planting, providing the final finish for potato fields. It’s been improved with the addition of internal scrapers that allow the rolling basket to keep clean and working well even in poor field conditions.
Brian Perkuhn, sales manager for Summers Manufacturing, says the new, improved rolling basket was introduced this year. He adds wet springs in many areas in recent years had a lot to do with the change.
“The Supercoulter is made for getting that soil opened up and to start drying,” Perkuhn says, adding that much of the wet dirt ended up as mud in the rolling basket, plugging the implement up and weighing it down. “What the internal scrapers do is to keep it clean and keep the Supercoulter running and functioning well in wet, sticky conditions.”
The rolling basket provides leveling and crumbling action and is described as an ideal tool for seedbed preparation for potatoes. Equipped with eight blades of quarter-inch high carbon steel, the basket is 13 inches in diameter with eight blades of quarter-inch high-carbon steel.
Designed to manage field residue in no-till, minimum-till and conventional-till operations, the Supercoulter features an exclusive hydraulic hitch, which allows the operator to transfer weight between the front and rear disc gangs. The unit is available in working widths from 15 to 50 feet, and it is engineered with a heavy-duty frame for maximum durability.
The Supercoulter and other Summers Manufacturing products are available at major farm implement dealers throughout Canada. For more information, visit summersmfg.com.
