Soil Moisture Network- Irrigation Scheduling
Irrigation scheduling is one water management tool that has been widely adopted by irrigators. The benefits include the optimization of agricultural water (“more crop per drop”), data management, the likelihood of decreased labor costs, and a tool for making more informed management decisions. Within irrigation management, there is a fine line between too much water and too little water and irrigation scheduling is one way for irrigators to optimize water use.
To support accurate irrigation scheduling, Colorado State University has developed an easy to use web-based model and smartphone app called WISE. The WISE irrigation scheduler, which utilizes data from the vast network of Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) weather stations, is a comprehensive and easy-to-use tool that was designed for use by farmers.
To evaluate whether or not the WISE irrigation scheduler is calibrated for high-mountain hay crops in the Upper Arkansas Basin, CSU's Colorado Water Institute, in partnership with the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, and irrigators including our Lake Ranch property, the landowner of Trout Creek Park, and others throughout Chaffee and Custer County, have installed and are monitoring and testing the WISE scheduler on hay fields in the Upper Basin. Soil moisture will be monitored throughout the growing season. The close proximity of CoAgMet weather stations will provide the necessary data for calculating accurate evapotranspiration values, thereby gauging the effectiveness of an irrigation scheduling tool for high-mountain hay fields in the Upper Arkansas Valley.
To support accurate irrigation scheduling, Colorado State University has developed an easy to use web-based model and smartphone app called WISE. The WISE irrigation scheduler, which utilizes data from the vast network of Colorado Agricultural Meteorological Network (CoAgMet) weather stations, is a comprehensive and easy-to-use tool that was designed for use by farmers.
To evaluate whether or not the WISE irrigation scheduler is calibrated for high-mountain hay crops in the Upper Arkansas Basin, CSU's Colorado Water Institute, in partnership with the Upper Arkansas Water Conservancy District, and irrigators including our Lake Ranch property, the landowner of Trout Creek Park, and others throughout Chaffee and Custer County, have installed and are monitoring and testing the WISE scheduler on hay fields in the Upper Basin. Soil moisture will be monitored throughout the growing season. The close proximity of CoAgMet weather stations will provide the necessary data for calculating accurate evapotranspiration values, thereby gauging the effectiveness of an irrigation scheduling tool for high-mountain hay fields in the Upper Arkansas Valley.
