Lindsay Corp., a global manufacturer and distributor of irrigation and infrastructure equipment and technology, announced Wednesday a new addition to its industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) offering: FieldNET Pivot Watch.
The patent-pending innovation includes a solar-powered remote telemetry device that mounts onto any center pivot irrigation system, regardless of pivot age or brand, and a monitor-only subscription to Lindsay’s FieldNET irrigation management platform.
FieldNET helps growers optimize water use efficiency, save time and ultimately improve yields and profit. Zimmatic dealers will begin offering FieldNET Pivot Watch in North America later this year, and will become available in select international markets starting later this year.
Pivot Watch is compact, lightweight and attaches directly to the span pipe with a simple aluminum band, without the need to connect to the electric circuitry of the pivot. This means growers will have the ability to install Pivot Watch themselves.
Though simple in design and low-cost, the device has integrated cellular connectivity, GPS positioning and other embedded sensors, enabling growers to remotely “watch” or monitor their pivot’s functions, such as current position, status, direction and speed, using the FieldNET app. With FieldNET Pivot Watch, growers will be able to monitor their irrigation operations around the clock, enabling seamless functionality, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Pivot Watch expands Lindsay’s aftermarket FieldNET offering, which also includes full remote monitoring and control with FieldNET Pivot Control, and FieldNET Pivot Control Lite, which offers monitoring and a mid-range of control. All three products fit any brand and age of electric pivot, and Pivot Watch will also work on hydraulic pivots.
Through the FieldNET line of products, both growers and their agronomic advisors have access to Lindsay’s FieldNET Advisor, its automated irrigation scheduling solution, giving growers science-based recommendations to make faster, better-informed decisions about when, where and how much to irrigate. This helps growers increase efficiency and profit, while also exercising more sustainable farming practices.
“It is estimated that approximately 70 percent of pivots operating in North America today do not have remote monitoring capability,” said Randy Wood, president of irrigation at Lindsay. “Pivot Watch was designed with exactly those growers, and their challenges, in mind. It essentially brings remote irrigation monitoring to anyone who wants it; its ultra-low price point, DIY installation and access to FieldNET, the industry’s leading irrigation management solution, makes the efficiency of remote irrigation management more accessible than ever before.”
At launch, Pivot Watch will be available with or without a pressure transducer to indicate whether water is on or off, and to display end-of-system pressure. Pricing starts at US$299, including the first year, monitor-only FieldNET subscription. After the first year, the subscription will cost $100 per year.
