Competition for water supplies. Declining groundwater reserves. Unprecedented shifts in climatic conditions. These challenges, plus the critical need to improve return on investment, mean that growers and ranchers need better ways to manage irrigation for maximum efficiency and higher yields. To do that, they need access to localized weather information and more accurate, relevant environmental data.
KestrelMet 6000 AG Weather Station
The new KestrelMet 6000 AG Weather Station is playing a vital role this season in helping growers like Jonathan Hayden of Winter Street Farms in Claremont, New Hampshire, meet the challenge of producing more with less for a stronger bottom line.
“Temperature, wind and rainfall are the three big information points that we get from the KestrelMet [6000 AG Weather Station],” says Hayden. “For our water management practices, we can now easily track our rain events and, with the soil sensors installed along with others placed out in the fields, understand what our soil moisture retention is for a variety of crops and when we need to irrigate.”
Typically, agricultural weather data is available from one weather station located at the closest airport or nearby urban area. Actual weather and field conditions can vary considerably over a relatively small area, however, and even slight differences in temperature, wind and moisture can influence irrigation decision making.
“Getting an accurate temperature reading from the field is amazing,” says Hayden. “Local weather forecasts do not represent microclimates and field lows or highs. Having the ability to compare forecasting with actual numbers occurring near the crops in our fields allows us to be better prepared for frost or cold nights and also for high temps. Being able to set custom alarms for high and low temperatures allows us to better respond to the situations that are occurring and to take care of the crops, the people that are working on the farm or the customers that are coming to the farm.”
Full Suite Of Meteorological Measurements
Introduced earlier this year, the KestrelMet 6000 AG Weather Station comes with a full suite of important meteorological measurements, including temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and direction, dewpoint, barometric pressure and rainfall. Optional features include sensors for leaf wetness, solar irradiance, soil temperature and moisture.
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Recent updates provide field-specific data related to evapotranspiration and growing degree days — key factors in managing for enhanced crop performance and more effective irrigation.
The weather station features cellular data transmission, allowing for viewing data on the KestrelMet cloud within minutes on any mobile device. Equipped with an integrated cellular modem, high-power photovoltaic panel, battery and intelligent power management, the KestrelMet 6000 AG requires no external power source or Wi-Fi connectivity.
Easy Setup And Use At The Right Price
Easily deployable, the KestrelMet 6000 AG arrives preassembled for fast setup and frustration-free installation and includes a low-cost cellular plan — with the first year free — to connect the station to the online monitoring dashboard or the app.
And the KestrelMet 6000 AG is priced at less than half the cost of ownership of other weather stations serving the agricultural market.