Imagine being able to remotely track how much moisture your crops receive and being able to maximize your irrigation dollars.

TheProfiler, a comprehensive soil moisture monitoring system that uses telemetry from AgSense, allows producers to do just that.

TheProfiler includes three soil moisture sensors that are set up to monitor soil depths of 12, 24 and 36 inches, a telemetry control box with cell modem, solar panel, mounting brackets, and hardware.

Jeff Kugler, STEPS CEO, said TheProfiler was inspired by a few factors. The first, he said, is to do a better job managing irrigation by closely and precisely monitoring soil moisture. Other factors included the increasing cost of irrigation and the decline in the ground water supply.

“Ground water is a limited resource that we need to conserve so that future generations also have this resource,” Kugler said.

It has taken STEPS two years to develop TheProfiler, partnering with Irrometer and AgSense.

TheProfiler works like this:

• TheProfiler takes a Watermark sensor reading, which monitors soil moisture, every 30 minutes.
• Once the readings are taken, the data is uploaded to theprofileronline.com
• The data is viewed in graph form. The user can view the data in a one day up to 30-day time frame, allowing analyzing short and long-term soil moisture trends.

TheProfiler is valued at $1,995. The price includes all of the equipment, the first year modem subscription and web access. The solar panel charges the internal battery in the control box, eliminating the need for any additional power source.

There is optional equipment, including a tipping rain bucket and an additional sensor to monitor either 6 inch or 48 inch depth.

TheProfiler is available for the current 2012 growing season. The product can be used throughout the U.S. If your area has cell phone coverage, TheProfiler will work.  FG

—From Servi-Tech Laboratories

PHOTO
Photo courtesy of Servi-Tech Laboratories.