Growers and scientists have access to more data than ever– often more data than can be used in their operation.  Data management for irrigation systems has become critically important in agriculture’s pursuit of sustainability, leading to the creation of AgGateway‘s PAIL Projects (Precision Ag Irrigation Leadership).  For the past four years the people behind this project have been developing open, international irrigation standards which are nearing completion.

More than 20 AgGateway member companies are collaborating on the project, including leading manufacturers of sensors, weather stations, pivots, controllers and software solutions. In coming weeks the team will submit the proposed standards to ASABE (American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers); after publication of the standards the team expects their widespread adoption in farm technology equipment. Two successful field trials have already demonstrated the benefits of the new standards.

“How we manage water is a huge consideration in agriculture today. We are moving toward publication of these standards, which will be a major step forward in precision agriculture. As the standards are implemented, growers will be armed with greater ability to make smart irrigation decisions,” said Aaron Berger, Software Engineer at AgSense, and Chair of the PAIL Project.

“I’m looking forward to the day when I can easily extract accurate data and make rapid, informed decisions about watering our crops,” said Roric Paulman of Paulman Farms, a Nebraska grain farmer who has been watching the PAIL Project developments with interest.

Added Berger, “Systems that use the PAIL data standards will make efficient practices more understandable and simplify the way data is moved around the web.”

With the irrigation work at the review stage the team is moving forward on a new front– drop irrigation.  Anyone interested in sharing input is encouraged to contact PAIL Project Manager, Dan Berne at dan@nextchaptermarketing.com.  The new project will be covered at AgGateway’s Mid-Year Meeting in Bloomington, Minnestota in June and more information is available on the website.