Trimble has announced the acquisition of three seperate companies with water management expertise: RainWave, LLC; Hydro-Engineering Solutions, LLC; and IQ Irrigation.
The acquisition of IQ Irrigation is expected to close by the end of August 2013. IQ Irrigation provides a reliable and precise hardware and software solution for controlling linear and pivot irrigation systems. It enables farmers to apply the right amount of water in the right place based on crop requirements, optimizing water usage
RainWave, LLC and Hydro-Engineering Solutions, LLC, will help to extend the monitoring and reporting capabilities of Trimble's Connected Farm solution and strengthen its water management expertise.
Irrigation System Control with IQ Irrigation
IQ Irrigation's GPS-controlled system controls individual nozzles on most irrigator makes and models, and can be operated remotely with an Internet application that can be run from a computer or mobile device.
Options range from straightforward control of the irrigator to creation of no spray or variable spray areas, or complex irrigator control with many variable watering patterns and liquid manure dispersal capability. The solution also includes application reports that detail what input (water, liquid manure or fertigation) was applied as well as when and where it was applied.
Farmers are able to select the irrigation patterns that suit their crop, terrain and farming operation, including the ability to keep select areas dry such as roads, waterways and farm buildings.
With IQ Irrigation's Web-based solution, farmers can see in real time the location and status of the irrigator and a visual simulation of the current water consumption and irrigation patterns. Farmers can remotely stop, forward or reverse the pivot. In addition, the solution enables farmers to turn the water on or off and speed up or slow down the pivot.
Farmers will also be able to monitor the status of their pivot or linear irrigators on Trimble's new Connected Farm dashboard after the completion of the IQ Irrigation asset acquisition. The irrigation pivot data is expected to be available on the Connected Farm dashboard in the fourth quarter of 2013 in New Zealand and the first half of 2014 in the U.S.
"Trimble's brand-agnostic strategy perfectly complements that of IQ Irrigation as our solution works with most irrigator makes and models," said Neil Douglas, general manager for IQ Irrigation. "Through this asset acquisition, we will be able to leverage Trimble's extensive network of resellers and customer relationships to place this valuable tool in the hands of many more farmers."
RainWave Introduces Virtual Rain Gauges to Connected Farm
RainWave provides precipitation monitoring services for agribusiness, construction and engineering, government and consumer industries. RainWave will be part of the Connected Farm solution, which simplifies and integrates operations management by providing information exchange across the entire farm.
The RainWave service will provide farmers across the U.S. with vital rainfall data they can use to better manage their crop production.
Using RainWave, farmers can set up a virtual rain gauge by entering GPS coordinates for identified locations to receive a rainfall report for those locations. Since on-site rain gauges are not needed, farmers no longer need to monitor dispersed gauges or manually track precipitation.
Hydro-Engineering Solutions
Hydro-Engineering Solutions is a civil engineering company that specializes in hydrology and hydraulics. The company provides high-quality engineering services to federal, state and local governments as well as commercial entities, and has extensive experience with streams and rivers. Hydro-Engineering's expertise in hydrology and hydraulics modeling is expected to strengthen Trimble's water management solution in watershed analysis for both drainage and irrigation.
