Variable Rate Irrigation and VARIwise in centre pivot dairy production

Standard Variable Rate Irrigation allows more accurate irrigation application and scheduling based on the soil and terrain mapping, which has been shown to increase pasture production by 0.5 to 1 t/DM/ha. By using a more dynamic mapping process that includes near real time updates of soil, climate, and pasture growth, the use of VARIwise technology has been shown to generate additional benefits of up to 1 t/DM/ha compared to standard VRI.

In addition to the automated mapping, VARIwise technology incorporates an autonomous component. This allows it to communicate to pumps to turn the system on and off as required. This has the potential to take away any form of decision making and labour relating to irrigation scheduling.