In November 2019, the USDA's NIFA program awarded a $900,000 grant that aims to bridge the gap between data-collection, modeling and decision-making so crop producers can more easily decide when to irrigate. The project brings together researchers from the University of Nebraska, the University of Illinois and Princeton to research ways to improve irrigation water management.
The team from the University of Nebraska includes DWFI Faculty Fellows Trenton Franz, Derek Heeren, and Daran Rudnick. They are working with partners and producers in the state to validate remotely collected soil moisture and weather data.
The team is installing on-the-ground crop sensors measuring 40 variables, including rainfall, solar radiation and plant health. Those variables combined will provide a highly accurate water and energy budget - the information a farmer needs to make a decision - available to producers through an app.
The team from the University of Nebraska includes DWFI Faculty Fellows Trenton Franz, Derek Heeren, and Daran Rudnick. They are working with partners and producers in the state to validate remotely collected soil moisture and weather data.
The team is installing on-the-ground crop sensors measuring 40 variables, including rainfall, solar radiation and plant health. Those variables combined will provide a highly accurate water and energy budget - the information a farmer needs to make a decision - available to producers through an app.