How Rubicon’s FarmConnect Solution Is Turning Flood and Furrow Irrigation Into an Efficient System
A Rubicon gate in operation in the sugar beet trial at the University of California Cooperative Extension Desert Research and Extension Center.
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ubicon Water’s technology helps manage 3.7 million acres of irrigated land. With thousands of miles of canals modernized and more than 35,000 automated control gates and meters sold, Rubicon’s innovative hardware and software is improving the efficiency and productivity of irrigated agriculture worldwide. One groundbreaking example is Rubicon’s FarmConnect solution, which leverages from technologies within Rubicon’s proven irrigation district solutions to provide individual farmers with precise, high-efficiency surface and furrow irrigation solutions. In this interview, Rubicon Business Development Manager Peter Moller tells us about the development and launch of the FarmConnect solution. Irrigation Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position.
18 | IRRIGATION LEADER | September 2021
irrigationleadermagazine.com
PHOTO COURTESY OF RUBICON.
Peter Moller: I’ve been working with Rubicon Water since 2010. Most of Rubicon’s prior business dealt directly with irrigation districts supplying canal automation, but my involvement began as I was asked by the directors to launch a new internal business unit to enter the market for on-farm automation technology for the application of water to farmer’s individual fields. Our focus is assisting farmers to transform their flood irrigation systems by providing them with technology that enables them to apply the right quantity of water to crops when and where it is needed.
The initial step was to identify a solution for transforming traditional flood irrigation, which typically had an application efficiency of 50–60 percent, into a high-performance surface irrigation system that delivers application efficiency of 85 percent or better. We saw an opportunity to adapt Rubicon’s irrigation district technology to apply the science on farm. This was the beginning of what is now FarmConnect. In the early stages, we had to understand the limitations of these manually operated flood irrigation systems and try to envisage a solution that could enhance performance without the barriers for uptake. After 18 months of product development, I was responsible for taking the solution to the commercial market. We focused on an area within Australia’s Murray Darling basin and launched the solution to a group consisting predominantly of dairy farmers who grew pasture for dairy cows, corn for silage or grain, and alfalfa for feedstock. In 2015, we worked to automate furrow irrigation for the cotton industry, which grows crops on raised beds. For the first 7 years, our focus was on Shepparton, Victoria, where we achieved some impressive results for irrigators, including doubling their production per amount of water applied. With the production of corn for silage, we’ve been able to go from 2.6 tons per acre-foot of dry matter to 5.4 tons. Studies have revealed that irrigators are growing twice as much dry matter with the same volume of water. This is particularly relevant during the periods when we are at risk of water insecurity and are under restrictions on water use.
