Tracking Irrigation Efficiency with a Yield Monitor

Dr. Allen Thompson, plant and science technology professor emeritus in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri, says using a yield monitor is a good way to track and evaluate irrigation system effectiveness and efficiencies.

“One thing you can do to validate what your system is operating is having a yield monitor on your harvesting equipment. And then you can go back and look at yield maps. And to see at the end of the year, is that the water maybe it's fertilizer, I'm doing chemigation and fertigation. Am I getting uniform application on that way? But, a yield monitor is a good way to evaluate.”

He says the yield monitor offers a way for farmers to make direct comparisons year over year as the monitor simultaneously records things like yield, grain moisture, and position data.

“If you do your own harvesting, you already have some idea of where the better locations are. And when we were the poor yields are at they're consistently in the same locations but a yield monitor makes it where you can actually look at that from year to year and make some direct comparison.”

Once again Dr. Allen Thompson plant and science technology professor emeritus in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. He specializes in irrigation water management hydrology of submerged flow constructed wetlands, water, droplet, and soil erosion mechanics.