Northeast Nebraska | moon1234 - 2/25/2021 18:24
The watermark fake roots are the most reliable and inexpensive soil moisture probes on the market. You just have to have feet to take readings. If you have a lot of ground to cover or a lot of fields it gets tiring.
I use about 15 of them in several fields every year. About mid-season I get tired of checking them. Look j to buying something that is cellular or WiFi. Then I see how much they cost and just tough it out.
You have to have enough profit to justify their cost. It isn’t just the probes or the cell plan. It is the monthly fees that online platforms charge.
I personally really like the watermark sensors that work as a mesh system. One sensor relays to another across a field and only one actually has a cell plan. If that cell plan could be replaced with WiFi to a computer the farm/house/etc where I could run software to receive the readings and report on them, maybe I could stomach a couple hundred dollars per sensor.
If I also have to pay monthly fees per sensor, etc. The value goes out the window. You can buy a LOT of traditional fake root sensors for the cost of just a couple internet connected ones.
Everyone wants ongoing revenue. It’s what holds back a lot of us from being able to harness newer technologies. It just doesn’t pencil out.
You are exactly right. These new probes are definitely nice and would make my life easier. But for $1200 bucks and for 17 plus pivots no thanks. I could hire someone full time in the summer to check watermarks and scout fields for that kinda money. Some years we only make 1 revolution. As diesel and electric prices rise maybe these probes will pay for themselves. Sorry but me paying a subscription at that price is highway robbery. I guess I am to cheap plus young and dumb enough to keep checking these a couple times a week. Thanks everyone for the replies!! |
Soil moisture probes
