Irrigation Confidence in Every Drop

When you’re farming 240 acres across hilly, sandy soils, every drop of water counts. For Michael Simpson of Simpson’s Produce in Ballandean, QLD, managing irrigation across 240 acres; 80 in tomatoes and 160 in rotating crops has always involved a delicate balance of timing, labour, and intuition.

Tackling Real Problems on the Ground

When Michael joined the program, his goals were clear and so were the challenges. He was contending with:

1. Soil and Plant Health Issues - Dry patches, uneven moisture, and the risk of plant diseases like Citrilina were impacting productivity and consistency.

2. Water Management Pressure - Watering schedules were largely manual, and he was constantly navigating evaporation losses and the uncertainty of when and how much to irrigate.

3. Labour Shortages - Like many small-to-mid scale farmers, Michael struggled to find consistent labour, making the idea of automation increasingly appealing.

   
   

Michael recently installed a Greenbrain soil moisture probe, a simple tool with a big impact. It’s already confirmed the effectiveness of his current irrigation practices and, more importantly, given him new confidence in how and when to irrigate. “It’s reduced the stress, not just for the plants, but for me too,” he said.

With one probe already in the ground and plans for another on the way, Michael’s building a more drought-resilient system armed with real-time insights into how his soil holds and loses moisture. While initial installation came mid-season and posed a few logistical hurdles (especially getting the probe deep enough in active crop rows), the benefits quickly outweighed the effort. With clear data on when soil moisture dipped below optimal levels, Michael could make faster, more accurate decisions, without relying on time-consuming field checks or second-guessing gut instinct.

“It’s taken a lot of the pressure off,” Michael noted. “The success of the soil moisture probe has sparked interest among other farmers in the community, encouraging them to explore similar technologies..”

He’s now planning to install a second probe to cover more of the farm and to continue refining his water use. The idea of stacking technologies is firmly on his radar too with a GPS-guided tractor next on his list to help automate spraying and irrigation tasks further.

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This program/project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.