Farming with pinpoint precision

"Measuring soil moisture content and water extraction has an obvious advantage: more efficient water use. In addition, it creates an optimal environment in which plants can grow and utilise fertilisers more effectively. Dirk Mercker from DFM Technologies spoke to Gerhard Uys."

"Areas are getting drier, so the farmer has to be more creative and farm more efficiently," explains DFM founder Dirk Friedhelm Mercker. "With less water, they have to produce more crops at the same time. Some now have 50 percent less water available than 10 years ago," he adds.

"Nuwe vogmeter-tegnologie van DFM help hom om makliker besproeiingsbesluite te neem en water te bespaar. Water besparing deur druppertegnologie en tegnologie wat skedulering verbeter het, vir al die afgelope droë seisoen gehelp dat hulle nie opbrengs ingeboet het nie."

"With this study, the abilities of the DFM capacitance probes and a neutron water meter (NWM) to measure evaporation from the soil surface were compared."

"It was concluded that the DFM capacitance probe is a better tool than the NWM in measuring evaporation from the topsoil surface."

"Gamtoos Valley’s three-year drought meant farmers were only allocated 40% of their annual water quota this year. And the catchment area of the Kouga Dam got little relief, despite recent good rains."