Down on the farm: a rotary encoder helps farmers better irrigate their fields.(MOTION CONTROL)

Product Design & Development, December, 2006 by Vermillion, Len

With the advent of advanced motion control systems, even the country's core business of agriculture continues to make headway. With programmable mechanical move irrigation systems now in the fields of about one third of the country's farms--and this trend on the increase--this advance in motion control technology is blazing a path to better and more efficient crop and field management.

The beauty of a large programmable irrigation system set in a field versus traditional flood irrigation is that a farmer can not only easily program his water output in various patterns, but also direct the layout of any necessary chemicals (chemigation) within that watering system. This improves both crop yield and quality, reduces waste, and eliminates the necessity for two...

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