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WINERY & VINEYARD EQUIPMENT 66 WINES&VINES February 2017 PURESENSE jainsusa.com In 2015, irrigation equipment supplier Jain purchased Fresno, Calif.-based PureSense, which was one of the first field-monitoring and irrigation-management providers. The system is based on soil moisture monitoring through either tensimeters or capacitance probes that measure soil-moisture content, although the supplier claims its software can work with most field-monitoring equipment. Data is processed with PureSense analytics and displayed via various widgets through a dashboard that can be accessed with any web- capable device. The system can provide graphs on water infiltration as applied water moves through the soil as well as soil moisture status and a summary of irrigation performance. The field data can also be used to compare applied water to reference evapotranspira- tion, weather history and rain water versus applied water. An irrigation plan can also be automated with the system's scheduler, which features recommendations based on local weather as well as soil profile, crop and irrigation system. The schedule can then be checked with field data to ensure the application is run correctly and on time. RANCH SYSTEMS ranchsystems.com Founded in 2005, Ranch Systems was one of the first to incorporate cloud-based data in 2007. The company makes gateways that can be used to host a variety of sensors, controllers, weather stations, data logging and cameras for remote monitoring and management. Business development manager Hylon Kaufmann said Ranch Systems is open source, so growers can also use whatever type of sen- sors, controllers or weather stations they want to use with the telemetry system. A vineyard system could be comprised of soil-moisture sensors, leaf-moisture sensors, temperature sensors situated above and below the canopy, a weather station and irrigation controls. Data from all of the sensors flow through a node such as the RS-130 up to the cloud. A grower can monitor the data through a smartphone or computer and then make agronomic and irrigation decisions based on real-time data. The same node can be used to activate irriga- tion pumps, and the cameras can be used to ensure everything is working as it's supposed to. Growers can also use Ranch Systems' network to run pre-programed irrigation schedules. Kaufmann said the company's staff will make sure clients know how to use their equip- ment but don't make any specific agronomic or irrigation recommendations. Ranch Systems equipment is available directly through the company as well as approved resellers. The Wines & Vines Product Focus feature is not intended to provide a definitive listing of all available products in a particular segment or provide any comparative analysis, but rather serve as an overview of what's new or available and also of potential interest to readers as determined by the magazine's editorial staff. Ranch Systems