CropManage is an online decision support tool that uses cloud computing and databases to store farming information for providing decision support on irrigation and nitrogen management. This article explains how the privacy and security of data is protected. Why online software? To help growers quickly make decisions on water and fertilizer management we developed CropManage to […]
All posts by Michael Cahn
Viewing events and tasks for a planting
There are several ways to view events depending on whether the user is on a smartphone or larger screen device such as a laptop or tablet computer. On all devices events can be viewed for a planting in a summary card. In addition to the planting card, events can be viewed in lists, tables, and […]
Checking the accuracy of weather data
Both reference ET and rainfall data are important drivers of the irrigation recommendations in CropManage. If the weather data are not imported correctly into your plantings, then the irrigation recommendations may not be correct. CIMIS weather stations are generally reliable, but some stations may have a faulty sensor, or perhaps the rain gauge is recording […]
Setting up plantings for multiyear crops such as trees and vines
There are a few steps that are different in setting up plantings for perennial crops such as trees and vineyards. First, the start and end dates of the crop are not very obvious for perennial crops. Intuitively, you may think that an orchard should span multiple years. However, CropManage treats each year of an orchard […]
Adding/editing rainfall and ET data to a planting
Perhaps you do not live near a public weather station that is connected to CropManage, or you have your own rainfall and evapotranspiration data that you collected at your farm, and you want to use this data in CropManage. Can you set up a planting and use your own weather data? Absolutely. However, you must […]
CropManage Introduction and Background
Introduction about CropManage (2 mins, 2013) Using CropManage for Vegetables (24 mins, 2014) Purpose and Background for UCD course (22 mins, 2020)
Adjusting crop settings
Each commodity and subcategory of the commodity (crop type) has specific parameters that are used in the irrigation and nitrogen recommendation models. These parameters can be adjusted in crop settings. Adjusting some settings, such as maximum canopy cover or seasonal nitrogen uptake, will customize the recommendation models for the site-specific conditions of your crop. Other […]
Adjusting soil settings
The soil type of the planting is used to estimate plant-available water stored in the soil profile. The value for soil organic matter is used to estimate nitrogen mineralization during the season. CropManage assumes that the soil type of the planting is the same as the soil type of the planting area. However, you may […]
Select Commodities
CropManage supports many commodities, but you may grow only a few of them. To keep your list of commodities short, you will need to associate the commodities and the “crop types” that you grow with your ranch so that they are available when you create new plantings. In ranch settings, select the green “+” sign […]
Adding a Water Source
Crops are irrigated from a water source such as a well, canal, or river. The salinity and nitrogen content of the water can affect crop growth. The nitrogen in irrigation water can often supply a portion of the N requirements. CropManage can help you determine the nitrogen contribution from the irrigation water. At this time, […]