Case Study: Award-winning Brandy Made Possible by Davis!
For organic apple growers Jay, Joe and Judy Watson, there could never be too much information about the weather conditions in their orchards. The Watsons own Indigeny Reserve and produce upscale hard cider and award-winning apple brandy from their 160 acres in the Sierra foothills of California.
Which weather variable is most important to growing the perfect Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Red Rome apples on 20,000 trees? Air temperature? Soil moisture? Humidity? Chilling hours? Ask the Watsons and you’ll get a resounding, “All of the above!”
That is why they chose a Davis weather system to keep them informed about their specific microclimates.
Affordable, Accurate, Scalable
Jay Watson at Indigeny chose a Davis system because it's affordable, easy to set up, scalable, and accurate. His current system is a workhorse out in the field delivering reliable data for his microclimate. Jay plans to add a Solar Radiation sensor, Integrated Pest Management, and more sensors to the system as his business grows.Real-time Data from Remote Locations
Indigeny managers keep their eyes on acres of crops in real time, from the office, via data gathered from the field. This allows them to quickly grasp how the weather is affecting the crops and what needs to be done to keep everything running optimally.Save Money & Recover Costs
With sensors strategically placed, and easy access to the data, Indigeny knows when--and how much--to water. Even when things go wrong, reliable system data can be used for insurance claims.Alerts Stave Off Frost Issues
Indigeny growers depend on the sensor readings to help mitigate frost. The system alerts them when the outdoor air temperature hits 38°F (3°C). the early warning allows growers to use irrigation as a warming technique.In 2009, we were hit by a cold weather system from Canada. We lost nearly our entire crop. Using the readings from the Vantage Pro2 weather stations, the Leaf & Soil station and WeatherLink software, we were able to record and print the data to provide to our insurance carrier. We received more than $187,000 in repayment for our crop loss.