SOMETIMES change on farm comes from years of planning. Other times, it begins with an unexpected setback.

For one Western Australian vegetable grower, that setback arrived in the form of a lightning strike.

When a lightning strike damaged the irrigation controller on one Western Australian vegetable farm, replacing the controller seemed like the obvious solution. But instead of installing another unit and carrying on, the grower saw an opportunity to rethink how irrigation was being managed.

That simple question prompted the grower to explore whether there was a more practical way to monitor and manage irrigation across the property.

For vegetable growers, irrigation is one of the most critical operations on the farm. Ensuring pumps are operating correctly, irrigation pressure is consistent and water is being delivered when and where it is needed is part of everyday farm management.

Like many growers, this business relied on regular checks around the farm to make sure everything was working as expected. If something did not seem quite right, it often meant jumping in the ute, driving to the pump shed or heading back to the office computer to investigate further. Those routines worked, but they also consumed valuable time during already busy days.

“I wanted something that was easier to use.”

“I wanted to be able to see what was happening without having to go back to the computer all the time,” the grower explained.

The incident provided an opportunity to reassess how the system was operating.

Instead of simply replacing the irrigation controller, the grower partnered with Western Australian technology company ESECore to implement its connected farm management platform, NEO One.

Technology that fits the farm

For ESECore Integration Specialist Rob Steere, introducing new technology begins with understanding how a farm already operates.

“Farmers need to look at something, get the information they need, make a decision and move on,” Rob said.

Rob says understanding how a farm already operates is an important starting point when introducing new technology. Different businesses have different priorities, equipment and management approaches, so the focus was on building around the grower’s existing systems.

The platform was connected to the farm’s existing irrigation infrastructure, allowing the grower to access key information remotely and monitor system performance from a single location. Over time, additional farm systems could also be incorporated if required.

For this grower, the biggest change was simply being able to access information more easily.

A different way of monitoring irrigation

“Now I can just pull out my phone and see exactly what’s happening,” the grower said.

“I know the pressure is right, I know the pumps are running and I know

everything is working the way it should.”

Previously, confirming that everything was operating correctly often required physical checks around the farm. Now, the grower can quickly confirm system performance and investigate any unusual readings without leaving the job at hand.

Having immediate access to irrigation information has reduced the need for routine manual checks and made it easier to see when something does not look quite right.

“It’s just saved time,” the grower said.

“You don’t realise how often you’re checking things until you don’t have to anymore.”

Beyond irrigation

Although irrigation was the catalyst for this project, the experience has also prompted discussion about other information generated across the farm.

Like many vegetable businesses, data is collected from a range of systems, often in different locations and formats. Bringing some of that information together may help provide a clearer picture of how different parts of the business are performing over time.

However, Rob believes the focus should remain on solving practical problems rather than adopting technology for its own sake.

Across Australian horticulture, digital technologies are becoming increasingly accessible, although many growers remain hesitant about where to begin. Rob encourages growers to focus on solving one practical problem first, rather than trying to overhaul an entire business at once.

For this grower, that problem was irrigation management. For another business, it might be monitoring energy use, tracking soil moisture, managing pumps or collecting better weather data.

Looking ahead

For this Western Australian vegetable grower, the experience showed that meaningful changes do not always begin with a major investment or carefully mapped-out strategy.

In this case, it started with a damaged irrigation controller and a simple question:

Is there a better way to do this? WAG