Why Don’t We Automate Irrigation on Our Farms Like We Do at Home?

Written By Allan Fetters

Most of us don’t think twice about setting up an irrigation controller at home. Whether it’s our front lawn, a backyard flower bed, or even a potted plant system, we’ve embraced automation. It’s simple: program the schedule, and the water flows when it should. We may tweak it occasionally, or shut it off in the winter, but otherwise it’s “set it and forget it.” So why is it that when we step onto the farm, where water, labor, and energy costs are exponentially higher, the adoption of these same principles is so slow?

Who is ALLAN FETTERS, Our Innovation Alchemist

A third-generation farmer from California's San Joaquin Valley, he has over 30 years of experience in agriculture, particularly in crop inputs and agri-tech. He focuses on helping startups, investors, and farmers adopt innovative technologies to improve productivity and sustainability. Leveraging his expertise in sales, management, field research, and technology, he develops strategic business plans that drive commercialization and value creation, with the goal of shaping a more prosperous future for the agricultural sector.

The irony is that many of the companies who make home irrigation controllers; names like Toro, Rain Bird, and Hunter—also manufacture equipment designed for agriculture. Beyond that, newer ag-focused providers such as SWAN Systems, Lumo, WiseConn, CropX, and Jain Logic offer advanced scheduling, monitoring, and automation platforms that can be tailored to high-value specialty crops. On the plant-based side, innovators like Phytech, FloraPulse, and Treetoscope have created sensors that measure the actual physiological response of crops, while soil moisture sensor providers such as AquaSpy, Sentek, and Hortau give growers granular insight into what’s happening beneath the surface. The technology exists and is commercially available, yet in the field we still see growers walking to valves, manually turning pumps on and off, and relying on tradition more than data.

The barrier isn’t a lack of tools, it’s adoption. Farmers are cautious decision makers, and for good reason. Investing in automation or plant-based sensing systems means putting capital into technology that, at least at first glance, adds more complexity to an operation already stretched by labor shortages, rising water costs, and skyrocketing electricity bills. For decades, the manual approach worked. But times have changed. Hourly wages, overtime rules, and availability of reliable labor are all shifting. Energy isn’t getting cheaper. And with water scarcity and regulation increasing pressure on specialty crop production in California and across the West, the need to do more with less is only intensifying.

When I talk with growers, the hesitation often centers around trust and proof of value. Will this system really save me money? Will it work during the peak of summer when my orchard or vineyard can’t afford a failure? And if it does break, how long before someone shows up to fix it? These are real, lived concerns, and they’re part of why adoption has lagged, even as the same growers return home to yards that water themselves without a second thought.

What’s missing is the recognition that automation in agriculture is not about replacing people, but about putting them where they add the most value. Turning a valve or babysitting a pump is not strategic work. Using automation to handle on/off cycles, pulse irrigations, or shifting water sets to off-peak electricity hours frees up a skilled irrigator to address leaks, fine-tune system performance, or fertigate precisely during the irrigation set. That’s where the real ROI lies, doing the work that enhances yield, quality, and efficiency rather than repeating simple manual tasks.

Precision irrigation extends the benefits even further. With today’s systems, growers can apply water more granularly, by block, by row, or even by zone within a field. Decision support software can integrate weather data, crop models, and plant stress readings to guide irrigation scheduling. Fertigation becomes seamless, with nutrients delivered directly through the drip line at the right moment for maximum uptake. The outcomes are measurable: improved uniformity, better fruit quality, reduced water pumping, lower fertilizer costs, and even a smaller carbon footprint through reduced energy use.

So why do we automate at home but not on the farm? Part of it is mindset. At home, the consequences of failure are low, if your lawn misses a cycle, you shrug and fix it later. On the farm, failure could mean lost yield, lower quality, or breached contracts. But the other part is that we haven’t fully reframed automation as a risk-management tool rather than a risk itself. Automation doesn’t eliminate the need for human oversight; it amplifies what skilled people can do by removing the repetitive tasks.

The future of high-value specialty crop irrigation will be shaped by those willing to embrace this shift. Just as we no longer hand-water our lawns, we will soon look back and wonder why we spent so much labor and energy manually managing something that technology could have done more precisely, more consistently, and more profitably. The tools are here. The economics are shifting. And the growers who take the step from “manual” to “managed” will be the ones best positioned to thrive in the decades ahead.

Allan in the field, working with irrigation systems

Meet Us at FIRA USA 2025 – 21 to 23 October

The AgTech Advisory Collective will be attending FIRA USA 2025, the leading international event dedicated to agricultural robotics and automation. This is a prime opportunity to connect with our team if you are developing, adapting, or launching precision agriculture solutions for the U.S. market.

With deep expertise in technology development, market entry, and commercialization strategies for both specialty crops and broadacre farming, we help AgTech innovators successfully navigate the challenges of adoption by U.S. growers.

If you are looking to refine your product, align with grower needs, and maximize your market impact, we invite you to meet us at FIRA USA in October. Let’s explore how we can bring your innovation to the fields — efficiently, profitably, and sustainably.

Allan Fetters
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