Webinar Recap: Using Irrigator Pro for Smarter Irrigation Decisions

Recording of the webinar Using Irrigator Pro to make Smarter Irrigation Decisions, originally recorded on June 18, 2025.

On June 18, the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District hosted the webinar “Using Irrigator Pro for Smarter Irrigation Decisions.” Irrigator Pro is an advanced irrigation scheduling tool created to help peanut, cotton, and corn producers to make smarter irrigation decisions. The program is unique in that it recommends when to irrigate based on real-time soil moisture sensor data, crop growth stage, soil type, and other factors. 

The webinar, sponsored by ADM/Golden Peanut, featured Dr. Chris Butts, retired agricultural engineer at USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab in Dawson, Georgia where Irrigator Pro was developed in the early 1990s. Butts demonstrated specific features of field set up of the desktop version of Irrigator Pro, including soil series selection, soil moisture sensor integration, soil water holding capacity, and planting date. Butts specifically highlighted the importance of Fruit Initiation Date in Irrigator Pro. While the model will estimate the date, the Fruit Initiation Calculator found within Irrigator Pro can estimate a more accurate Fruit Initiation Date based on field observations. This is critical for late season irrigation recommendations. 

Panelist Jose Andreis from  app and cloud developer AUSTN, highlighted features of Irrigator Pro mobile app, a new updates since its initial release in 2019. Andreis demonstrated how to set up a field and read recommendations in the mobile app version of Irrigator Pro. In addition, Andreis showed where to find the daily field data as a graph on the desktop, or exported as an excel file for reference. Other features highlighted included adding additional users, and giving an overview of the permissions you can give additional users within the field set up. 

Lastly, Kelsea Hancock, UGA Cooperative Extension ANR agent for Early County, provided insight from the farmers perspective from her time managing Irrigator Pro on a southwest Georgia farm. In particular, she highlighted the importance of how she leveraged Irrigator Pro to aid in decision making for over 30 irrigated fields, and how she leveraged the desktop and mobile app both from the farm office to the field. 

We extend our sincere thanks to everyone who made this webinar possible—our expert presenters, tech developers, sponsor ADM/ Golden Peanut, and especially the farmers who continue to guide and improve these tools with their insights. Your dedication to smart, sustainable irrigation is helping secure the future of agriculture across the Southeast and beyond.

Download the Irrigator Pro mobile app for free.

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=br.com.austn.irrigatorpro 

iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/br/app/irrigator-pro/id1218791137 

Or access Irrigator Pro and see other demos at https://irrigatorpro.org 

Irrigator Pro users can provide feedback, questions, and troubleshoot by reaching out directly to the Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District at info@flinriverswcd.org or to AUSTN at support@austn.co. This webinar was made possible by generous support of ADM’s Re:Generations Program. Irrigator Pro was developed by trusted researchers as the USDA-ARS National Peanut Research Lab. The mobile app was launched in 2019 with input from Dr. George Vellidis at the University of Georgia and developed by AUSTN. The Flint River Soil and Water Conservation District is comprised of farmers, landowners, and community leaders that are dedicated to the conservation, wise use, and protection of natural resources in the Flint River Basin. Learn more about the District at flintriverswcd.org.