This article explains how DigiKey is playing a key role in AquaSpy’s mission to optimize irrigation, cut costs and improve soil health using sensor data.
Today’s growers are using innovative technology to manage their farm operations and to combat rising issues related to increasing input costs, climate change, soil degradation, water scarcity and other macro issues.
In one application, DigiKey is an integral part of AquaSpy’s smart soil solutions which help growers gather and analyze crop and soil profile data. With these insights, growers can optimize irrigation, minimize runoff and conserve water while still producing strong crop yields.
AquaSpy’s VP of engineering, Peter Ellegaard, said: “We (humans) are draining the Ogallala Aquifer as fast as we can and we are killing our soil as fast as we can. The only way you can change it is if you can measure it.”
For over a decade, AquaSpy has been working with DigiKey as its primary North American supplier of components, valuing DigiKey’s cross-reference tool, which simplifies the search for repeat orders, hard-to-find components or substitute parts by providing a list of parametrically similar options.
Ellegaard said: “Whenever I am looking for a new component, I don’t search on Google. I search on DigiKey’s website. The ability to do parametric search on DigiKey’s website makes it very easy to find new components. DigiKey is the de facto repository for searching for components.”
Ellegaard prefers to purchase from DigiKey’s in-stock inventory, working with an annual component budget of about $700,000 and spending about 50 per cent of it with DigiKey.
AquaSpy continues to innovate its products, recently introducing a new, slimmer probe that enables nitrate and oxygen sensors to provide near real-time data: a first-to-market solution for the industry. Nitrate is about a third of input costs for growers and an important part of soil health.
Ellegaard appreciates that DigiKey’s core service has remained the same, but he’s noticed more footprints have been added to the website, which has made it easier to do layouts for product development.
While most components and products are currently available, now is a good time to think ahead and identify alternative parts. DigiKey recommends reviewing bills-of-materials every six months to a year. Ellegaard plans and orders components on an annual basis and fills in as needed throughout the year for specialized products.
Manufacturers should also consider conducting obsolescence checks. For example, DigiKey’s myLists platform recommends alternatives if a product is unavailable, soon to be obsolete or has a long lead time. DigiKey works with suppliers to gain insights into where they’re planning to make changes, when they plan to introduce new products and what products may be discontinued.
Ellegaard noted DigiKey’s inventory search capabilities and reliable inventory have given him and the AquaSpy team peace of mind and stability during an uncertain time when other companies are struggling with affordably importing parts and components and having to rethink their entire business model rapidly. DigiKey continues to be a strong partner for AquaSpy and a proponent of advancing technology in agriculture to support the next generation of food production.
www.digikey.com
