CropManage Workshop: Hands-on training

Monterey County Agricultural Center Conference Room

 1432 Abbott St, Salinas CA 93901

Thursday, April 2nd 2015

(8:30 am – 12 pm)

We will offer a hands-on training to learn in depth about the features of CropManage, a free online decision support tool for water and nutrient management of coastal crops.  In addition to head and romaine lettuce, CropManage now supports broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and strawberries.

Considering that the drought is continuing into a 4th year, and nutrient management continues to be linked to water quality regulations, efficiently using water and nitrogen fertilizer is a high priority for Central Coast growers. CropManage can play an important role in providing quick decision support on water and nutrient management on a field-by-field basis.

This training will provide an opportunity to learn how to use CropManage for improving the efficiency of your farming operations or for adding value to your consulting services.  We will provide in depth hands-on training so that you can learn step-by-step how to navigate and use CropManage for assisting with fertilizer and water management decisions and record keeping. Wi-Fi internet access is available at our conference room so please bring a laptop or tablet computer so that you can follow along as we tour through the features of the software.   There should be sufficient time to answer questions as we cover the following topics: 

Agenda:

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Refreshments

9:00 – 9:30 Introduction and update on CropManage

9:30-10:15 Getting started with CropManage

10:15  (Break)

10:30 – 11:15 Strategies for using CropManage for decision support and record keeping

11:15- 11:45 Advanced features and interfacing sensors with CropManage

11:45-12:00  Discussion of new features or changes needed.

To keep the group size manageable so that we can provide individual help, we would like to limit the workshop to 30 participants.  If you have attended previous workshops and or feel proficient in using the on-line tool, then you are welcome to just attend the second half of the workshop (10:30-12 pm).  Whether or not you plan to attend the entire or part of the workshop, please RSVP in advance by sending an email to larriaga@ucdavis.edu or mdcahn@ucdavis.edu with the subject heading “CropManage workshop” and let us know the number of participants in your group.  We will email you a confirmation. Thank you, and I hope to see you soon.

Respectfully,

Michael Cahn, Irrigation and Water Resources Advisor

Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties

Certified Crop Adviser CEU hours requested (1.5 hrs irrigation management, 1.5 hrs nutrient management)

Frequently Asked Questions

If you have specific questions about CropManage that are not answered in the help section, then check if a similar question has been answered below.  If you still cannot find a satisfactory answer to your CropManage question, please send your inquiries to mdcahn@ucanr.edu.

Updated 9/23/2014

Administrative

I am having trouble logging on, what should I do?

If you are experiencing problems logging into CropManage, it could be related to the settings on your browser.    Here are a few steps that you may help narrow down the cause of your problem

1. Make sure that you clicked on the link in the email that was sent to you the first time that you set up your CropManage userid.  This is a required procedure to verify that you are an actual person. If you do not click on the link, the email address (userid) will not be validated.
2. Try logging on to CropManage using a different browser.  Take care to enter the exact username and password information.  If you are successful in logging on then the problem is probably linked to your browser settings.  
3. Make sure that “cookies” are enabled in your browser.   CropManage requires that cookies are enabled for login.
4. Choose the option to “clear cookies” so that the wrong password or username is not automatically entered into CropManage each time that you logon. 
5. If you still cannot logon after following all of the above steps, then contact the web administrator.   

What should I do if I forget my password or username?

Your username is the same as your email address and cannot be changed once registered in CropManage.   If you forget your password, select “forgot password” below the login button.  A form with your email address, which should be the same as your username, should be displayed.  If no address is displayed, then enter the email address where you want to receive the temporary password and click on the button entitled “Receive email to access CropManage website.”    After receiving and opening the email from CropManage, click on the hyperlink, which should automatically log you in to CropManage.   Once logged on, immediately select “Edit Profile” and change your temporary password to your preferred password.    If you follow these procedures and cannot get access into CropManage, then send an email requesting an assigned password to mdcahn@ucanr.edu.  

Can someone besides the ranch owner change the ranch information (CIMIS station, fertilizer list, well nitrate)?

Only the ranch owner can change ranch information in CropManage.   You will need to communicate with the"virtual" ranch owner to request changes to the ranch. 

Ranch

How do I review plantings (crops) from the previous year?

Select the “view all plantings” button at the bottom of the planting summary page

How do I export data from a ranch or specific planting?

Choose the “export data” button at the bottom of the planting summary page.  Then select “Export ranch and planting data.”   The data for each planting will be exported in an excel file.  

Plantings

How is the nitrate in well water used in cropmanage?

CropManage currently does not account for nitrate in well water when calculating the nitrogen fertilizer recommendation.   We are planning to add this feature in the near future.

Can I change the rainfall data for an individual planting?

Yes; Select the “view data” button underneath the irrigation table and then select “view rainfall data.”   Rainfall data for the planting is displayed in monthly increments.   Scroll left or right to the month of interest.  The first column displays the rainfall values currently used for the planting.  These values can be edited.  Do not forget to select “update rainfall” at the bottom of the page to save the new values. The columns to the right display the rainfall data for CIMIS stations associated with the ranch.  Cells highlighted in green indicate the CIMIS rainfall data selected to be used for the ranch.

Soil Samples

Can I add soil samples values for different depths?

You can add soil sample values for the 1 and 2 foot depths.  You will first need to enter the value for the 1 foot depth and then add a new sample for the 2 foot depth.   

Can I enter sample values for depths different than 1 and 2 feet?

Cropmanage presently does not allow values deeper than 2 feet to be entered, nor allow the depths to be customized to intervals different than 1 foot increments (0 to 6 inches, 6 to 12 inches). 

Can I add more than one soil sample for the same day?

Yes; however, CropManage will average the values for the same date and depths for the nitrogen fertilizer recommendation. 

Can I add soil analysis values for nutrients other than nitrogen?

Yes; although CropManage was originally design for N management, other nutrient values can be entered into the soil sample summary table.   On the “new soil sample” entry sheet, select “show more nutrients” to enter values for soil potassium, phosphorus, and other nutrients.

Fertilizer

The recommended N amount seems wrong; what should I check?

1. Check that the “days to the next fertilization event” are accurate.  Each new fertilization event has a default value of 10 days that must be modified by the user to reflect the actual fertilizer application interval.    A vegetable field that receives 2 sidedress applications may have a fertilizer interval in the range of 12 to 15 days while a field fertigated through the drip system may have an interval of 5 to 7 days.
2. Check that the soil nitrate value seems reasonable.  If the value is unusually high or low then you may want to resample the soil.  Sampling immediately after a nitrogen fertilizer application may result in a high value.   
3. Check that the maximum N uptake amount for the crop is reasonable.   This value can be modified in the planting summary page.
4. Check that the start and end dates of the crop are accurate.  The N uptake curve for the planting is affected by the planting and end crop dates.

What should the fertilizer application interval be for my last fertilizer application?

The “days to the next fertilization event” should be longer than interval between the final fertilizer date and the end of the crop (harvest).   For example, if the last N side-dress application is 3 weeks before harvest, then the interval should be longer than 3 weeks.

Irrigation

The recommended irrigation time seems wrong; what should I check?

1. Check that the value for the irrigation system application rate is accurate.  Each planting starts with a default value of 0.15 inches per hour that the user must modify for the conditions of the actual planting.  A calculator tool is provided on the planting setup page to estimate the application rate of drip and sprinkler irrigation systems in units of “inches per hour.”
2. Check that the previous irrigation date is entered for the planting.   CropManage needs the date to estimate crop water use since the previous irrigation.
3. Check that the estimated canopy cover value in the irrigation table reflects conditions in the field.   Adjustments of the canopy cover can be made by changing the crop end date or selecting “advanced settings,” and changing the maximum canopy cover value or the fraction of the crop cycle to reach maximum canopy.
4. Check that the reference ET value is accurate.   Sometimes a reference ET value from spatial Cimis or a specific station is not available or is wrong.   CIMIS has quality control measures in place that alerts staff when values are out of range or missing.  Staff will update CIMIS reference ET if they identify errors.  Selecting “refresh weather data” may reload the correct value. You can also check the average reference ET for the period between the last and next irrigation dates directly on the CIMIS website. 

Irrigations can be tracked for each planting by entering new watering events into the “Irrigation Summary” table (Fig. 1).  In addition to keeping records on when and how much water was applied, CropManage will recommend an amount of water to apply and an optimum interval between irrigations using reference evapotranspiration data from CIMIS (California Irrigation Management Information System), crop development models, and information about the soil type of the field and irrigation system.  CIMIS is operated by the California Department of Water Resources.

To add a new irrigation event, select the “new watering” button located below and to the left side of the irrigation summary table (Fig. 1) or select “New” and then “New Watering” from the “Quick View” screen (Fig 2).

Figure 1. Enter new irrigation events by selecting “New Irrigation” below the irrigation summary table.

Figure 2. New irrigation events can be entered from the quick view screen by selecting “New” and  “New Watering.”

An entry form will display for adding a new irrigation event (Fig 3).  Enter the intended date of the irrigation. The previous irrigation event will be displayed on the right side of the form.  CropManage uses the days between the last irrigation or significant rainfall event and the next planned irrigation to estimate the water needs of the crop. 

Next, select the method of irrigating.  The choices are "Germination Sprinkler", "Sprinkler", "Drip", and "Rainfall."  The irrigation method is used for estimating crop evapotranspiration and determining an appropriate amount of water to apply to compensate for non-uniformity of the irrigation system.  Evaporative losses of moisture from the soil surface are normally greater under sprinklers than drip irrigation, and the application uniformity is usually higher under drip than sprinklers.  The uniformity of the irrigation system must be entered when setting up the planting.  

"Germination Sprinkler" is distinguished from "Sprinklers" because the method of irrigating with sprinklers during germination is sometimes different than when the crop is established.  This distinction allow the user to set different levels of uniformity or application rate for sprinklers used in the germination and the establishment phase of the crop.  

Significant rainfall events (more than 0.25 inches) recorded at the CIMIS station associated with the ranch, are automatically entered into the irrigation summary table if no other irrigation events were added for the same day.   For cases where significant rainfall is recorded near the planting but not measured by the CIMIS station, one can manually enter the rainfall event by selecting “Rainfall."  

Figure 3. Form for entering new irrigation events for a planting.

After saving the new watering, the form will update with a recommended amount and time to irrigate, and display a space to enter the amount of water that was applied (Fig. 4).   One can save the form without entering the applied water amount, and after irrigating, enter the amount of water applied.  Also, one can enter the amount of water intended to be applied and reenter the value after the irrigation is completed.  The amount of applied water can be entered as depth of water applied over the area of the field in units of “inches”, or as time (hours) irrigated, which is converted to inches of water applied using the application rate of the irrigation system.   If rainfall was selected, then enter the rainfall depth in units of “inches.”

Figure 4. Irrigation form updates with recommended water amount after entering the irrigation date and saving.

After selecting “Save Watering” the table will be updated with the new irrigation event (Fig. 5).  The table displays the recommended irrigation interval, amount of water to apply, and hours to irrigate (Fig. 5).  The next column to the right displays the amount of water that was applied.  Note that no entry was made for the last watering on 9/18 since the irrigation had not occurred yet.   The user can add this information later, or change or delete the irrigation event.  The next columns display the estimated crop coefficient (Kc) used to convert reference ET to crop ET, and the estimated canopy cover of the crop, used for modeling the Kc values.  The last 2 columns on the right display the average daily reference ET and total crop ET since the last irrigation event (Fig. 5).        

Figure 5. The irrigation summary table displays recommended irrigation interval, water amount, and hours to irrigate as well as crop coefficient and reference ET values used for the recommendation.

Figure 6. Selecting “next columns” will also display precipitation and other data used for estimating the water needs of the crop. 

Selecting the “Show Next Columns” button above the table to the right side, will display cumulative reference evapotranspiration (ETo), cumulative crop evapotranspiration, precipitation, and other data used for estimating the crop water needs.  Selecting the “Show Next Columns” button again will display information of the estimated root depth of the crop, allowable soil moisture depletion, and flow meter data if one is used to measure applied water.  

One can customize the column order of the table by clicking on a column heading with the mouse curser and dragging the heading to a new location on the table (Fig. 7).  Clicking on previous order button will rearrange the columns to the original order.  Additionally, one can temporarily hide specific columns from the table by clicking on the “Show/Hide columns” button.

Figure 7. The order of the columns can be changed by dragging the column heading to a new location.

CropManage Workshop

Monterey County Agricultural Center Conference Room

 1432 Abbott St, Salinas CA 93901

Thursday, May 1^st 2014

(8:30 am – 12 pm)

We will offer a hands-on training to learn in depth about the features of CropManage, a free decision support tool for water and nitrogen management of coastal crops.  In addition to head and romaine lettuce, CropManage now supports broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and strawberries.  

This training will provide an opportunity to learn how to use CropManage for improving the efficiency of your farming operations or for adding value to your consulting services.  We will provide in depth hands-on training so that you can learn step-by-step how to navigate and use CropManage for assisting with fertilizer and water management decisions and record keeping. Wi-Fi internet access is available at our conference room so please bring a laptop or tablet computer so that you can follow along as we tour through the features of the software.   There should be sufficient time to answer questions as we cover the following topics: 

Agenda:

8:30 – 9:00 Registration and Refreshments

9:00 – 9:30 Introduction to CropManage

9:30-10:15 Getting started with CropManage

10:15  (Break)

10:30 – 11:15 Using CropManage for decision support and record keeping

11:15- 11:45 Navigating around and advanced features

11:45-12:00  Discussion of new features or changes needed.

To keep the group size manageable so that we can provide individual help, we would like to limit the workshop to 30 participants.  If you have attended previous workshops and or feel proficient in using the on-line tool, then you are welcome to just attend the second half of the workshop (10:30-12 pm).  Whether or not you plan to attend the entire or part of the workshop, please RSVP in advance by sending an email to larriaga@ucdavis.edu or mdcahn@ucdavis.edu with the subject heading “CropManage workshop” and let us know the number of participants in your group.  We will email you a confirmation. Thank you, and I hope to see you soon.

Respectfully,

Michael Cahn, Irrigation and Water Resources Advisor

Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties