Mar 23, 2022Irrigation startup CODA Farm Technologies partners with Kifco Ag-Rain Water-Reels
Traveling irrigation system manufacturer Kifco and CODA Farm Technologies have formed a partnership to bring CODA’s FarmHQ retrofit cellular device and mobile app that provide real-time remote monitoring and control, including automatic pump shutdown, to Kifco Ag-Rain Water-Reels.
Under the partnership, Kifco will offer FarmHQ as a pre-installed option on their new water reels. Kifco will also work with its network of dealers and sales representatives in North America to sell FarmHQ to current users of Kifco Ag-Rain Water-Reels.
A universal retrofit option, FarmHQ is a small cellular device and app that lets users of irrigation reels and pumps upgrade their irrigation equipment with one simple installation and put them all on the same monitoring and control system, providing significant financial savings and less stress. FarmHQ works anywhere a smartphone does and provides status updates in real time. Compatible with all irrigation reels regardless of size or age, it instantly updates equipment with brand new features.
Once farmers complete the easy installation, FarmHQ constantly monitors the status and speed of their irrigation reels: tracking run progress, watching for equipment failures, and letting them know when problems occur. When the reel stops retracting for any reason, FarmHQ automatically sends a shutdown signal to the pump. The FarmHQ mobile app and online dashboard gives farmers easy access to this status information and detailed irrigation records.
“We’re excited to partner with a respected and trusted name in irrigation like Kifco to bring our technology to more farmers, and help them save money and stress,” said David Wallace, CEO of CODA Farm Technologies. “Based on the huge demand we’ve seen for FarmHQ from farmers who want to simplify their irrigation work, it was clear that working with an industry leader like Kifco was the right step. With this new partnership, we are building a foundation to grow our customer base and product offerings in the years to come.”
FarmHQ devices installed on irrigation reels and pumps provide a 400% to 1,500% annual return on investment through savings on labor, water, fuel and prevented crop damage. Each FarmHQ system saves up to $15,000 per season by preventing damage to high-value crops, eliminates up to 75 hours of labor, decreases energy costs by up to $650, and conserves up to 500,000 gallons of water each year.
CODA Farm Technologies’ FarmHQ devices are already on farms across eight different states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. In the 2021 irrigation season, the company’s devices monitored over 16,500 irrigated acres, saved approximately 21 million gallons of water, and prevented countless accidental flooding events that would have caused costly damage to customers’ crops.
In January, CODA Farm Technologies announced a $2.2 million investment round led by Lowercarbon Capital, with Voyager Capital, Arnold Venture Group and Will Canine, co-founder of Opentrons Labworks, as the other major participants.
CODA Farm Technologies was founded by brothers Connor and David Wallace, third-generation potato farmers in Washington’s Skagit Valley.
Top: The CODA Farm Technologies founding team from left to right: Connor Wallace, CTO; Gabe Martin, lead hardware engineer; David Wallace, CEO; Dan Oschrin, lead software engineer. Photo: CODA Farm Technologies
