What should my FieldStat targets be?
Tule’s best growers use the Season Summary Report to guide their decision.
The Tule 2022 Season Summary Reports are live! I love the reports for their agronomic overview of the annual cropping cycle. But did you know you can also use the Season Summary Reports to answer that perennial question: “What should my FieldStat targets be?”
FieldStat is Tule’s evapotranspiration-based water stress measurement. Growers set target levels of water stress for each irrigation block. FieldStat tells the grower if the block has too little water stress, too much water stress, or the desired amount of water stress.
Many of our customers ask us what water stress level is right for their blocks. Generally, we advise that it’s best to start with the business model for the block. If quality doesn’t nudge the crop price and yield is king, then growers should set the FieldStat targets to no stress or very low levels of stress. If the crop can fetch a better price with increased quality, like we see in some winegrape vineyards, then there is some amount of stress the grower wants the plants to experience.
But how much stress is the correct amount? And when is the right phenological window for the water stress? We tell growers the general range we see for their crop, production goal, and region. But farming is site-specific. General ranges can only go so far.
Our most agronomically sophisticated customers use their Season Summary Reports to set their targets. They set aside time each winter to plan their irrigation strategies for the next year. They review how their blocks performed with response to yield, quality, and response to heat events. Then, they examine the FieldStat chart on the Season Summary Report.
Did some of the crop get sunburned during the late summer heat wave? Consider setting your targets to less stress in the period running up to harvest.
Did my berry weights come in higher than expected? Consider lowering your FieldStat targets (i.e., aim for more stress) and drive more quality.
Were my kernel weights less than they’ve been in previous years? Consider raising the lower threshold of my FieldStat targets so the trees experience less water stress.
In this winegrape vineyard, the winemaker wanted smaller berries. For next season, the grower will decrease the FieldStat targets (i.e., aim for more water stress) to achieve lower berry weights.
There is a trove of other valuable agronomic information in the Season Summary Reports. You’ll find a historical review of your canopy size, summaries of your block’s Actual Evapotranspiration and irrigation applications, a comparison between your irrigation regime and the timing and amount of irrigation at similar fields in your area, winter soil water budgets, and more. At Tule, we provide our customers with valuable information for every stage of the annual cropping cycle.
Each fall when the reports are ready, our customers receive an email with directions for downloading them. Customers can access the report for last season and for previous seasons on the Web app. Watch this video to learn how to download the reports
We’re excited to share the latest Season Summary Reports with you!