Lumo, the California-based smart irrigation company launched by CEO and Founder Devon Wright and his team just two years ago, knew it had something to offer winegrowers in terms of revolutionizing the way agriculture could be done.
Now, within that very short time frame, Lumo can say with utmost confidence that its cutting-edge technology and accountable irrigation practices are having a verifiable and positive effect on bottom line financials at a time when the wine industry needs it most.
“From day one at Lumo, we’ve known that irrigation automation, first and foremost, needs to make financial sense for the grower,” affirms Steele Roddick, Lumo’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager. “As a company and a team we are relentlessly focused on seamlessly integrating our technology into the day-to-day operations of growers and holding ourselves accountable for delivering real results.”
Roddick emphasized that the costs savings from using Lumo’s Lumo One smart valves and other supporting technologies comes from five critical areas:
- Irrigation Labor and Overhead/Administrative Costs – automating irrigation runs eliminates the need for workers to drive to ranches to manually open and close valves. Irrigation labor needs can be reduced by as much as 90 percent.
- Reduced Pumping Costs – Growers save water by Lumo catching leaks automatically, shifting to nighttime irrigation and watering with greater precision, based on specific volumes.
- Off Peak Energy Use Savings – Irrigations can be scheduled in advance to execute at any time of day or night. By shifting to off peak hours, some vintners have saved between 20-30 percent on their energy bills alone.
- Crop Quality and Yield Improvement – The ability to irrigate faster ahead of heat waves can significantly reduce yield loss. Closing the feedback loop with accurate water usage data and fine-tuning irrigation with greater precision can have a positive impact on fruit quality, estimated at between 3-10 percent.
- Equipment Maintenance Savings – Lumo helps diagnose performance issues with irrigations systems before they become bigger problems. Being able to analyze irrigation maintenance based on the distribution of water between blocks allows vineyard managers to pinpoint exactly where maintenance efforts need to be focused first.
“Accountable irrigation is about knowing exactly how much water you’re applying to your crops in real time and over time,” Roddick explains. “Growers know irrigation is important; they know they need automation, but they’ve been underserved by tech providers in the industry to date. We’re working really hard to change that.”
Lumo is pleased to announce the reception of its official patent for Lumo One, the world’s first smart irrigation valve. The patent was approved within 60 days of application with no modifications required, a testament to the need for innovation in irrigation automation and the quality of the product Lumo brings to the marketplace.
In addition, Lumo has recently raised $7 million from Active Impact Investments and Fall Line Capital to help fund its ongoing research and development (R&D) projects and to continue expanding its go-to-market efforts.
Until June 30, growers can take advantage of Lumo’s try before you buy promotion, which allows new customers to deploy Lumo without having to commit to purchasing hardware until 2025. For more information or to request a demo, go to: https://lumo.ag.
