What is a pilot block?
One block on your ranch, instrumented pump to plant, read every five seconds for a season, and answered in plain language. You run the irrigation; the sensors verify.
If the block earns it, the ranch comes next. How a pilot works →
How long does it take?
One season. The install is days, not weeks — you get the real number after the walk.
At season’s end you get the record — dates, stations, units — and a straight read of what it said. How a pilot works →
How is it priced?
Per block, per season, scoped after we’ve walked your water path. We don’t publish a price list.
The hardware is leased and maintained by us — you never buy equipment. Ask, and you’ll get a straight number. How a pilot works →
What do I need to provide?
A block, access to the pump and the tape, Wi-Fi reach or a spot for a gateway, and one person we can ask questions.
ADAMS runs on solar, so no mains power in the field. How a pilot works →
Who installs it, and who fixes it?
We do, with someone from the ranch walking the block with us.
The hardware stays ours to maintain and replace — if a station fails, that’s our problem, not yours. How a pilot works →
Does it control my irrigation?
No. Recommendations arrive as work orders with the reasoning attached. You decide and run the valves. Nothing runs without a human.
Agents acting through hardware is ahead, at the grower’s pace. How a pilot works →
Which crops, and where?
Strawberries in California now — the live block is at Reservoir Farms, Salinas. Lettuce in Arizona from October.
Other crops: tell us, and we’ll tell you straight whether we’re ready. How a pilot works →
Is my block too small, or my ranch too big?
A pilot is one block, whatever the ranch. Four sensor sets per acre is the floor, six preferred; how small a block can be is something we work out with you.
From one block to the whole ranch is the point. How a pilot works →
Can I see it before I commit?
Yes. The real screens from Reservoir Farms are on the Mickey page. A short call answers most questions.
A visit to the block in Salinas can be arranged. How a pilot works →
What happens after the season?
You keep the record; it lives on the farm. If the block earned it, we scope the next blocks together.
If it didn’t, we’ll say so — and you’ll know more about your water path than you did. How a pilot works →
Can Franky come to my block?
Franky is a prototype, learning the rows at Reservoir Farms. If you’d like it to try a few rows on your block, say so.
We’re open to a test run, at your pace, with a person on hand. How a pilot works →
How many sensors does a block need?
We deploy in sets, not single probes. Four sets per acre or block is the floor; six is where we like to be for the full picture.
How does it connect?
Wi-Fi. Wherever we can, we ride the farm’s own network — it keeps the cost down and lets us sample fast — and we drop in a gateway where it’s needed.
How often does it read?
Every few seconds — fast enough to watch the water move, not just arrive.
Where does my data live?
On the farm, by default. It’s the grower’s data — it lives locally and they own it.
Will my data be shared?
Only if you choose to. Your data is yours.
Which AI do you use?
We’re not tied to any one AI. The model isn’t the point — organizing the farm’s data so any model can reason over it well, that's the point.
Still have a question? The field is open.
Ask a question we missed → Book a pilot block How a pilot works