How to Deploy IoT Sensor Monitoring for Agriculture and Soil Management

As the global demand for food continues to rise and climate change adds complexity to every growing season, agribusinesses are turning to data-driven solutions to do more with less. Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks are leading the charge, offering real-time insights into soil health, weather conditions, crop performance, and equipment usage.

Here’s the reality:

Up to 60% of water used in irrigation is wasted due to runoff, evaporation, or overwatering.

For modern farmers and agricultural consultants, it’s an opportunity.

With properly deployed sensor networks, you can reduce water consumption, increase crop yields, automate key agricultural operations, and satisfy sustainability mandates.

In this guide, we look at the role IoT plays in modern agriculture and walk you through everything you need to know to select, install, and operate a resilient, efficient IoT monitoring system.

What is an IoT-Based Agriculture Monitoring System?

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An Internet of Things (IoT)-based agriculture monitoring system leverages a network of connected sensors and devices to gather real-time data on key environmental and crop conditions, including soil moisture, temperature, and humidity.

This information is transmitted via the internet for analysis, allowing farmers to make data-driven decisions and automate tasks such as irrigation.

Why IoT in Agriculture is the Secret to Smart Farming

With the rise of IoT in agriculture, farming is becoming more intelligent, efficient, and responsive than ever. Enabling real-time crop monitoring and connecting automated irrigation systems allows farmers to respond instantly to changing field conditions and shift from guesswork to data-driven decision-making.

Combining precision farming techniques with powerful data analytics, agribusinesses are now able to optimize inputs, reduce waste, and unlock higher yields across every acre.

Connected devices are enabling farmers in a number of key areas that include:

1. Water Usage Efficiency and Yield Optimization

Water is among the most precious and costly resources in agriculture. IoT sensors, especially soil moisture probes, deliver granular insights into when and where to irrigate, helping you:

• Eliminate overwatering and underwatering

• Optimize irrigation cycles by soil zone

• Improve root development and crop consistency

2. Real-Time Soil, Environmental, and Crop Monitoring

Weather stations and environmental sensors integrated with your IoT technology platform allow you to track key metrics like:

• Rainfall and evaporation rates

• Temperature and humidity levels

• Soil temperature, pH, and soil quality

These data points offer valuable insights into underlying environmental factors that impact crop health. Monitoring conditions in real-time allows farmers to make informed decisions about planting, pesticide application, and harvesting schedules, thereby improving outcomes through proactive management.

3. Compliance with ESG and Sustainability Goals

Many governments, retailers, and agribusiness buyers now demand proof of sustainability. IoT sensor data can be used to demonstrate:

• Water conservation practices

• Reduced emissions from machinery use

• Efficient use of fertilizers and chemicals
  
  

4 Simple Steps to Smarter Farming

Step 1: Choose the Right Sensors for Your Use Case

Choosing the right mix of sensors lays the groundwork for effective farm monitoring and crop management. In smart agriculture, these tools act as the foundation for real-time decision making. From tracking soil moisture to monitoring microclimates, smart agriculture sensors provide the data needed to optimize irrigation, reduce input waste, and boost crop yields.

When evaluating agriculture IoT devices, it is important to consider your specific use case, whether it is managing row crops, orchards, pastures, or remote irrigation systems. Look for sensors that offer durability, compatibility with your data loggers, and the ability to scale as your operation grows. With the right IoT devices, smart farming becomes possible and highly profitable.

Here are the most commonly deployed sensors in precision agriculture:

Soil Moisture Sensors

Soil moisture probes are foundational to any precision irrigation strategy. Install sensors at multiple depths (e.g., 15cm and 45cm) to measure water availability throughout the root zone.

The Hawk Pro IoT Data Logger is the perfect partner for soil moisture sensors, providing real-time moisture tracking, SMS alerts, and seamless API integration. Designed for rugged field conditions, the Hawk enables precise monitoring of soil health, crop growth, and soil quality, empowering farmers to make timely irrigation decisions that enhance yield and conserve resources.

The Hawk is a robust plug-and-play IoT data logger and sensor hub designed to support an extensive range of sensor integrations. Explore the full list of compatible sensors. 

Key benefits include:

• Flexible I/O architecture offers near-limitless sensor integrations

• Integrates with Bluetooth®, SDI-12, 1-Wire, 4-20mA,RS-485, RS-232, Analog Inputs, Digital Inputs, Pulse Counting, Switched Power and more

• Available in several power and housing variations

• Cellular LTE-M (Cat-M1) and NB-IoT Connectivity

Temperature and Humidity Sensors

Monitor ambient and soil temperature to guide planting schedules, detect frost risk, and optimize greenhouse conditions.

Ideal for:

• Greenhouses and nurseries

• Horticulture crops

• Beekeeping (internal hive monitoring)

Tip: Pair with the Hawk + solar to enable year-round, off-grid monitoring.

Rain Gauges and Weather Stations

Weather variability is a key driver of crop performance. A local station provides more accurate data than public forecasts.

Benefits:

• Track microclimate conditions

• Predict disease risk

• Optimize spraying schedules

GPS Tracking for Equipment and Livestock

Track the location, usage, and condition of machinery, vehicles, and even livestock.

Recommended devices:

Barra Edge: This compact and rugged battery-powered GPS tracker with magnetic activation and tamper detection is the perfect choice for cost-effective indoor/outdoor asset tracking.

Manta Fusion – This rugged battery-powered GPS tracker and Bluetooth® Gateway with magnetic activation and tamper detection is a proven performer for asset tracking and wireless condition monitoring.

Sensor Checklist

Before purchasing your chosen sensors, make sure they are:

• Compatible with chosen IoT device (e.g. SDI-12, RS485 Modbus, 4-20mA, Analog etc.)

• IP67+ rating for water and dust resistance

• Low power consumption or compatible with Hawk power supply

• Calibrated for your soil type or crop environment

Step 2: Deploy Your IoT Sensor Network

Once you've selected the right mix of sensors and agriculture IoT devices, the next step is getting them into the field strategically and securely. A successful deployment involves understanding your farm’s layout, power needs, and connectivity options.

Proper placement and configuration are critical to capturing reliable data that drives informed decisions in smart agriculture.

Here's how to set your network up for long-term success.

Connectivity in Rural Areas

Choose the right communication protocol based on location and available infrastructure:

Powering Remote Devices

Powering remote devices in off-grid agricultural environments requires reliable, low-maintenance solutions. The Hawk Pro IoT Data Logger is designed with this in mind, offering up to 10 years of battery life depending on configuration. For extended field deployments, it supports solar panel integration to maintain consistent power. The Hawk also features external power inputs, making it ideal for use with active sensors that require a continuous energy supply.

For more technical specs, view the Hawk Pro Datasheet.

Step 3: Integrate with Digital Matter Solutions

Once hardware is in the field, data needs to be centralized, visualized, and acted upon. That's where Digital Matter steps in.

Use Device Manager for Centralized Monitoring

All Digital Matter devices connect to Device Manager, a cloud-based Device Management Platform that provides visibility and control over your Digital Matter devices and ensures that they continue to perform at their best for longer.

Device Manager features:

• Device configuration and health status

• Data logging intervals and transmission schedules

• Firmware updates and remote diagnostics

Setup Alerts and Thresholds

Avoid information overload by setting actionable alerts:

• Soil moisture below 20% → SMS or email alert

• Rainfall > 10mm in 2 hours → Pause irrigation

• Battery voltage drop → Maintenance required

Step 4: Monitor, Analyze, and Automate Your Farm

With your IoT sensor network deployed and integrated, the next step is turning raw data into actionable insights. Step 4 is where the power of smart agriculture truly comes to life, allowing you to monitor, analyze, and automate key operations across your farm.

From moisture trends to weather events, having access to real-time information enables faster decisions and smarter resource use.

Real-Time Dashboards

Real-time dashboards are the control center of your smart farming solution, giving you a clear, visual snapshot of field conditions across multiple zones all in one place.

By pairing Hawk IoT Data Loggers with soil moisture sensors and other environmental inputs, you can monitor variables like soil moisture levels, temperature, humidity, and rainfall as they change throughout the day. These dashboards enable you to quickly identify problem areas, assess soil quality, and respond proactively to shifting conditions.

Whether you're managing irrigation schedules, tracking crop stress, or comparing historical trends, real-time dashboards turn raw sensor data into insights you can act on instantly right from your phone, tablet, or desktop.

Trigger-Based Automation

One of the most powerful advantages of IoT in agriculture is the ability to automate critical processes based on real-time data. Connecting your IoT devices to irrigation controllers, pumps, or other on-farm systems can create intelligent, trigger-based workflows that respond instantly to changing conditions in the field.

For example, you can configure the system to auto-start pumps when topsoil moisture drops below 15%, ensuring crops receive water exactly when they need it. Watering schedules can be adjusted dynamically based on forecasted rainfall, helping to conserve water and prevent over-irrigation.

Frost protection systems can also be activated automatically when temperature sensors detect conditions that could threaten crops. These smart automation rules not only save time and labor but also reduce resource waste and boost overall responsiveness, helping farmers stay ahead of weather events and environmental stressors.

Agricultural Monitoring in Action

Enhancing Environmental Monitoring with Peak HydroMet

The Challenge

Peak HydroMet Solutions, an environmental monitoring specialist based in British Columbia, needed a data logger capable of withstanding harsh climates, offering consistent, reliable data, and integrating easily with a wide range of sensors. Their projects included soil moisture tracking, water-level sensing, salinity detection, and climate station installations, each requiring a flexible, rugged IoT solution that could scale across diverse environmental applications.

The Solution

Digital Matter’s Hawk IoT Data Logger was selected for its modular design, robust build quality, and ease of integration. Its plug-in I/O card architecture supports SDI-12, analog, digital, RS‑485, and more, allowing Peak HydroMet to use both off-the-shelf and custom sensors tailored to each project.

The Hawk also proved its reliability in extreme Canadian winters and across multiple installations, such as weather stations, soil moisture probes, and water-quality monitors.

The Result

Deploying the Hawk significantly enhanced Peak HydroMet’s operations:

• Reliable Data Capture: Even in extreme weather, the Hawk delivered consistent, accurate measurements.

• Improved Efficiency: Automated, remote data collection reduced manual site visits and reporting lag.

• Cost-Effective Scaling: Versatile sensor compatibility allowed service expansion without costly new hardware.

According to Andy Nadler, Founder and Consulting Agricultural Meteorologist at Peak HydroMet:

“The Hawk delivers data that is not only timely but exceptionally accurate, ensuring that irrigation management is both effective and efficient.”

The Future of Beekeeping – iBuzz2 Project

The Challenge

Bee colony collapse remains one of the most perplexing problems in apiculture, often influenced by environmental stressors, hive disturbances, and insufficient real-time monitoring. The University of Southampton’s iBuzz2 team needed to develop a non-invasive, remote monitoring system to provide deeper insights into hive health, especially during critical periods like winter, without risking disruption to bee behavior.

The Solution

The researchers deployed the Hawk Pro IoT Data Logger within beehives, integrating multiple smart agriculture sensors to monitor movement, temperature, weight, and structural integrity. They used infrared sensors at hive entrances, roof-mounted weight scales to track food consumption, accelerometers for tilt detection, and several temperature sensors to monitor internal and external conditions. The Hawk’s ability to buffer data during server downtime ensured no critical information was lost, making it ideal for remote deployments.

The Result

The iBuzz2 system provided continuous, remote visibility into hive conditions via an online portal, significantly reducing disturbances and travel to remote sites, especially during winter months. Its multi-sensor capability enabled a richer dataset, leading to actionable insights into stress factors and colony health.

This data has informed better conservation measures and early-warning strategies, helping protect bee populations and guide future breeding initiatives.

Best Practices & Tips for Ongoing Success

To get the most value from your IoT sensor network, it is important to go beyond installation and actively manage your system over time.

These best practices and tips will help ensure long-term accuracy, battery efficiency, and consistent performance so your smart agriculture solution continues to deliver reliable, actionable insights season after season.

• Calibrate seasonally: Soil properties change between wet and dry seasons; recalibrate sensors for accuracy.

• Use cloud-based scheduling: Reduces data usage and prolongs device battery life.

• Create irrigation zones: Map your fields into distinct zones and deploy sensors strategically for localized data.

• Perform maintenance checks: Quarterly inspection of sensors, batteries, and solar panels avoids downtime during critical growing periods.

• Label and document every sensor: Keep track of sensor type, depth, calibration date, and last service check.
  
  

The Future of IoT in Agriculture

The future of IoT in agriculture is accelerating through smarter, more connected ecosystems powered by advanced IoT solutions. Smart solutions are becoming more affordable, and connectivity is improving, which is now allowing small-scale farms to benefit from scalable, data-driven tools.

Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and agricultural robots are set to enhance predictive analytics, automate labor-intensive tasks, and improve decision-making across all farm operations. Tomorrow's farms will deploy end-to-end smart farming solutions that respond in real time to changing conditions.

As these systems evolve, data security will also become a top priority ensuring that sensitive operational data remains protected while delivering reliable, actionable insights that boost productivity and sustainability across the agricultural sector.

Leveraging Smart Farming Technologies for Precision Agriculture

IoT sensor networks are transforming agriculture from reactive to predictive. With real-time insights and automated alerts, farms can make smarter decisions that drive measurable results.

Key takeaways from this guide:

• Reduce input costs by optimizing water and nutrient use

• Improve crop quality through precision environmental monitoring

• Comply with sustainability reporting using verifiable data

• Scale from one plot to an entire farm with Digital Matter’s rugged, modular solutions
  
  

Ready to get started?

Digital Matter makes it easy to deploy reliable, rugged, and scalable IoT solutions for agriculture. Whether you’re looking to monitor soil moisture, automate irrigation, or track assets across your farm, our advanced hardware like the Hawk, Yabby Edge, Barra Edge and Manta Fusion integrates seamlessly with your existing systems.

Backed by flexible connectivity options and powerful cloud tools, we help farms of all sizes turn data into smarter decisions.

Contact us today to discover how Digital Matter can help you transform your operation with precision, sustainability, and peace of mind.