Lethbridge Polytechnic's Mueller Irrigation Research Group (MIRG) has released Irrimap, a free, web-based program that calculates evapotranspiration (ET) for crop and hay fields using public data.

The tool, available at www.irrimap.ca, runs on phones, laptops and other devices. It gives producers, agronomists and researchers field-level water-use figures to inform irrigation scheduling. Funding came from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) through researcher Evan Derdall's work, and from AAFC and the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture via the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership.

What does the tool actually measure?

Irrimap quantifies evapotranspiration, the combined loss of water from soil evaporation and plant transpiration. Michael Kehoe, research scientist at MIRG, framed the science: "Evapotranspiration is a major component of the water cycle, part evaporation which is a physical process and part transpiration which is when plants emit water vapour from their leaves as they photosynthesize."

Tracking ET is the entry point to soil moisture budgeting. As Kehoe added: "Measuring ET is important to determine soil moisture levels, giving producers, agronomists and researchers the information they need to make decisions on irrigation duration, amounts and more."

Why does precision irrigation matter now?

Input cost inflation is squeezing margins on irrigated acres across southern Alberta, where Lethbridge Polytechnic sits, and across Saskatchewan. Willemijn Appels, senior research chair at MIRG, put the economic case bluntly: "The importance and value of precision agriculture is growing as input costs increase, driving down margins for producers."

Appels added that Irrimap slots into broader precision farming stacks: "Irrimap is an important tool that can be used to optimize growth and crop potential through variable rate irrigation and other precision, data-based technologies."

How will farmers use it?

The platform offers three practical entry points:

• Pull ET totals for selected areas from public datasets.
• Generate crop water-use insights for the current growth stage.
• Feed those figures into variable rate irrigation prescriptions, alongside soil and yield data layers.

Users only need an internet-connected browser. The tool does not require new sensors or hardware purchases, which lowers the cost barrier for smaller farms.

Where does the data come from?

Irrimap runs on public datasets channelled through AAFC-supported research. The Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture's involvement through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership signals provincial interest in scaling water-use efficiency tools for Prairie producers. The platform extends the federal-provincial cost-share framework that has backed on-farm stewardship programming in recent years.

What does the launch change for field decisions?

For irrigation operators, daily ET figures drive decisions on duration and depth. Appels made the operational pitch directly: Irrimap helps producers "optimize growth and crop potential through variable rate irrigation and other precision, data-based technologies."

The free, browser-based layer removes the upfront cost of integrating that data into weekly irrigation planning, opening precision scheduling to growers without capital budgets for weather stations.

What to watch next

Producers and agronomists should test Irrimap at www.irrimap.ca through the 2025 growing season and track uptake across Alberta and Saskatchewan, where MIRG does most of its fieldwork. Watch for added crops, additional regional coverage and any data-layer integrations as MIRG expands the project. AAFC and Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture updates on Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership funding calls will signal where the tool's backers push next.