Agricultural water quality and food safety issues are important, and growers are finding that drip irrigation is a valuable tool to help solve their problems. Drip Irrigation Avoids Runoff – In fruit and vegetable row crop production, significant runoff often occurs during the first couple of weeks of production when sprinklers are used to germinate seed or set transplants. Much of this runoff is wasted and creates water quality problems in surface water supplies or in ground water supplies. Some producers are eliminating the need for sprinklers during the first few weeks of production by paying close attention to soil preparation techniques and drip tape selection to successfully germinate and/or set the crop with drip irrigation system that is typically only used for in-season irrigation. This practice prevents runoff and deep percolation, saves water and reduces sprinkler pipe and movement costs. Farm Irrigation Utilizing Drip Irrigation May Reduce the Presence