Since the drought of 2012, water shortages have been an on-going issue. Amongst those affected, growers in the San Joaquin Valley are receiving only a 20 percent allocation, and it could get worse. Growers are concerned that the shortages could extend into 2014.
Sustainability is becoming a growing concern for individuals and big companies, alike. General Mills is just one example of a big company that has realized they have both a responsibility to promote efficient agricultural practices and an opportunity to maximize efficiency and productivity.
At Fortune‘s Brainstorm GREEN conference in Laguna Nigel, CA, General Mills CEO, Kendall Powell discussed the importance of sustainable agriculture and managing the global food supply. The entire transcript is available at cnn.com, but of special interest are his comments on drip irrigation, interest free loans, and rewarding growers who improve their efficiency and productivity.
In this Boise, ID news report, local grower, Bob McKellip shares how drip irrigation has helped him irrigate peppermint more efficiently. Plus, it helps preserve the Boise River. Click here to watch the video.
To learn more about Bob McKellip’s experience with drip irrigation, click here to check out our case study.
On May 15, UC Davis held its annual Alfalfa Field Day to discuss a number of topics, including pest management, varietal trials, and irrigation management. However, the highlight of the field day was the discussion on subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for alfalfa.
UC Davis Extension agronomist and forage specialist, Dan Putnam, provided the benefits and disadvantages of alfalfa on SDI and introduced a three year project that is currently looking at the water use, yield opportunities, and rodent management strategies associated with SDI. As part of this effort, UC Davis will launch an online sharing group to allow grower collaboration for SDI on alfalfa. More information can be found at http://alfalfa.ucdavis.edu/.
The following video shows Toro and local dealer, Dubois Agrinovation, installing a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system with pressure-compensating Aqua-Traxx® PC drip tape. SDI optimizes the production of field crops, such as corn and soybeans.
Recently, American Vegetable Grower (AVG) magazine sat down with Inge Bisconer, Toro Micro-Irrigation’s technical marketing and sales manager, and discussed the “Drip/Micro Payback Wizard,” a FREE online tool that helps growers estimate the cost of converting to drip irrigation. And since growers are in endless pursuit of cost efficiency and maximizing their crops’ yields, the tool is an excellent resource for growers looking for empirical data on how quickly a drip irrigation system will pay for itself.
As irrigated cotton acres continue to increase in the Southeast, growers are looking for the most efficient method of watering their crop, and they want to know how the cost of drip irrigation compares to the tried-and-true center pivot system.
Cutbacks on water delivery from the federal Central Valley Project has left farmers, like Ted Sheeley, looking for ways to cut their water use. Sheeley, who farms in the Huron area, western Kings County, and eastern Fresno County, has traditionally used flood and sprinkler irrigation, but with the water cutbacks, it is difficult to fulfill his processing tomato and cotton contracts. Sheeley has begun converting his flood and sprinkler irrigated fields to drip irrigation to optimize his water use and plans to be completely converted within 3 to 4 years.
Young Farmer, Kris Verett, didn’t plan on following in his father’s footsteps and becoming a farmer. But at 28, he joined the One-Ton Club at the Texas Gin Show in Lubbock for his drip irrigated cotton.
Verett contributes his success to Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI), good system management, and variety selection. His record yields were produced on two SDI irrigated 40-acre blocks with FM2989 and FM9170.
With the help of manufacturers, like Toro, and local dealers who design, install, and provide service and support, growers in the Midwest are finding out first-hand how subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems not only improve water- and fertilizer-use efficiency, but also provide higher yields. And as the drought continues to affect water supplies, the need for efficient irrigation practices becomes more apparent. Couple this with high crop prices to allow a quicker return on investment, there may be no better time to invest in drip.
In a recent article in No-Till Farmer, reporter John Dobberstein examined the benefits of subsurface drip irrigation for field crops (such as corn and soybeans) and interviewed several Midwest producers who are already seeing payoffs by switching to drip.