Category: California Drought

Drip Irrigation Benefits Crops, Water and Habitat for California Farmer

During times of water scarcity, like California’s recent drought, it’s tempting to take on a binary view of the world.  This was definitely the case with agriculture, which appeared to be at odds with everyone: farms vs. fish, farm vs. cities, farms vs. regulators.  As a dominant water user in the state, they were easy targets.

But when one digs deeper, it’s obvious that many in the agricultural community want to move beyond this debate and do things differently. Yes growing food and fiber takes water, but there are plenty of farmers laser-focused on improving irrigation efficiency, maximizing multi-benefit solutions and striking a balance between growing crops and preserving the environment.

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New Episode of The Water Zone Ag Podcast: Ag Irrigation in Post-Drought California

This Thursday, June 1st, at 6p.m. PST on The Water Zone Radio Show, tune in for an extra special Ag episode hosted by ag irrigation veterans, Inge Bisconer and Paul McFadden.

On this week’s episode of The Water Zone Ag, Inge and Paul host Secretary Karen Ross, Secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. They’ll explore water-use in post-drought California, and what ag irrigation in California looks like going forward.

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Attend the 2016 Drought Summit during the Irrigation Show

While 2016 brought some relief to the Western drought, many areas are still experiencing historic water shortages, with no reprieve in sight. From the Colorado River to Lake Mead, water supplies are shrinking while demand increases, thus driving water users to look elsewhere for their water, in many cases underground.

Last year, the Irrigation Association hosted the first drought summit in conjunction with the 2015 Irrigation Show and Education Conference in Long Beach, California. We are excited to not only hold our second summit in Las Vegas, Nevada, but also partner with the National Ground Water Association for the 2016 Drought Summit.

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Western Water Rights and Policy this Week on The Water Zone

This Thursday, May 5th, at 6p.m. PST on The Water Zone Radio Show, tune in for an extra special agriculture episode hosted by Inge Bisconer and Paul McFadden.  They’ll talk to two of the foremost experts on Western water issues, including water policy and water rights. Listen online: Via TuneIn Radio App | kcaaradio.com Listen on-air: NBC News Radio KCAA 1050 AM | KCAA 106.5 FM The ongoing drought plaguing the Western United States has brought to light how we use water in our lives, industry, agriculture and environment.  The social and political issues surrounding water use are many—and extremely nuanced. On this week’s episode of The Water Zone Radio Show, we’ll talk to Rita Sudman, former Executive Director of the Water Education Foundation, and co-author of Water: More or Less.  In her book, she and co-author Stephanie Taylor paint a stunning and thought-provoking picture of contemporary water issues, the

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New Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology connects Growers with Solutions

“In an era of diminishing natural and human resources and growing regulatory and marketplace demands, the future of agriculture depends on technology,” says Tom Nassif, president and chief executive officer for Western Growers Association (WGA), which is working to connect high technology and the soil through a facility based in America’s salad bowl.

The new Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT), which opened late last year at Salinas, Calif., is a technology incubator aimed at bringing innovative entrepreneurs together with farmers to facilitate creative solutions to the biggest challenges facing agriculture.

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Water Use Efficiency in Alfalfa on The Water Zone

Alfalfa’s been getting a bad rap lately, thanks in part to the drought currently affecting much of the western United States. This Thursday, January 14th, at 6p.m. PST on The Water Zone Radio Show, join special guest-hosts Inge Bisconer and Paul McFadden as they discuss water use efficiency in alfalfa.

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The Water Zone: How California Agriculture is being Modernized

Toro Micro-Irrigation’s Inge Bisconer and Claude Corcos will guest-host tonight’s episode of “The Water Zone” radio show. On tonight’s show, they’ll take a closer look at how research and funding is helping to modernize California agriculture.

Tune in at 6:00pm PST as they discuss the latest research in water technology in agriculture with Becky Phene, a leading irrigation expert and University of California research associate. They’ll also talk to Carolyn Cook, and Environmental Scientist and California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Liaison to the Climate Change Consortium, about the recent announcement that the CDFA will be awarding $16 million in grant funding for agriculture operations throughout California.

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CDFA: $16 Million SWEEP Funding for CA Water Saving Projects

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has announced that another $16 million in State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) funding has been released for projects within California. The CDFA will be accepting applications immediately, and will continue receiving applications until Friday, January 8, 2016 at 5:00p.m. PST.

The funding will provide financial assistance to implement irrigation systems that reduce greenhouse gases and save water at California agricultural operations. The funding is made available through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, from proceeds of California’s Cap‐and‐Trade program.

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Staples Irrigation Efficiency Program Update

Get in touch with Staples Energy ASAP about any projects that save energy and use less water – projects must be approved by PG&E and installed by November 30th. There’s still time to get these incentives if you act fast.

The Irrigation Efficiency Program is offered by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) in collaboration with Staples Energy to help growers achieve both energy and water savings through more efficient irrigation equipment.

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Water Technology and The California Drought Summit

On July 10, 2015, Toro Micro-Irrigation was invited by Governor Brown to attend the “Water Technology and The California Drought Summit” at CalEPA headquarters.

The 2015 Summit on Water Technology and the California Drought explored existing and upcoming technologies that can be more broadly deployed to strengthen California’s drought resiliency.

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