Tag: agriculture

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

Posted on April 14, 2016April 14, 2016 by torodriptips

“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.

Toro Ag to Host The Water Zone, Focus on Urban Agriculture

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2020 by torodriptips

On Thursday, November 19, Toro Ag’s Inge Bisconer and Paul McFadden will guest-host a very special episode of “The Water Zone” radio show, focusing on urban agriculture.

They’ll be speaking with some very special guests. Tune in Thursday at 6 p.m. PDT on NBC News Radio KCAA 1050 AM, KCAA 106.5 FM, or online at www.kcaaradio.com.

Agricultural Irrigation Technology Day on Capitol Hill

Posted on September 8, 2015 by torodriptips

Congressman Adrian Smith (Neb.), Congressman Jim Costa (Calif.) and members of the House Modern Agriculture Caucus hosted the first-ever agricultural irrigation technology day on July 22. The Irrigation Association sponsored the event, which consisted of a breakfast briefing and an evening reception.

VIDEO: Farming During Drought

Posted on July 17, 2015July 16, 2015 by torodriptips

In the following video, watch MSNBC’s Chris Hayes as he talks to Joe Del Bosque, a grower in California’s Central Valley, about farming during a drought.

Agriculture Irrigation Technology Transforming Farming

Posted on June 30, 2015November 25, 2020 by torodriptips

Madera County farmer Tom Rogers thought he knew a lot about how to irrigate his family’s 175-acre almond ranch. But several droughts, including the current four-year dry spell, made him reconsider his approach on how to get the most out of his ever-shrinking water supply.

For the last two years, Rogers has received no surface water, relying purely on groundwater wells to keep the ranch’s trees alive and producing.

Nothing is taken for granted on the Rogers’ farm, and nothing is wasted, especially water.

Farmer Solves Water Woes with Subsurface Drip Irrigation

Posted on June 10, 2015November 5, 2020 by torodriptips

When Jim Bahrenburg looks across the land he’s worked in the Monument and Kimberly areas, he sees buried treasure.

That treasure isn’t gold, but water.

Drawn from the North Fork John Day River, this water flows through small underground tubes to gradually irrigate blocks of land for crops. Starting on the North Fork Ranch in the Kimberly area, Bahrenburg said he first planted rye to choke out the thistles on what was just a neglected pasture, and then continued the transformation by planting row crops.

Today the land produces corn, onions, beets, peppers, squash and dill.

An estimated $10 Million in Grants Available for California Agriculture

Posted on May 27, 2015May 27, 2015 by torodriptips

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is now accepting applications for the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP), authorized by emergency drought legislation (Assembly Bill 91).

An estimated $10 million will be available for competitive grant funding to provide financial assistance to implement irrigation systems that reduce greenhouse gases and save water on California agricultural operations.

The funding is made available through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the proceeds of California’s greenhouse gas Cap and Trade program.

Staples 2015 Irrigation Efficiency Program

Posted on May 19, 2015November 18, 2020 by torodriptips

The Staples Irrigation Efficiency program will provide incentives to any irrigation design which can demonstrate energy/water savings. The program will offer almost unlimited possibilities for submitting savings for rebates instead of only two “deemed” projects with set values for incentives.

WATER EFFICIENCY EQUATION: Reducing Use Per Unit Gaining Traction

Posted on May 15, 2015November 18, 2020 by torodriptips

With California now firmly entrenched in its fourth drought year in a row, the irrigation industry is rightly focused on water efficiency.

Paul McFadden, who is senior sales manager for Toro Micro-Irrigation, El Cajon, CA, said while the focus is clear, that doesn’t always mean using less water. “It’s an equation: units of input vs. units of output.”

The Toro Company’s Commitment to Water Use Efficiency in Agriculture

Posted on May 12, 2015November 22, 2017 by torodriptips

While the drought in the Western U.S. has made water and resource use efficiency top-of-mind, Toro is proud of the various ways we practice and advocate for responsible crop irrigation. Here are some of the ways we’ve worked to improve water and resource-use efficiency in agriculture.

U.S. Company Helps Smallholder Farmers Fight Hunger Abroad

Posted on May 7, 2015 by torodriptips

Source: FeedtheFuture.gov Written by: Eduardo Mendías, Senior Market and Product Development Manager, Toro Micro-Irrigation Business Posted: May 1, 2015 The

Strawberry Fields … Forever

Posted on May 6, 2015June 3, 2016 by torodriptips

The video below is the latest segment in the Growing California video series, a partnership with California Grown. “Strawberry Fields…Forever” profiles a strawberry grower and his commitment to water efficiency.