Tag: drought

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

Posted on May 24, 2017October 17, 2017 by torodriptips

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.

Western Water Rights and Policy this Week on The Water Zone

Posted on May 2, 2016May 5, 2016 by torodriptips

This Thursday, May 5th, at 6p.m. PST on The Water Zone Radio Show, tune in for an extra special agriculture

The Water Zone Radio Show, Hosted by Toro Irrigation, to Focus on Water Issues in California Agriculture

Posted on September 9, 2015November 22, 2017 by torodriptips

This Thursday, September 10th, “The Water Zone” radio show, hosted by Toro, will focus on California’s agricultural industry and efforts to save water amid the historic drought. Guests include Deputy Cabinet Secretary and Senior Advisor to California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Jr., and Manager of the San Luis Canal Company, among others.

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.

One Arizona Farmer Conserving Water with Subsurface Drip Irrigation

Posted on August 4, 2015November 4, 2020 by torodriptips

Farmers in central Arizona are working together to protect a precious resource that flows through their land. The Verde River supplies every drop of water they use for irrigation, and everything else in their lives. As the drought swallows up lakes and rivers across the West, Verde Valley farmers are embracing new and old technology to ensure their water supply doesn’t dry up. Arizona Public Radio’s Aaron Granillo reports.

The Hausers are a farming family. They’ve been harvesting and selling pumpkins, alfalfa, and sweet corn for generations. The youngest member in this long line of farmers is 26-year-old Zach.

“My great, great, great grandparents started in Iowa, eventually moved to Phoenix,” says Hauser. “My dad and grandfather farmed this, and then I just kind of followed in their footsteps.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

California Drought Update: Governor Directs First Ever Statewide Mandatory Water Reductions

Posted on April 2, 2015October 26, 2020 by torodriptips

Following the lowest snowpack ever recorded and with no end to the California drought in sight, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced actions to save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state’s drought response and invest in new technologies that will make California more drought resilient.

“Today we are standing on dry grass where there should be five feet of snow. This historic drought demands unprecedented action,” said Governor Brown. “Therefore, I’m issuing an executive order mandating substantial water reductions across our state. As Californians, we must pull together and save water in every way possible.”

Farming Faces a “New World” with Research, Subsurface Drip Irrigation and Data

Posted on December 17, 2014December 17, 2014 by torodriptips

With new technologies and new research on everything from moisture sensors to subsurface drip irrigation to new apps for smartphones, it’s a whole new world for farming. And since nothing drives home the importance of improving irrigation efficiency like a four-year drought, farmers are looking to technology and efficient farming practices to maximize yield and minimize resources, such as water and fertilizer.