DripTips by Toro Ag

Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

Posted on September 19, 2013June 13, 2014 by torodriptips

Click here to download Toro’s official guide to Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI). For Spanish, click here.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation is a specialized sub-set of drip irrigation where dripline or drip tape “lateral lines” (tubes buried beneath the crop rows) and supply and flushing “submains” (pipes supplying water to the lateral lines) are buried beneath the soil surface for multi-year use. The technique of burying less expensive Bi-Wall drip tape laterals beneath field crops was pioneered in the American Southwest decades ago, and has since been implemented by researchers and growers alike. The SDI technique is now being used throughout the world on a wide range of grain forage and fiber crops including alfalfa, corn, cotton, soybeans and sugarcane. In addition to drip tape, thinwall integral driplines are commonly used as well.

Mint Farmers Save Water & Fertilizer with Drip Irrigation

Posted on September 17, 2013 by torodriptips

The first three Idaho farmers to use a drip irrigation system on mint fields reported mostly favorable results after the second season, but they did face a few problems with the new practice.

As a result, the Idaho Mint Commission is financing a three-year trial at University of Idaho’s Parma research station to further refine the practice.

Nampa farmer Robert McKellip, who last year was the first Idaho farmer to put mint on a drip system, said he used about 2 feet of water per acre on the 56-acre field this year, compared with the typical 5 acre-feet for a field that is furrow irrigated.

He said he also used a lot less fertilizer and yields were great.

“I’m really pleased with it,” said McKellip, president of the Idaho Mint Growers Association.

McKellip said the drip system proved its worth this year on water savings alone. The 2013 growing season in the Treasure Valley was marked by a tight water supply that caused several irrigation districts to shut off water a month early

If all farms in the valley switched to drip, “we’d never, ever have another drought,” he said. “I”m using less water on my mint drip system than I’d use during a drought year.”

Drip Irrigation Helps New Mexico Farmers Survive the Drought

Posted on September 10, 2013 by torodriptips

Everything that Adán and Pilar Trujillo, two siblings from Chimayó, New Mexico, do on their farm connects with the community. Their lettuce fed students at the local McCurdy Charter School last year. They sell their rhubarb, rainbow chard and red Russian kale at the community market just down the road in Española. And their chile will be roasted and eaten this fall by children in schools nearby.

Though they can trace their family heritage back to the original agrarian settlers in the area almost 300 years ago, Adán Trujillo didn’t decide to get into farming until he graduated college in 2004. With the help of a local co-op and conservation work, these young farmers are making a big impact in the Chimayó area.

However, despite the co-op’s success in supplying food to the local residents, a recent severe and extended drought gripping an already arid state made the Trujillos and other farmers in the co-op look to more efficient ways to irrigate.

“My father started talking to people and heard that USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service could help us get started with drip irrigation,” Adán Trujillo said.

The Trujillos and other members of the La Cosecha del Norte Co-op worked with NRCS to help them design, install, and partially pay for a drip irrigation system that helps deliver water efficiently to the roots of the crops and minimize water loss due to evaporation, a common problem with the traditional flood irrigation technique of the region.

“Drip irrigation has been so much more efficient and easier than flood irrigation,” Trujillo said. “It has saved us through the drought and we’re still able to irrigate once a week.”

Alongside drip irrigation, conservation has helped the Trujillos and the co-op members continue in their community mission.

Learn About Subsurface Drip Irrigation with Toro at Husker Harvest Days

Posted on September 5, 2013 by torodriptips

If you are going to Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska next week (Sept. 10-12, 2013), don’t forget to stop by the Toro booth (#436). Toro will be offering a variety of ways for growers to learn about subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and how it can help them maintain or increase yields using less water, even during a drought. What’s more, visitors to the Toro booth can hear first-hand from growers and local dealers about their experiences with SDI to grow soybeans and corn in Nebraska.

So stop by the show and the Toro booth to learn about the benefits of SDI and to get a free demonstration on designing an SDI system using Toro’s AquaFlow drip irrigation design software.

If you can’t make it to the show, click here to learn more about SDI and how to thrive in a drought.

WEBINAR: Subsurface Drip Irrigation for Grain Crop Production

Posted on September 3, 2013July 17, 2014 by torodriptips

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 at 1PM (Pacific Time), the Grange Network will be hosting a 60-minute, FREE webinar to discuss subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) for grain, oilseed, forage and fiber crops. When SDI is used for these lower value crops, careful attention must be given to ensuring system longevity and optimizing crop productivity so that SDI can economically compete with other types of irrigation, including center pivot sprinkler irrigation. The webinar’s presenter will be Dr. Freddie Lamm, a professor and research irrigation engineer at the KSU Northwest Research-Extension Center in Colby, Kansas. Dr. Lamm will provide an overview of typical minimal SDI system requirements to ensure longevity, discuss these lower value cropping systems when used with SDI, and present the challenges and opportunities for SDI.

Click here to register for the FREE webinar, “Subsurface Drip Irrigation for Grain Crop Production.”

Toro Announces ‘Ready. Set. GROW!’ Grant Program

Posted on August 28, 2013August 29, 2013 by torodriptips

Agricultural communities play a vital role in feeding the global population, and with the effects of last year’s drought lingering well into this year, it is apparent that efficient and sustainable agricultural practices are more important than ever. With that in mind, Toro has introduced ‘Ready. Set. GROW!‘ an all-new program that awards $15,000 in grants to help agricultural communities promote efficient and sustainable agricultural practices.

But to make the program a success, Toro is asking for YOUR help in recognizing those that promote sustainable practices in agricultural communities across the United States. All you have to do is identify and nominate non-profit organizations [501(c)(3)] or government entities that are doing great work to improve agricultural communities. You might recognize an organization installing drip irrigation in a community garden to more efficiently use water resources; a local non-profit committed to furthering sustainable agricultural practices; or, an organization training military veterans in modern agriculture technologies. For complete details and to nominate an organization, visit https://www.facebook.com/Toro.Company/app_112813808737465.

Colorado Farmers Use Less Water, Improve Quality with Drip Irrigation

Posted on August 27, 2013April 19, 2017 by torodriptips

The future of agriculture across the Great Plains hinges on water. Without it, nothing can grow.

Climate models and population growth paint a pretty bleak picture for water availability a few decades from now. If farmers want to stay in business, they have to figure out how to do more with less. Enter: super efficient drip irrigation systems.

Toro to Offer Subsurface Drip Irrigation Guide, Education & Tools at Husker Harvest Days

Posted on August 21, 2013 by torodriptips

Toro will be exhibiting at Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska, offering a variety of ways for growers to learn about subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and how it can help them maintain or increase yields using less water, even during a drought.

At the booth (#436), Toro will be hosting a number of growers and dealers to share their experiences with SDI to grow soybeans and corn in Nebraska. Interested growers can learn the benefits of SDI first-hand and get a free demonstration on designing an SDI system using Toro’s AquaFlow drip irrigation design software. Additionally, Toro will debut a new ‘how-to’ guide for SDI, based on case studies and years of research growing a variety of crops. Growers attending will also see the actual results of an SDI system at a field demonstration hosted by the show. The first in the show’s history, the demonstration plot irrigates a 30-acre cornfield with SDI buried 14 inches deep on 60 inch centers.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation Demo at Husker Harvest Days

Posted on August 15, 2013 by torodriptips

During Husker Harvest Days (HHD) this year, you’ll have a hard time seeing the newest irrigation addition at the show site six miles west of Grand Island. That’s because it’s underground.

A subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system is watering a corn field south of the exhibit area in 2013. It’s the first time an SDI system has been installed at HHD. For 35 years, HHD has showcased irrigation technology and has featured center pivot manufacturers, pipe manufactures and dozens of other irrigation equipment suppliers. About every type of center pivot and lateral-move system has been installed during those years.

Roger Luebbe, site manager at HHD, says the SDI system replaces a hose-drag lateral move sprinkler that had been there for years and was “showing some fatigue.” Because of its efficiency and water delivery uniformity, SDI can save one-third of the water applied by a center pivot and 2/3 of the water applied by gravity irrigation systems.

WEBINAR: Innovations in Plant Health Management

Posted on August 13, 2013July 17, 2014 by torodriptips

Julie Sannar On Friday, August 16, 2013 at 10AM (Pacific Time), the Grange Network will be hosting a 60-minute, FREE webinar to discuss unique and new approaches that help growers maximize production, optimize plant genetic potential, and reduce total inputs through sound agronomic innovation.

Click here to register for the FREE webinar, “Innovations in Plant Management.”

Drip Irrigation Product Catalog – now available in English and Spanish Languages

Posted on August 8, 2013 by torodriptips

Toro recently announced that its micro-irrigation (aka. drip irrigation) product catalog for the agriculture industry is now available in both English and Spanish languages. The catalog covers Toro’s entire micro-irrigation product offering and highlights features, benefits, and specifications for each product.

However, what’s most interesting is that with the addition of a Spanish language catalog, Toro has displayed its dedication to customers throughout Latin America, as well as its commitment to accuracy and quality.

Texas Farm Increases Efficiency with Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

Posted on August 6, 2013 by torodriptips

Crops Manager for Daisy Farms, Jeff Fowler, is utilizing subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and GPS technology to improve the dairy and crop operation’s efficiency. The subsurface drip irrigation system was installed on clay soils to make good on its commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship, as well as to get the most out of every drop of water.

“Drip irrigation is close to 100 percent efficient,” Fowler says. “We put water straight to the roots; we get no runoff; we don’t need as much water. When we put on a half-inch, we get a half-inch. We don’t have to apply three-fourths of an inch to get what we need.”

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