We are excited to announce the latest upgrade to our drip irrigation design software, AquaFlow 4 – available now at toro.com and driptips.toro.com. AquaFlow 4 may be used online or downloaded onto a computer for use when the internet is not available.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.”
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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.
Continue readingThe 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.
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Don’t miss out on the upcoming webinar, The Future of Irrigated Agriculture in the Colorado River Basin. The presentation will focus on the specific water challenges facing the basin, and will be available at no charge. This is a great opportunity to find out more about the water challenges facing the Colorado River Basin, and what the future of irrigated agriculture in the basin looks like in light of those issues. Will there be enough water for all the water users in the basin, particularly for agriculture?
Continue readingFollowing 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.”
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On Friday, June 26, 2015 at 1:00PM (Pacific Time), the Grange Network will be hosting a 60-minute, FREE webinar to review the essential material components of micro-irrigation drip tubing and discuss key material attributes that contribute to high performance tubing. Included in the webinar will be a an overview of how polyethylene is produced, its key characteristics/attributes and considerations when selecting the appropriate grade for micro-irrigation applications. Mark Jablonka, Research Scientist in the Performance Plastics Technical Service and Development (TS&D) group at The Dow Chemical Company, will lead the discussion.
Date: Friday, June 26, 2015
Time: 1:00PM Pacific / 4:00PM Eastern (60 Minute Session)
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Vegetable growers in Florida are using plasticulture and drip irrigation best practices to improve water and nutrient management on more than 5,000 acres of production. And the effort is paying off, according to one Extension official familiar with the practice.
Bob Hochmuth, Extension agent for the University of Florida (UF), made a presentation at the Great Lakes Fruit, Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO in Grand Rapids, Michigan that focused on the management of drip Irrigation. He described a process of securing adequate moisture in the root zone without over-filling.
“The increased concern over the impact of agricultural practices on water quality in Florida has resulted in the grower’s need to adopt best management practices (BMPs),” Hochmuth said. “The successful adoption of BMPs in plasticulture production of vegetables in north Florida has been greatly facilitated by Extension programs in conjunction with industry and other agency involvement.
“Growers are more likely to adopt BMPs when they can evaluate them on their own farm,” he said. “Long-term educational program efforts – including hands-on teaching workshops at a research facility combined with on-farm demonstrations – proved to be a very effective strategy in helping vegetable growers using drip irrigation and plasticulture improve water and nutrient management practices.”
Continue readingIn 2014, Staples Energy’s Low-Pressure Irrigation Efficiency Program successfully saved over 3800 kW of energy and gave growers over $1.2 million in incentive savings. Now, Staples is continuing the incentives through 2015 with a new 2015 Irrigation Efficiency Program.
NEW 2015 Irrigation Efficiency Program
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.
Projects can use a combination of energy and water savings to calculate the kWh savings for projects. This allows flexibility for incentivizing all types of real-world, energy-efficient irrigation projects. As long as a project can be calculated to show a savings, it can be submitted to the Staples program.
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