Tag: drip irrigation

AquaFlow 4.1 – Drip Irrigation Design Software

Posted on January 9, 2015October 4, 2017 by torodriptips

AquaFlow drip irrigation design program Welcome to AquaFlow!

AquaFlow is Toro’s FREE drip irrigation design software that provides irrigation designers with a state-of-the-art tool to configure drip irrigation systems for optimum performance.

Now available as a web application, AquaFlow can be accessed and used online or downloaded to your computer for offline use. To become a registered user, click the following link, accept the User Agreement, and fill all the fields in the Registration Form:

Automated Sand Media Filters for Drip Irrigation

Posted on January 8, 2015 by torodriptips

Toro is pleased to announce that Aqua-Clear™ fiberglass sand media filters are now available in a complete automated system, for flows ranging from 50 to 400 gpm. Aqua-Clear filters are corrosion-resistant, designed for drip irrigation systems operating up to 75 psi, and are available in 18-, 24-, 30- and 36-inch systems. Some of the new features include:

AC and DC options to automate filter backwash on any site
Automated systems complete with all valves, controller and hydraulic connections
English and Spanish language–detailed and illustrated operation manual
Double-chamber backwash valve for reliable, low–head loss operation
Solid-state controller backwashes on both time and pressure differential
Expansion modules for simple addition of a single filter to an existing system

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.

In Some Cases, Only Subsurface Drip Irrigation Will Do

Posted on December 11, 2014 by torodriptips

You probably don’t expect to find much drip irrigation on a field with 6° to 8° slopes. Yet, Lon Bohn and his brother-in-law, Don Blaschko, who run B&B Partners near Gibbon, Nebraska, operate such a subsurface drip irrigation system. Although they already had 997 acres under center pivot systems, the partners still had one 52-acre, irregular-shape field that presented a challenge.

With a 39-foot variation within 300 yards of the field length and more than 30 feet of grade from side to side, furrow irrigation was obviously out of the question.

VIDEO: Aqua-Traxx Drip Irrigation Tape – A New Level of Irrigation Control

Posted on December 2, 2014April 13, 2017 by torodriptips

Toro’s drip irrigation tape products are innovative steps in the evolution of drip irrigation. Aqua-Traxx drip tape, the original drip irrigation tape, provides unmatched clog resistance, durability and precision placement of your valuable water and fertilizer. New FlowControl drip tape— the only flow regulating drip irrigation tape available — is Toro’s latest advancement in the evolution of drip irrigation, giving you increased uniformity and control wherever you farm.

Market demands, weather patterns and resource availability change every day, so precision agriculture practices must evolve to stay ahead. From increasing yield and improving quality to making the best use of available resources. Irrigation technology is evolving, too — first flood, then pivot and now drip irrigation. Each step giving you more precise control over the time, energy and water you invest in your crop.

NEW FlowControl Drip Tape Gives Growers the Best of Both Worlds

Posted on November 25, 2014April 13, 2017 by torodriptips

After several years of intense and dedicated development, Toro has launched FlowControl Drip Tape, an exciting new product that creates an entirely new category within the drip irrigation marketplace. In the past, growers had to choose between uniformity and control over flow rates. Now, FlowControl drip tape gives growers the best of both worlds: improved uniformity (compared to turbulent flow devices), and superior ability to control the overall system flow rate (compared to pressure-compensating devices).

This innovative new product gives growers a level of control not possible in the past. Now growers have a new tool to help them achieve their objectives – increasing yield and quality, while at the same time using water, fertilizers and other resources in the best way possible.

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Funds Water Efficient Projects for Drought Assistance

Posted on November 6, 2014May 27, 2015 by torodriptips

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has awarded $3.6 million for 93 different projects to implement on-farm water

California Utility Company Can Help Farmers Save Water During Drought

Posted on October 20, 2014May 27, 2015 by torodriptips

orchard drip irrigation California Utility company, PG&E, sees a big opportunity to help farmers reduce their water use and electricity use, at the same time. By doing so, it can save precious water, help farmers save money, and help the power company itself reduce overall electricity demand – which means avoiding having to build costly new power plants.

PG&E has a few tools at its disposal, the biggest being financial incentives to help farmers switch to water-saving technologies such as drip irrigation.

Cutting-Edge Farmer Uses Drip Irrigation and Other Techniques to Maximize Water Efficiency

Posted on August 28, 2014May 27, 2015 by torodriptips

Don Cameron, a member of California’s State Board of Food and Agriculture and general manager of Terranova Ranch, is on the cutting edge of irrigation. His wine grape vineyards stretch for 1,300 acres, so maximizing water is a top priority. Cameron has used drip irrigation on these vineyards since 1982, a time when drip was still uncommon.

Making the switch to micro-irrigation has saved Terranova Ranch 15-20 percent on water costs. When Cameron took over as general manager, he recalls, “I was told we couldn’t grow tomatoes. I was told the ground was too light.” Processing tomatoes now occupy 2,300 acres at Terranova, due in large part to Cameron’s implementation of drip systems. He contends, “We eliminate evaporation from the soil surface and provide uniform distribution of water and reduce fertilizer usage along with producing a 28 percent higher yield. We no longer have excess water accumulation at the end of fields as we did when we furrow irrigated.”

But drip irrigation isn’t the only practice that makes Cameron a pioneer in water use efficiency.

10 Ways Farmers are Saving Water

Posted on August 26, 2014May 27, 2015 by torodriptips

California Drought As California faces a historic drought, many farmers are relying on groundwater reserves to carry them through the dry season. Pumping groundwater is currently unregulated in California (that could soon change), and drawing on reserves now could cause shortages in the future. Sustainability-minded farmers are looking ahead and using an arsenal of ways to save water. Here are just a few:

Free Agricultural Workshop to Highlight Drip Irrigation on Onions & Watermelons

Posted on August 19, 2014 by torodriptips

South Texas farmers, crop consultants, technicians and anybody involved in crop irrigation are invited to a workshop to help brainstorm ideas on how to generate incentives for water conservation, according to experts at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco.

The free program, Rio Grande Valley Agricultural Conservation Workshop, will be held from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Wednesday at the center, located at 2415 E. U.S. Highway 83 in Weslaco.

Among things discussed will be a test plot of drip irrigation on onions and watermelons in which water use was cut in half and yields were double. According to Dr. Juan Anciso, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service fruit and vegetable specialist at the Weslaco center, “using a [drip irrigation] system can pay off for growers.”

The Pros and Cons of Drip Irrigation Systems

Posted on August 5, 2014 by torodriptips

Drip Tape Irrigation Drip Irrigation has typically been used in high-value fruit, nut, and vegetable crops. Recently, it has become popular in field crop applications, including corn/soybean rotations and alfalfa, cotton, and processing tomatoes. USDA’s recent Farm and Ranch Irrigation Survey reported 3.76 million acres in the U.S. are under drip. This acreage is expected to be significantly higher in the 2013 report, which will be released this fall.

Drip is gaining in popularity because the systems are flexible and can accommodate diverse cropping and application demands.