Tag: drought

Ag Irrigation, Secretary Karen Ross

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

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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.

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The Water Zone Radio Show to Focus on Water Issues in California Agriculture

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

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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.

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Arizona Grower Conserving Water with Subsurface Drip Irrigation System

One Arizona Farmer Conserving Water with Subsurface Drip Irrigation

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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.”

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Water Stressed Farmer turns to Subsurface Drip Irrigation

Farmer Solves Water Woes with Subsurface Drip Irrigation

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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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California Emergency Drought Relief Act

WATER EFFICIENCY EQUATION: Reducing Use Per Unit Gaining Traction

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

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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.”

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

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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.

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