As of October 19, 2021, CDFA SWEEP is back and will disperse between $43 and $45 million to California agricultural operations investing in irrigation systems that reduce GHG emissions and save water. In addition to SWEEP Grants, Cal-West Rain and Polaris Energy Services are excited to bring you additional opportunities to reduce the cost of irrigation automation projects and earn …
Although most growers are satisfied with the operation and capabilities of their irrigation automation system, many question the value of the investment. If you’re frustrated or questioning the value of your irrigation automation system, this article is for you. We’ll attempt to review the most common reasons why irrigation automation projects falter and steps you can take to get things …
Growers and irrigation districts are in various stages of adopting automation for their pumps to reap the benefits of greater precision, reduced labor requirements and monitoring to improve operations and comply with regulations, like SGMA. At the same time, California’s electrical grid sees the timing of energy usage–both on a regular basis and during grid emergencies like we saw this …
Irrigation Automation Case Study Problem: Like most growers in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the need to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce costs is a never-ending process. This tomato grower worked with Cal-West Rain to improve irrigation efficiency and reduce costs (labor, pumping, and water) via WiseConn’s hardware and irrigation management software (DropControl). Location: Five Points, CA Acres: 454 Crop: Tomatoes …
Irrigation Automation Case Study Problem: Without access to a local water district, this grower constantly faces serious water shortages. All water must be pumped from a series of deep wells and stored in a sequence of ten reservoirs. Due to this shortage of water, they need to be able to move their water around much more quickly to cover more …
Irrigation Automation Case Study Problem: Inconsistent yields in some sections of tomato fields. The grower believes this yield issue is caused by low line pressures in certain sections of his subsurface drip irrigation causing inconsistent water distribution uniformity. Location: Five Points, CA Acres: 220 Crop: Tomatoes Solution: Monitor end of line pressures in select sections using transducers and WiseConn hardware/software. …
Cal-West Rain is pleased to announce the addition of Tom Weber to lead their Irrigation Monitoring and Controls Division. A San Joaquin Valley native, Tom joins Cal-West Rain with over 20 years experience in the irrigation industry, most recently with WiseConn, a leading irrigation automation equipment manufacturer. “From farm machinery to irrigation and harvesting, technology has become a key factor …
As with most growers, there’s a constant drive to find new ways to improve yields and reduce costs. In this case, we’ll feature a recent project with Robert Jones, owner/manager of Jones Farms. Robert grows almonds on his MC Ranch (150.1 acres) and was looking at ways to reduce PG&E bills without adding labor costs in the form of overtime …
