River Point Farms Sets Standard For Water Application, Conservation Practices
July 28, 2015 Hermiston, OR-based River Point Farms, an operation that calls itself “America’s largest grower, packer, shipper, and processor of onions,” uses efficient water application systems to ensure the highest crop quality, while minimizing water usage.
As part of the operation’s efforts to preserve natural resources, River Point Farms uses a combination of irrigation and farming systems that have contributed to the conservation of about 7.6 million gallons of water annually, which is said to be enough to supply about 600,000 people for one year.
“As water is our most precious natural resource in irrigated farming, conservation and quality preservation are two of our primary objectives at River Point Farms,” said Bob Hale, CEO of River Point Farms. “We’ve continued investing in the necessary tools to successfully conserve water.”
River Point Farms uses a combination of low pressure center-pivot irrigation and drip irrigation systems, all controlled and monitored by radio telemetry and computer systems. Pivot irrigation systems use about half the water as traditional surface water application. These systems provide some of the most efficient and cost-effective water applications by efficiently operating on various soil types, as the pivots touch and irrigate all spot in every field daily.
River Point Farms also uses a reservoir tillage system during cultivation to capture water from irrigation or rainfall.
In addition, the company uses real-time soil moisture monitoring systems in onion fields at 4-, 8-, 12-, and 20-inch depths. By implementing these processes, the farm achieves greater control of soil moisture and optimizes moisture levels and nutrient management for optimum crop growth. At any time during the growing season, whether in the field, in the office, or at home, River Points’ growers have online access to detailed information on our soil moisture profile for every field.
Historically, irrigation systems were controlled by an on/off switch at the pivot and an on/off switch at the irrigation pump. This control system became wasteful because either all pivots and pumps were off, or all pivots and pumps were on at full capacity — watering crops even if they didn’t need water.
River Point now uses a telemetry control panel in combination with variable frequency drive irrigation pumps, which individually control the speed of each irrigation pump, controlling the volume of water at a variable output as desired. Now, each crop is watered only the amount that it needs.
For more information about River Point Farms’ sustainability practices, go to www.riverpointfarms.com.
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