Spring Pistachio Assessment
By Derek Toschi, CCA, CAIS With a cooler spring and wet winter, the 2023 California pistachio crop faces different challenges than previous years. The cooler weather has delayed the crop in many parts of the state and the March rain kept soil saturated longer into the season and lowered early season irrigation requirements. Irrigation timing […]
March Almond Assessment
By Derek Toschi, CCA, CAIS The wet weather has continued into the 2023 spring in much of California which has presented new challenges we haven’t faced in recent years. Most of my almond irrigation consulting is done along SR 99 between Mettler and Kingsburg. Right now, I am seeing region differences in water uptake and […]
Using Soil Tension Data to Track Early Root Water Uptake
By Travis Goldman In the almond industry everyone is excited for bloom but to an irrigation advisor our excitement starts with root flush and early bud swell. As early as January 10th bud swell was being seen in Shasta and Nonpareil varieties on the western side of the San Joaquin Valley. Since then other varieties […]
2021 CAPCA Conference
We will be exhibiting next week at the CAPCA Conference in Reno, NV. Come see us at the booth to find out how Hortau can help PCAs and growers to : 1. Keep track of critical data for irrigation, pest pressure, heat and frost 2. Schedule irrigation events 3. Report on water usage 4. Save […]
SWEEP GRANT- Improve Your Water Use Efficiency
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is expecting to launch grant rounds by the end of 2023 to help California farmers increase their water use efficiency. The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) provides financial assistance in the form of grants (Up to $200,000 per farming entity) to implement irrigation systems that reduce […]
Reducing ‘Flame Seedless’ Berry Cracking Through Soil Tension Management
After a long, hot summer one of the most frustrating issues for any California table grape grower is berry cracking at harvest. Berry cracking can occur in many varieties. However, the ‘Flame Seedless’, the earliest Central Valley variety harvested, is notorious for berry cracking. There are many different factors that can cause berry cracking such […]
