Ep 16: Domonic Rossini from Netafim USA

So let's zoom out for a second.

So let's say a grower comes to you and they have an irrigation problem.

What

are they usually seeing and what is often happening below the surface?

So most commonly, actually in most irrigation systems, first they start seeing plugging.

And a lot of it is due to, to be honest, is poor maintenance.

We've done a really good job, I think, of people understanding how to use a drip irrigation system.

But maintenance is one that's become a challenge.

And just putting water out is not as bad.

I mean, especially, you know, I'm kind of looking at the California side, right? I mean, if you look at California, it's about where 80% of all micro irrigation is used in the country.

So we're kind of favored in that fact that we use so much out here because we have so many high dollar crops.

Yeah.

So...

You know, when you look at drip and what we're trying to do, and we're looking at what the problems are, water source is one, and our water sources now are becoming more challenging, right? I mean, for a long time, if you look at where the best irrigation and best ground is, we've now put houses on it.

So that's, you know, most cities and stuff like that are based around a river.

They're based around where things are.

So you put that there.

So now we're going to more challenging areas.

We're actually getting further and further away from the city, which is closer to the water source.

So sometimes you have to look at more debris that's in the water.

Or you're using well water, which you're pulling out of areas and our aquifers are getting pulled on more now because of challenges we have throughout the state on water management.

So we're bringing up more bicarbonates, we're bringing up more iron bacteria, stuff like that to be challenged.

So we've gotten pretty good about going for the most robust filtration, which is why you see those kind of big round 40-inch balls that are out there, which are sand media tanks, which you use sand in them to filter, right? So that does pretty well.

But when you get past that and you get in the irrigation system, most guys think that, hey, we filtered and now we can just keep putting it out, right? And it's kind of...

If you're from a certain generation, you'll remember the old Romco food dehydrator, the whole set it and forget it thing where they'd set it and walk away for 18 hours and everything got done.