Small farmers seek conservation tips

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- During the past three years of drought local growers have been forced to do more with less water.

Winter vegetables are ready for harvest but small farms have been hit extremely hard in the Valley. Many have seen their wells dry up because of the plunging water table.

Small farmers gathered at the Fresno County Farm Bureau for a water saving workshop. They were urged to use more drip tape on the farm. It allows the water to go directly to the roots.

Joe Santellano of Sunnyside Packing explained, "We try to tell them to bury the drip line so they irrigate the bottom not the top of the beds so you use less water."

Steve Johnson of Jain Irrigation showed farmers how drip or micro-irrigation can help them conserve water. Some farmers still flood their furrows to water their crops but many have already switched to sprinklers or drip irrigation systems.

Johnson said, "You do have a higher uniformity so you could actually end up using more water but what you get is you get more crop per drop."

Experts added farmers could also benefit from a better understanding of their crop's root system. Roots from vegetables typically only go down two to three feet.

Kaomine Vang of the Center for Irrigation Technology at Fresno State said, "I think it's very important because if you're irrigating past the root zone you're actually being very inefficient in the way you're using water because you might be pushing nutrients as well as water past that."

The root systems of trees can go down five feet.

Farmers were also urged to learn more about the soil types they're working with and to consider chemical fertilizers - which can be applied through the irrigation supply.