June 21, 2019 - Have a conversation with grower and handler Ron Fisher about his values related to the almond business and you’ll notice a consistent theme: efficiency. The philosophy is one he’s embraced since 1986 when he formed Fisher Nut Company, and he took that same efficiency acumen from his handler business and applied it to his almond growing operation, which he started in 2000.
Grower Ron Fisher of Modesto uses an online automated irrigation system, operating at Level 3.0 of the Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum.
“We try to make everything as efficient as possible,” said Fisher, who now farms about 1,000 acres of almonds in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. “We want to be stewards of the land and water because environmental issues are important to us. At the same time, we want to maximize production, so we’re measuring twice and cutting once.”
Fisher’s adherence to doing more with less led to the implementation of a fully automated irrigation management system — but it wasn’t built overnight.
“It was an evolution,” he said. “We first used flood irrigation and then we went to double-lined drip and then to automation.”
Fisher’s journey to automated irrigation began in 2005 after he heard a pitch from a company touting the benefits of the technology along with an online monitoring system. Recognizing the potential savings, he started the following year by installing automated clocks on his pumps and tensiometers in his orchards. A few years later, soil moisture meters that report data on an hourly basis were installed, followed by weather stations that measure in-orchard evapotranspiration (ET) rates.
“The automated system started with the automatic pump-start so we could use off-peak power and control run times of irrigation applications,” Fisher said. “It also included redundancy systems — which are fairly common today — so we know that if a pump went on that it’s actually pumping water.”
Fisher can log-in from any device — his phone, tablet or desktop — to monitor all aspects of his irrigation system. This includes pressure sensor readings that show water is in the line when the pump is running.
“If the pressure is off, then there could be an issue, like a main break or no water in the canal,” he said.
Included in his online monitoring reports is data from his in-orchard weather stations, which measure wind speed, temperature and other climate factors. With summer temperatures on the rise, Fisher can make changes to his irrigation scheduling online — and from anywhere — based on ET readings and available soil moisture.
“With hotter weather, ET is going up,” Fisher said. “I can make corrections on the website and I don’t have to run out to the ranch to make those changes. I can order water with a couple of key strokes and the pump will start and stop.”
As an early adopter of automation technology, Fisher has seen more than a decades’ worth of benefits to his bottom line and operational efficiency. He can run his irrigation sets during off-peak hours, taking advantage of lower energy rates and creating consistent schedules with his irrigation district.
“Naturally, farmers want to irrigate when they’re awake and can utilize the water,” Fisher said. “With our automation, we can do it during off-peak hours, which saves costs and helps the utility system.” Fisher also notes that his automated system makes managing ranches that are spread out across two counties allows him to be more efficient with his time, reducing the need to drive to different locations to manage water.
Along with the benefits Fisher has realized, he’s also seen an evolution and improvement in automated irrigation technology.
“The software utilization has become easier and the on/off function of the pump-start is amazingly efficient,” he said. “It acts as a management tool.”
Fisher also said the readability of different techniques within the software helps him identify and pinpoint problems sooner, which leads to quicker fixes.
“I can tell if there’s a break in the main line or if the gate hasn’t been opened properly,” he said. “In the old days, you’d have a dripline clog and all of a sudden you’d have a row of trees defoliate. This system helps prevent that.”
Irrigation automation may have an increased role in the future, according to Fisher, as water supplies will likely be tighter through regulations such as the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
“I think automation can only help because of efficiency. If you’re able to control to the minute what you’re pumping and you’re evaluating what you’re pumping and the effect that it has on your trees, then you’re only going to get better with your application.”
While Fisher extols the benefits of automated irrigation, he said each farmer must make an individual decision to implement such a system based on their specific situation and related costs. He knows this firsthand, as he’s chosen to utilize an automated system on 75% of his ranches, noting his smaller ranch will likely not install the system due to economic feasibility.
The transition to irrigation automation might lead some growers to ask the question: What happens if the online system goes down? Fisher’s been there.
“If your system goes down, you don’t get your data, at which point you realize how spoiled you were to have it. The worst case is you have to turn on the pump by hand and you can always do that. You’re never going to replace the farmer’s footprints in the orchard. You have to be in the orchard no matter what technology you have.”
Ron Fisher operates at Level 3.0 according to the Almond Board of California’s Almond Irrigation Improvement Continuum. Growers interested in learning more about the Continuum can contact Spencer Cooper, senior manager of Field Outreach and Education at the Almond Board of California, at scooper@almondboard.com or (209) 604-3727.
For more information and to access a digital copy of the Continuum, visit the Almond Board of California’s website at Almonds.com/Irrigation.
