A private, family-owned almond farm has operated in California’s Central Valley since the 1970s. The sustainability-minded management team often experiments with new technology and farming practices to conserve resources.
The problem
A family-owned almond operation in the Central Valley implemented drip irrigation specifically because of its commitment to water conservation and efficiency. But maintaining nearly 4,000 acres of underground irrigation equipment is time-consuming and expensive: from plugged lines to broken valves and uneven pressure, the system requires close attention. Farm management wondered if imagery could help streamline irrigation operations.
The solution
From the very first flight, imagery revealed specific areas under water stress and helped guide further investigation into minute differences in soil composition across the orchard. "This technology has brought a lot of focus down to maintaining proper pressure on irrigation valves and hose ends," the farm manager says. "Ceres Imaging makes it possible to take images to the guys in the field and show them exactly how irrigation issues are affecting that specific tree. We sometimes tend to think one irrigation valve isn’t that big of a deal, but when I see an image with massive color variation I quickly realize we need to pay more attention to that."
The outcome
"We’re dealing with crops worth thousands of dollars per acre. Ceres Imaging helps to make sure our investments are running properly," the farm manager says.
Linear patterns in water stress imagery may reveal a maintenance issue with a drip irrigation system. In this case, the long red streak on the right suggests a clogged line.
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