Ordering process and timelines:
As with all farming operations, it takes planning and timing when ordering a retrofit of the orchard with Virtual Water Table Irrigation.
Ordering to delivery:
We need at least four months lead time from ordering to installation date.
Age of trees:
Any age of trees from a new planting to 15-year-old or older trees. Trees that are older than 7 leaf usually require some canopy trimming.
Installation Time of the Year:
The system can go in any time of year, but to get the full water reduction for a year, the system should go in before spring bud set. We also find if the system can go in before the last rains, then the rains will help repack the soil around the Virtual Water Table Irrigation pipe.
Three options available:
1) Full orchard order, typically as an alternative to removing orchard due to SGMA-related low allocations.
2) A trial segment of one to five acres of your total orchard. This is by far the best option, for it allows multiple stakeholders to see how your operation changes, and helps establish greater value on your farmland immediately, especially if the farm is in a white area. The partial installation demonstrates to your bank, investors, and operation team that the farm can remain in full production which equals full revenue and full property value.
3) The government funding option involves processing all the paperwork in preparation for government conservation programs such as SWEEP, NRCS and others.
Design: After the preliminary order for any of the above is received, a detailed design will be drafted, with a work schedule and operational procedures.
Installation Day: A typical installation takes 7 days per 10-acre orchard.
Startup: We will be working with your team over the first two weeks as the Virtual Water Table Irrigation system is started and tested across the whole orchard. This is usually over a two-week period.
Monitoring: Virtual Water Table Irrigation comes complete with all the necessary interfacing to manage the irrigation to its highest efficiency. This includes soil moisture meters, electronic leaf pressure bomb, pump, valve controls, phone/web portal.
Support: We provide weekly support for the first two years and publish our own ET use reports for your team.