Netafim – Precision Irrigation

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Netafim – Precision Irrigation

Grow More with Less

About the Company:

Netafim are farmers first and innovators second. They started in 1965, in the Negev desert in Israel, growing crops in desert soil, so they know what it’s like to farm in extreme conditions. That struggle taught them how to combine precision irrigation, agronomic expertise, and relentless innovation to help farmers grow more of any crop, in any climate, with less.

Today, Netafim is the world’s largest irrigation company and the only irrigation company with a team of agronomists that work directly with farmers before, during, and after installation.

About the Solution:

Subsurface Drip Irrigation-Effluent (SDI-E) for Dairies

Netafim USA patented its subsurface drip irrigation-effluent (SDI-E) technology that uses advanced filtration and proprietary technology to blend dairy wastewater (effluent) with fresh water at an optimum ratio through monitoring of the electrical conductivity (EC) in the water as it passes by a sensor. As the EC of the water changes, Netafim’s system can make real-time adjustments to the blending valves to keep the fertilizer mixture in a prescribed ratio as it is delivered to the plant’s roots through driplines buried below the surface. This process reuses water and manure effluent as a natural crop nutrient and soil builder, reducing the need for commercial fertilizer. SDI-E has been deployed on over 25 California dairies in the past 10 years that have transitioned from flood irrigation. There are 8 Minnesota dairies utilizing SDI-E and one in Texas. SDI-E enables in-season application of manure nutrients virtually eliminating pre and post season nutrient loss, leaching and off-gassing. Generally, SDI-E is recommended on dairies that have a minimum of 650 cows. Farmers can contact Netafim to have one of their agronomists evaluate the viability of SDI-E on their farm.

Netafim’s Operating System (OS) is called GrowSphere, which makes it simple for farmers to precisely apply fertigation by remotely controlling valves; providing real-time monitoring of field irrigation status; alerting farmers of issues with irrigation or system management; and generating monthly reports. GrowSphere connects to the grower’s controller, to their sensors, to the Cloud, and finally to their smartphone. This system improves reliability and ease of use for farmers while meeting the technological expectations of the next generation of farmers.

Netafim USA 5470 East Home Ave. Fresno, CA United States 559-453-6800 Visit Company Website

Solution Type

  • General Support and Other

Vendor

  • Equipment Vendor

Product

  • Other

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Solution Strengths, Weaknesses and Critical Indicators

NOTE: There are multiple technologies that are used as part of integrated manure management systems and yet are not manure management types on their own. The impact of these technologies on their own would be minimal or very difficult to quantify.

General Support & Other:

  • Can be an integral part of many manure management systems
  • Most projects have at least some equipment that supports operations of the main technology
  • This technology is not evaluated on its own, the NEAT Matrix for this technology is neutral unless utilized with other technologies.

Newtrient Comments/Opinions:

Netafim has recently been added to the Newtrient catalog. Newtrient will continue to work with Netafim to further refine the cost and performance information on their solution. Newtrient will update this entry as more information becomes available and as new commercial dairy installations come online.

Newtrient 9-Point Scoring Rating

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