Water Conservation
While water scarcity often dominates the conversation, emerging data suggests that deteriorating water quality and overfertilization are becoming critical vulnerabilities that threaten crop health, soil longevity and the long-term financial viability of specialty growers.
The proposed framework introduces a targeted approach to safeguard endangered species while maintaining essential crop protection tools for U.S. farmers, the agency reports.
Water will always be a big topic for produce and ag in general, but 2025 saw some big milestones in water news.
EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers unveiled a revised rule on Monday aimed at clearer permitting and fewer regulatory surprises, such as narrowing which water features fall under federal oversight and confirming exclusions.
The company was awarded the “Sustainability in the Food Industry Award” from The Shelby and Griffin Report for efforts in Honduras.
A University of Florida assessment found Toro’s Tempus automated irrigation systems saved growers an average of 873 gallons per day per acre and almost 2 hours per day in labor.
With unanimous support from lawmakers, the update to the California Water Plan may help bring actionable water goals and information to the state and stem the flow of farm loss.
The Water Withdrawal Assessment Tool lets the state’s water users, including irrigators, see if their water withdrawal project will negatively impact their local watersheds.
According to the results of the 2025 Sustainability Insights survey of growers, water is among the top priorities when it comes to sustainable and regenerative agriculture.
The new bill duplicates elements of the on-going WOTUS rework effort by EPA, but has been praised for helping to bring regulatory certainty by excluding certain types of water under the “navigable waters” definition.
Latin American climatech company Kilimo partners with Microsoft and Netafim in a private-private partnership to shift Central Valley irrigators from flood to drip.
Fruit tree growers in Washington have several strategies for dealing with drought and being water resilient, but there are costs associated with all of them.
EPA says it will release a proposed final WOTUS rule this summer for public comment, expecting the rule will be finalized before the end of 2025.
Verdi, which just raised $4.7M in its latest seed round, offers devices that automate existing irrigation infrastructure.
The world’s fourth-largest economy owes a lot of its success to agriculture, and creative water management is essential.
State-level commenters highlight the need for cooperative federalism and the importance of flexibility during EPA listening session.
The USDA will invest in at least 18 irrigation districts to help farmers continue commodity production while also conserving water across the West.
The 2023 Irrigation and Water Management Survey shows the number of farms irrigating, the amount of land irrigated and the total water used for irrigation decreased between 2018 and 2023.