Del Bosque Farms

WATER

Water has been the lifeblood of agriculture in our valley. Before irrigation was developed, farming was pretty much limited to dry land production of small grains. Over one hundred years ago, the rivers of the Central Valley were tapped for water for horticultural crops. Eventually, the Central Valley Project developed a system of water-storing dams and canals to deliver the precious resource to farms and cities throughout the state. While this project allowed the state to bloom into the most diverse and productive agricultural system in the world, it has become a source of great contention. Please read about our situation in the website of the California Farm Water Coalition - Home.

Because water has always been a scarce resource in our state, farms have evolved in many ways to get the most of their water. On our farm, every available drop of water is used for the beneficial use of our crops. No water that is delivered to our farm ever leaves it except through our crops that are harvested and through evapotranspiration (the combination of water transpired from vegetation and evaporated from the soil and plant surfaces).

We target our irrigation only in our crop’s root zone.
Water is metered through the most efficient methods of irrigation, sprinkler and drip (micro), to get the best uniformity and control.
Every plant in the field gets the exact same amount of water, and only the in amount that we calculate to satisfy the crop water requirements.
In some of our fields the drip irrigation lines are buried in the soil to further minimize evaporation.
We contract an irrigation consultant, Rob Ude, who uses scientific information to program crop water requirements, hi-tech sensors to monitor soil moisture and temperatures, and good old fashioned checking the fields with a shovel.
Our goal is to grow the maximum yield with the least amount of water, but ultimately produce the best quality fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

Joe Del Bosque is active in water issues. He is a former director of the Pacheco Water District and the San Joaquin Valley Drainage Authority. He is an active member of the California Latino Water Coalition, and has spoken about farm water in the San Joaquin Valley in many venues. In 2010 he was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to the California Water Commission. Please view the Commission’s website at http://cwc.ca.gov/.