SANTA PAULA, CA - Advancements and innovations in the agricultural industry continue to thrive as we collectively seek to be better stewards of the land. One company taking control of its environmental impact is Limoneira. I sat down with Edgar Gutierrez, the Vice President of Farming Operations, to learn more about its newest venture into Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) for 2,000 citrus trees in Cadiz, California, and for 2,000 citrus trees in Yuma, Arizona.
“We have been in partnership with Desert Control for about a year now when we first started visioning this. Desert Control provides the LNC we would then use in our desert farms in Cadiz in the Mojave Desert and Yuma,” Edgar shares with me. “As farmers, whenever you start working on an idea or innovation, you always have to progress into a model that is economically viable to apply. Not to mention, it has to make sense as an ROI input. With that in mind, we’ve been working really hard with Desert Control to make this application of LNC very easy and cost-effective for the farmer.”
How does special clay make sense in farming in the desert, you might ask. Well, you’re not the only one with that question. LNC is a special soil specifically made for dryer environments to allow crops to thrive. The clay retains more water than your average soil, especially when compared to desert sand.
Desert sand percolates quickly, allowing water to be absorbed and dispersed at a faster rate than average soil. Natural liquid clay has a high water retention rate, and its physical properties mimic that of clay. This keeps moisture where it’s needed most: at the trees’ roots. By bringing this specially formulated clay to the desert, Limoneira is able to cut water costs and provide valuable nutrients straight to the trees’ roots.
“Our final target is to reduce water supply by 50 percent. As of now, we have reached a 25 percent reduction in our Yuma farm by cutting out one complete cycle of irrigation out of the four we typically do in a week. Now, we are trying to push that further,” Edgar explains. “We are experimenting with only two cycles of irrigation and monitoring and measuring the stress levels, juice production, and well-being of the trees.”
As a farming production in the desert, water resources are scarce, and Limoneira transports much of its water from canals. On top of water expenses, the company uses diesel fuel to power engines. With the introduction of LNC, Limoneira is able to cut costs on labor, improve efficiency, and better fertilize its crops.
To learn more about this partnership and how LNC works, check out the video above.
Keep a lookout for ANUK as we bring you the latest advancements and partnerships our industry makes.
