Ag Net West, Josh McGill, has a story on avocados and saving water.
A new study from Southern California could help avocado growers save both water and money in San Diego, Riverside, Orange and Ventura counties working on steep Hillside. Installing 30-foot towers to measure actual water use in the groves is something no one had done on this scale before. The goal was to develop more accurate crop coefficient, key figures that tell farmers how much water the trees really need and the results were surprising.
The test showed that growers probably have been overwatering, especially during parts of the year. Even dialing back by 10% could make a difference and water is the single biggest cost for avocado growers. More than the harvest or fertilizer.
There’s close to 3000 Avocado growers in California and 2025 looks to be a big year for Avocados.