Spring Newsletter 2025

Adaptive N Management – Dialing Down Nitrogen Cost Without Risk to Your Crop

Did you know your crop(s) may already have access to free nitrogen?

Many growers unintentionally over-fertilize, missing out on existing nitrate-N in soil and well water. This can lead to unnecessary costs, environmental concerns, and regulatory challenges. By adopting an adaptive approach to nitrogen management and effectively quantifying and utilizing “free” nitrogen, you can optimize yields and reduce your reliance on commercial fertilizer.

Learn how to fine-tune your N strategy for better efficiency, profitability, and sustainability.

Read more on how to maximize your nitrogen use.

Grower Highlight

“Nitrogen is already in the soil and already in the water, that will reduce whatever I have to put in… why would I foolishly buy more and inject more?”

Surjit Jhutti
Coalition Member

Irrigation Pump Test Service

An Irrigation Pump Test measures various aspects of the pump’s operating performance including water flow rate, pumping lift (or inlet pressure), discharge pressure, and energy input. The results provide a value for the overall efficiency of the pump and an estimated cost of running it.

A pump test can identify problems before a breakdown occurs or energy costs rise. Having this information enables you to identify when it can be profitable to invest in a retrofit or repair. On a new pump, a test will establish a baseline of performance and verify that equipment is operating as designed.

Visit this link for simple steps to obtain a pump efficiency test and check for subsidies from participating pump test companies.

Defining Acceptable A/R Ranges to Support Growers and Water Quality

As required by the General Order, the Kings River Water Quality Coalition, along with other Central Valley Water Quality Coalitions, is working to establish crop-specific acceptable ranges for Applied Nitrogen relative to Nitrogen Removed (A/R ratios) as part of the Management Practices Evaluation Program (MPEP). These ranges serve as a key metric for evaluating nitrogen use efficiency, helping growers optimize fertilizer applications for cost savings while also identifying areas that may require follow-up due to potential nitrate impacts on groundwater.

Through ongoing efforts, acceptable multi-year ratio target values for applied nitrogen are being refined to improve water quality management. Stay tuned for further updates.

For more details, and to view the full report:
kingsriverwqc.org/ar-acceptable-ranges