KING CITY- Rio Farms sits on 6,000 acres in King City. It's the 9th largest vegetable grower on the West Coast. Now, the growers want to take the lead in conservation.
"One of the things about sustainability is: you can't manage what you can't measure," said Jocelyn Gretz, Sustainale Agriculture Program Manager at Rio Farms.
From dusk until dawn, Gretz spends her time looking for new AG sustainability options. That includes the growers' steps to reduce water waste.
"In Monterey County, all growers have to measure their water use at the well level and they report their monthly well use. But, we didn't have an idea on exactly how much water our onions were using," said Gretz.
So Rio Farms invested in moisture sensors, buried deep in the ground.
"These give us an idea of what the soil moisture level is below the surface. Things that you cannot see," said Gretz.
The readings from the sensors go straight to Gretz's iPad.
Gretz said less water use means the possibility of less fertilizer use in the future.
Saving the company money and setting the stage for change in the Salinas Valley.
"Consumers are aware of agriculture. They want to know more about how their food is grown. That's the everyday consumer as well as up the supply chain," said Gretz.
by Briana Bermensolo
