River Point Farms Sets Standard For Water Application & Conservation Practices

Hermiston, OR – Family-owned, fresh and sustainable grower of onions, River Point Farms, is using the most efficient water application systems to ensure highest crop quality, while minimizing water usage.

As part of their continual efforts to preserve natural resources, River Point Farms uses a combination of irrigation and farming systems that have contributed to the conservation of about 7.6 million gallons of water per year – enough to supply to roughly 600,000 people for one full year.

“As water is our most precious natural resource in irrigated farming, conservation and quality preservation are two of our primary objectives at River Point Farms,” said Bob Hale, CEO of River Point Farms. “We’ve continued investing in the necessary tools to successfully conserve water.”

River Point Farms uses a combination of low pressure center-pivot irrigation and drip irrigation systems, all controlled and monitored by radio telemetry and computer systems.  Pivot irrigation systems use about half the water as traditional surface water application. Pivot irrigation systems provide some of the most efficient and cost-effective water applications by efficiently operating on various soil types, as the Pivots touch and irrigate every spot in every field every day. In addition, Drip irrigation systems use approximately two-thirds the water as pivot irrigation systems, while still precisely watering the crop.

River Point Farms also uses a reservoir tillage system during cultivation, a process by which small holes or reservoirs are punched in the soil between the onions rows to capture water from irrigation or rainfall.

The company also uses real time soil moisture monitoring systems in each onion field at 4”, 8”, 12” and 20” depths.  We achieve greater control of soil moisture and optimize moisture levels and nutrient management for optimum crop growth. At any time during the growing season, whether in the field, in the office, or at home, our growers have online access to detailed information on our soil moisture profile for every field.

Historically, irrigation systems were controlled by an on/off switch at the pivot and an on/off switch at the irrigation pump. This control system became wasteful in that you either had all pivots and pumps off, or all pivots and pumps on at full capacity, watering crops even if they didn’t need water. River Point now uses a telemetry control panel in combination with variable frequency drive irrigation pumps, which individually control the speed of each irrigation pump, controlling the volume of water at a variable output as desired. Now, each crop is watered only the amount that it needs.

All of the irrigated farmland, on which onions are grown by River Point Farms in the Pacific Northwest, contain Certificated Water Rights, with the majority of the water being sourced from the Columbia River. The irrigation distribution systems are state of the art systems which are privately owned by our affiliated parties.

For more information about River Point Farms’ sustainability practices, please visit www.riverpointfarms.com.

About River Point Farms:

River Point Farms is a family-owned, fresh and sustainable grower of onions; including yellow, red, white and sweet onions.  The company began in 1983.  River Point Farms is headquartered in Hermiston, Oregon and is controlled by brothers Bob and Rick Hale who also own and operate Hale Farms, a 38 year old 20,000 acre diversified vegetable growing operation.  River Point Farms is sourced based and fully integrated, offering a total solution for a diversified customer base.  The company’s state-of-the-art growing, harvesting and climate controlled storage techniques ensure a year-round supply of whole, peeled and sliced onions to various foodservice, industrial ingredient, restaurant and retail customers. River Point Farms controls the process from seed to shelf, providing the most consistent, reliable onion supply in the country.  The company’s unique approach to crop planning takes into account the needs of the customer when designing production, enabling an unparalleled service offering.

Source: River Point Farms