Irrigation Stewardship Can Help Fight Droughts

Sep 09, 2022

By using water smartly growers can fight the effects of drought and water availability concerns.

With droughts seeming to happen more often, concerns about water availability for irrigation grow. And while you can’t control the weather, you can control how you use water.

“What it comes down to is we should have started doing the conservation efforts that we’re doing now, as far as water application goes, we should just start doing that 30 years ago,” says Josh Mosier, general manager and technical sales director of Komet Irrigation Corp., on the Sept. 7 episode of Seed Speaks. “The key to being able to move forward is to be able to use that water as efficiently as possible, not over watering, not adding extra water.”

Mosier says growers can use devices such as soil moisture probes to be able to monitor soil moisture amounts in order to water their crops as efficiently as possible. Clint Pickard, global field digital leader for seed operations at Corteva, adds irrigation application technologies can also help out — drip irrigation and drop nozzles on centre pivots can get water closer to the root zone.

“We have to do better as an industry to provide answers to growers on when and how much to water. And I think you do that by kind of looking at a supply and demand equation,” he says. “I think we can do a lot to boil it down and provide a simple insight for growers as the year unfolds and changes.”

Pickard explains if you can tell a grower how thirsty their corn crop is or how much water is needed to meet a yield target, from there the grower can sort out how much they need to water their crop.

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Video: Independent Seed, National Impact | On The Brink: Episode 9

A survey of 200 independent seed businesses reveals what Canada's seed sector actually contributes — and what it stands to lose.

On the Brink, Justin Funk, a third-generation agri-marketer, shares the findings of a national survey conducted in early 2026. The numbers reframe the conversation: independent seed companies in Canada represent upwards of $1.7 billion in dedicated seed infrastructure, approximately 3,000 full-time equivalent jobs in rural communities, and an estimated $20 million in annual community contributions. And roughly 90% of Canada's cereals, pulses, and other small pollinated crops flow through them.

The survey also asked how dependent these businesses are on public plant breeding to survive. The answer was unambiguous. For policymakers evaluating the future of publicly funded breeding programs, Funk argues the economic case for this sector and the case for public plant breeding are the same argument.

On the Brink is a cross-country video series exploring the future of plant breeding in Canada. Each episode features voices from across the industry in an open, ongoing conversation about innovation and long-term investment in Canadian agriculture.