On the west side of Fresno County, you’ll find the farm of Pang Chang. He and his family have been growing crops in California for more than 30 years and farmed in Laos prior to that.
Pang started by growing Asian mixed vegetables. Around 2005, he transitioned to growing tree fruit. He has 12 acres of Jujube, 2 acres of guava, and 1 acre of cocktail citrus.
“In Laos, you just wait for mother nature to water your crops, but in America, farming starts with water,” Pang said.
During his first few years in California, Pang remained unaware of the state’s history of droughts, until he started having problems with his old water pump. When it stopped working altogether, he considered digging a new well. Then he said he became aware of CDFA’s State Water Efficiency Enhancement Program (SWEEP). Pang applied and received a grant to help irrigate his crops with a new water-saving drip system.
“I’m concerned about the serious drought because I have crops that need water,” Pang said. “I have been using the drip system through the CDFA SWEEP program and it helps a lot.”
Pang now uses less fertilizer since he can fertigate with his new system. He is also getting better yields on his crops while using less water and reducing energy use — all of which saves money.
Chang is also using soil moisture sensors and a data logger to better his irrigation management, and a flowmeter to measure the amount of water used each season.