Fortunately, there’s a solution we’re working on that might offer a real path forward. It’s called manure subsurface drip irrigation (MSDI), and we’re piloting this technology in partnership with Sustainable Conservation and support from checkoff scientists at Dairy Management Inc. (DMI).
Instead of mixing liquid manure with irrigation water and flooding fields, we precisely blend the manure effluent with water and deliver it to the crop root zone through buried drip lines. That means the manure nutrients go right to the roots, minimizing the loss of nutrients and using much less water.
We started testing MSDI on our fields over a decade ago. Back then, we installed our first system with help from a grant. Over time, we saw we could grow corn without using any commercial nitrogen fertilizer. That was a big discovery and today, we have seven MSDI systems running, with two more on the way.
We haven’t applied synthetic nitrogen on those fields in years, and we’re saving around 30% on water. Our data also showed we were getting much higher nitrogen-use efficiency, meaning we were removing more nitrogen in the crop than we were applying through the manure. That sparked a deeper question: Where was the extra nitrogen coming from?
Turns out, in traditional flood systems, we lose a lot of ammoniacal nitrogen as well as nitrous oxide to the air. By injecting it, MSDI traps more nitrogen in the soil where the plants can use it. That’s not just good for nutrient efficiency — it also could mean lower emissions of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas.
As we follow the scientific approach, this research project is giving us the hard data to prove it. We’re running side-by-side comparisons — old flood irrigation versus MSDI — with gas sensors, soil sampling, and crop monitoring. The goal is to build peer-reviewed, science-based evidence around what we’ve already seen work in the field.
I’ve been grateful for the support from the checkoff science team and project partners. This collaboration has brought experts to the farm who are just as invested in making this work as we are. They’ve even helped us solve what would’ve been difficult to manage alone.
MSDI can help us farm smarter by stretching our water, better managing nutrients and staying in compliance, all while keeping our yields strong. If we can prove the environmental benefits, too, there may be pathways to financial incentives and carbon programs that help more farmers adopt it. Bottom line: MSDI offers real potential to help us adapt to California’s water reality, and it’s one more way our dairy community can lead with innovation.
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