People with community impact.

Mike, President 
Orbia Precision Agriculture U.S. and Canada (Netafim)

The story of my family’s agricultural heritage is etched with resilience and determination. During the Great Depression, my father embarked on a journey that would forever shape our legacy in agriculture. Leaving everything behind, his family traveled from Oklahoma to California in search of a better life. When he arrived in California, the family settled in Raisin City and worked in the fields for local farmers.

As the 1930s came to a close, farmers were truly living in a changing world. In the 1940s, gunny sacks were traded for mechanized cotton harvesters. It took several more decades but today, raisin grapes can be harvested by machine. These innovations were developed through necessity as field labor became scarce and expensive.

Today, farmers face a different challenge. As depleted aquifers and reduced water availability from major tributaries such as the Colorado River threaten to idle thousands of acres of productive farmland in the western U.S., farmers are yet again living in a changing world. 

Just as technology and innovation aided the shift from hand-picking cotton and raisins, it will help farmers solve our current challenges related to water. Drip irrigation enables farmers to operate with a fraction of the water utilized by other irrigation sources. Efficient irrigation techniques hold the key to conserving water: a vital and finite resource. This will help ensure land is not idle and that the U.S. will continue leading with the safest and most abundant food supply in the world.

Today, as I reflect upon my roots, I am inspired to share my commitment to purpose-driven precision agriculture practices, the importance of water savings through efficient irrigation and the enduring spirit of our heritage. This—and Orbia—is where my purpose comes to life.