Toro “Drip/Micro Payback Wizard” Calculates Drip Irrigation Cost Savings

The Toro Company introduces its new “Drip/Micro Payback Wizard” that estimates how long it takes to offset the investment of a new drip or micro irrigation system, along with how many additional acres could be farmed with the water saved by using this cost-effective technology. Developed in partnership with the Irrigation Association (IA), this new online tool is designed to help growers easily recognize the cost savings and determine the payback period of converting to a drip or micro irrigation system.

“Currently, less than 10 percent of U.S. farmland is drip irrigated,” says Inge Bisconer, technical manager for Toro’s Micro-Irrigation Business. “Because drip irrigation uses water more efficiently, increases revenue and decreases costs, we are working closely with the IA to expand the use of drip irrigation in farming applications. The Payback Wizard tool helps growers quickly realize the cost benefits of upgrading their current irrigation system to drip.”

According to Bisconer, the Payback Wizard is simple to use. Growers simply submit information on five criteria — their state, the type of crop, how many acres, their current irrigation system (gravity, sprinkler or mechanized) and their water cost per acre-foot. In seconds, the Payback Wizard analyzes the grower’s production and investment costs, as well as projected revenue increases, to estimate the payback period and additional acres that could be farmed with the water saved. From these results, farmers can view more detailed data produced by the Payback Wizard and adjust the input values to better reflect a specific production scenario. They can also print out a report and contact Toro for more information on drip irrigation.

“Through our research with the Irrigation Association, we know that the investment cost is a key barrier for growers in adopting drip irrigation,” says Bisconer. “Our goal in developing the Payback Wizard is to help growers use water more efficiently and improve profitability. It demonstrates how affordable it is to convert to drip irrigation systems by assessing revenue increases and cost savings before the investment is made.”

To use the Toro® Drip/Micro Payback Wizard, go to http://www.toromicroirrigation.com/.