Ventura County

Resource Conservation District

Agricultural Water Programs

Agriculture is a major industry in Ventura County, for every acre of pavement and buildings there is an acre of irrigated agriculture. Water use is important to residents and growers alike and the Ventura County Resource Conservation District is here to help offer support.

VCRCD is currently offering several programs for growers concerned with irrigation, water quality, and water quantity. Click the program title to learn more about that specific program.

Irrigation Evaluations VCRCD will evaluate your irrigation system to help identify any deficiencies.

WETA– The Water Efficiency Technical Assistance program offers free irrigation evaluations, pump tests, suggestions for best nutrient management practices, and limited NIM stations as seen in IIMRLN.

AEWQA – The Agricultural Environmental Water Quality Assistance program incentivizes the implementation of sediment, nutrient, and irrigation management practices on ag land. 

AMPP – Through the Agricultural Management Practice Plans program VCRCD can write Management Practice Plans for growers in Ventura County who have chosen Track 2 compliance for the Ag Order.

 

VCRCD is actively helping farmers with the following programs and is no longer accepting new applications.

IIMRLN – The Interactive Irrigation Management to Reduce the Leaching of Nitrogen is a VCRCD project aimed at reducing the amount of nitrogen discharged below the root zone of crops. 

SWEEP – The State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program provides financial incentives for CA agricultural operations to invest in irrigation and energy systems that both reduce water consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. 

Close up image of a sprinkler watering plants

Past Nutrient & Irrigation Management Field Event

VCRCD is grateful to be able to host field events for Ventura County growers. It is in part because of relationships with our conservation partners and event speakers: Jodi Switzer at the Ventura County Farm Bureau, Gabriel Alcantar and Israel Camacho at AGQ Labs, Brooks Engelhardt at NRCS, Brad Adams at Irrometer, and Ben Waddell at Fruit Growers Lab. 

A BIG THANK YOU to our host farmers: Richard Cavaletto and Richard Biocca.

The event’s farmer resources on water, irrigation, and nutrient management are accessible here.

VCRCD offers more than irrigation evaluations and nutrient management planning (NMP) assistance and have several upcoming grants to address a wide variety of resource concerns. VCRCD can match up your current and future needs with our programs and funding as well as inform us on what grant funding VCRCD should seek out for our farmers and ranchers. Please consider filling out VCRCD’s resource interest/concern form.