Why Water Filtration Is Important for Farmers
When most people think of the importance of water filtration, they tend to imagine systems designed to purify drinking water. Farmers, however, think about how water filtration will affect their crops.
The more control farmers have over their inputs, the more control they have over the crops they produce. Water filtration gives farmers one more level of control that can help them improve growing conditions, prevent disease, and increase crop yield.
Filtration Can Improve pH Management to Help Crops Thrive
Most plants prefer a soil pH between 5.5 and 7. When soil becomes too acidic or alkaline, it can prevent nutrient availability to crops, damage soil structure, and increase the presence of unwanted bacteria.
Farmers can directly adjust soil pH by adding lime, which raises the pH, or sulfur, which lowers the pH. Water, however, often contains carbonates and other dissolved solids that can interfere with pH management. When the water used on crops adds too many dissolved solids, soil quality can fall and crops can suffer. That is why water filtration is important.
The Importance of Finding the Correct Water Filtration System for Your Farm
Reverse osmosis filtration removes dissolved solids from water to prevent interference with soil pH management. If you can’t control your soil’s pH, then it might make sense to install a filtration system that removes harmful chemicals from the water.
The type of filtration that your irrigation system needs can depend on a variety of factors, so it is important to consult an expert before spending money on water filtration equipment.
Filtration Removes Contaminants that Increase the Risk of Disease
Depending on your farm’s water source, you may need to filter out contaminants that increase the risk of plant diseases and outbreaks of illness among your consumers. There are two main ways that diseases, fecal matter, and other contaminants can enter your water source:
- Through surface water and groundwater that hasn’t been processed by a municipal filtration plant
- Through fecal matter that flows into your water source from animals on your farm or a neighboring farm
E. coli provides an excellent example of the importance of water filtration. E. coli outbreaks connected to fruit and vegetables often come from water sources that have been contaminated by solid waste. If a farmer in your area raises pigs, cows, or other animals, the waste could flow into your water source. When you spray that water on your crops, you put customers at serious risk of illness. Filtering water that enters your fields removes E. coli and other contaminants that can harm people and plants.
The Importance of Municipal Water Filtration
Even municipal water sources may have chemicals that you don’t want to add to your crops. Common chemicals found in municipal water include chlorine, fluoride, mercury, and lead. Some water even contains fertilizers and pesticides.
You may want to use fertilizers and pesticides on your crops, but you also want to control how much you apply. When you unintentionally add more chemicals, you could kill beneficial insects or introduce too much nitrogen to your crops.
Don’t Assume Your Water is Clean
People like to think that they have clean drinking water. However, tests performed in recent years have proven that many municipalities don’t clean water as well as they claim. With water filtration, what’s important is that you don’t have to worry about unknown contaminants harming your farm.
Getting the Most from Your Filtration and Irrigation Systems
Your farm has unique needs that you need to consider before upgrading your filtration and irrigation systems. Adding the right equipment could revolutionize your farm’s approach to growing healthy, prosperous crops that help you earn more money.
Contact waterbugs.org to learn more about the importance of water filtration and how you can get more from the filtration and irrigation systems on your farm.