{"id":87,"date":"2025-03-28T18:23:54","date_gmt":"2025-03-28T18:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/?p=87"},"modified":"2025-03-28T18:23:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T18:23:54","slug":"water-efficiency-technical-assistance-weta-program-supports-producers-with-no-cost-irrigation-system-evaluations-and-pump-efficiency-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/28\/water-efficiency-technical-assistance-weta-program-supports-producers-with-no-cost-irrigation-system-evaluations-and-pump-efficiency-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) Program Supports Producers with No-Cost Irrigation System Evaluations and Pump Efficiency Tests"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the 2025 irrigation season is upon us in California, farmers can consider reaching out to a technical assistance provider funded by the OARS <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars\/technical\/weta.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Water Efficiency Technical Assistance<\/a> (WETA) program. WETA provides funds to technical assistance providers to complete irrigation system evaluations and pump efficiency tests, as well as provide training on water use efficiency and nutrient management practices.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-1024x575.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-88\" style=\"width:480px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-1024x575.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-1536x863.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-2048x1151.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">WETA technical assistance provider, Tehama RCD conducing an in-field irrigation evaluation.\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An irrigation system evaluation is the inspection and testing of an irrigation system to inform if repairs are needed and to see if water is being distributed evenly throughout the field. When a producer implements the recommendations from an irrigation system evaluation, they often save water and money and improve their crop yields. Similarly, a pump efficiency test, performed by a pump technician, can help a producer identify when a pump needs to be serviced or replaced, which can result in energy efficiency improvements and cost savings. WETA-funded technical assistance providers can also help a producer fine-tune their irrigation system and water management practices.&nbsp;<s> <\/s>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">OARS first received funding to provide WETA grants in 2021. Currently there are approximately 25 funded WETA technical assistance providers. Many of these grants will be expiring in 2026 so make the most of these services while they are available. To find out if there is a WETA service provider in your area and what types of assistance they are offering, please visit the program website at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars\/technical\/weta.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars\/technical\/weta.html<\/a>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As the 2025 irrigation season is upon us in California, farmers can consider reaching out to a technical assistance provider funded by the OARS Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) program. WETA provides funds to technical assistance providers to complete irrigation system evaluations and pump efficiency tests, as well as provide training on water use efficiency &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/28\/water-efficiency-technical-assistance-weta-program-supports-producers-with-no-cost-irrigation-system-evaluations-and-pump-efficiency-tests\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) Program Supports Producers with No-Cost Irrigation System Evaluations and Pump Efficiency Tests<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":88,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-87","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-informational","tag-state-water-efficiency-and-enhancement-program","fallback-thumbnail"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2015_40-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":180,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/28\/supporting-spanish-speaking-farmers-in-monterey-county-with-training-on-water-use-efficiency\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":0},"title":"Supporting Spanish-Speaking Farmers in Monterey County with Training on Water Use Efficiency","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"July 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), through its Office of Agricultural Resilience and Sustainability (OARS), is helping California farmers grow more sustainably through the Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) program. This initiative funds local organizations to deliver critical on-the-ground support in three main areas:\u00a0 Conducting distribution uniformity (DU)\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"farmer Celsa Ortega shares her experience learning about the flow rate of her drip tape.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Celsa-Ortega.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Celsa-Ortega.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Celsa-Ortega.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Celsa-Ortega.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Celsa-Ortega.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":66,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/28\/kautz-family-farms-success-with-sweep-grant\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":1},"title":"Kautz Family Farms&#8217; Success with SWEEP Grant","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"March 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Kautz Family Farms, a 147-acre winegrape operation in Lodi, received a 2019 State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) grant award of $84,000. The SWEEP grant, part of California's effort to promote sustainable farming practices, supports growers in adopting energy-efficient technologies and water conservation practices that reduce their environmental impact.\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Producer Success Story&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Producer Success Story","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/producer-success-story\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Kautz Family Farms' Success with SWEEP Grant","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SWEEP-Kautz.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SWEEP-Kautz.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SWEEP-Kautz.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SWEEP-Kautz.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/SWEEP-Kautz.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":175,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/28\/technical-assistance-program-builds-statewide-partnerships-in-climate-smart-and-conservation-agriculture\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":2},"title":"Technical Assistance Program Builds Statewide Partnerships in Climate Smart and Conservation Agriculture\u00a0","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"July 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The OARS Technical Assistance (TA) Program is critical to realizing the OARS mission: \u201cto use the best available science and knowledge from the agricultural community to design and implement practical solutions to California\u2019s natural resource challenges that improve the environmental and economic sustainability of producing nutritious food, fiber, and energy.\u201d\u00a0\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Secretary Ross gives an inspirational talk to Technical Assistance Providers on the importance and impact of their work at the 2024 OARS TA Conference.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/TA-Conference_2024_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/TA-Conference_2024_1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/TA-Conference_2024_1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/TA-Conference_2024_1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":90,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/03\/28\/healthy-soils-block-grant-organizations-innovate-to-give-farmers-hands-on-help-and-advice\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":3},"title":"Healthy Soils Block Grant Organizations Innovate to Give Farmers Hands-on Help and Advice","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"March 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"The Healthy Soils Program (HSP) Block Grant Pilot is designed to promote widespread adoption of healthy soils practices. Healthier soils provide more nutrients, retain more water, are more resilient to extreme weather, and sequester more carbon. Through a competitive selection process, CDFA awarded 14 HSP Block Grants to recipient organizations\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Soil sampling with the Harveys. Farmer Rita Harvey;\u202fConor Higgins - Mobile Irrigation Lab Manager, Yolo County Resource Conservation District","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0762.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0762.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0762.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0762.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0762.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/IMG_0762.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":188,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/31\/collaborative-orchard-studies-improve-efficiency-and-sustainability\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":4},"title":"Collaborative Orchard Studies Improve Efficiency and Sustainability\u202f","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"July 31, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"State and industry representatives visit Bowman Orchards. Almonds are California\u2019s #1 export crop for good reason. No place in the world has a climate better suited to consistent, high-quality almond production. Furthermore, the constricting labor market in the state has encouraged farmers to move towards almonds, with their relatively lower\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Producer Success Story&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Producer Success Story","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/producer-success-story\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"State and industry representatives visit Bowman Orchards.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Almond-Board-Staff-Explaining-Almond-Lifecycle-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Almond-Board-Staff-Explaining-Almond-Lifecycle-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Almond-Board-Staff-Explaining-Almond-Lifecycle-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Almond-Board-Staff-Explaining-Almond-Lifecycle-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Almond-Board-Staff-Explaining-Almond-Lifecycle-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/Almond-Board-Staff-Explaining-Almond-Lifecycle-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":143,"url":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/28\/california-conservation-planning-partnership-c2p2-advances-the-oars-technical-assistance-program-goals\/","url_meta":{"origin":87,"position":5},"title":"California Conservation Planning Partnership (C2P2) advances the OARS Technical Assistance Program Goals","author":"Sureena Johl","date":"July 28, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"CDFA & OARS are committed to supporting farmers through the C2P2 MOA, uniting key partners for effective conservation practices.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Informational&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Informational","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/category\/informational\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dr. Sara Garcia, OARS Technical Assistance Coordinator, represents CDFA\u2019s OARS team in a C2P2 Panel Discussion at the 2024 CARCD State Conference","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2024-CARCD-State-Conference.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2024-CARCD-State-Conference.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2024-CARCD-State-Conference.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/2024-CARCD-State-Conference.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":89,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87\/revisions\/89"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/88"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cdfa.ca.gov\/oars-blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}