The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will host a Master Irrigator Drip Irrigation Short Course on Nov. 13, from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bell Community Center in Bell, Florida.
The program is targeted towards watermelon producers in the Suwanee Valley region but is open to growers of any crop interested in learning about drip irrigation.
The program is hands-on and will cover key drip irrigation principles, including system design, automation, fertigation and maintenance. Those who attend the workshop and complete a checklist of irrigation practices can earn a Drip Irrigator Short Course Certificate. Requirements include attending the workshop on Nov. 13, installing and using a soil moisture sensor and completing a follow-up survey.
Participants can choose optional activities such as checking drip system pressure, flushing irrigation lines, testing irrigation uniformity, performing a blue dye demonstration to observe water and fertilizer movement, or using an automated irrigation system to improve efficiency.
The address for the workshop is 1180 North Main Street, Bell, Florida, 32619.
Irrigation Demonstration Support
Funding is currently available through a BMP Mini-Grant from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to help growers evaluate and improve the efficiency of their irrigation systems and practices through hands-on demonstrations. These include multiple, hands-on demonstrations designed to visualize and improve irrigation practices and system performance:
- Blue dye demonstrations: show how water moves through the soil, helping growers to understand irrigation depth and distribution within the root zone.
- Irrigation uniformity test for drip irrigation: measure how evenly water is applied across a field, identifying areas that may need system adjustments or maintenance.
- Electrical conductivity (EC) flush tests: use an EC meter to measure how long it takes for injected fertilizer or other materials to reach the end of the drip lines. It helps growers determine the proper injection time to ensure all fertilizer reaches the field evenly, improving nutrient use efficiency.
These demonstration support resources are available to all growers, whether or not they participate in the Master Irrigator Drip Irrigation Short Course through June 2026. For more information, contact your local UF/IFAS Extension agent or Jay Capasso at jcapasso@ufl.edu.