Desert Control is proud to announce that Limoneira Company is advancing with commercial deployment of Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) at their citrus ranch in Yuma, Arizona. This move underscores Limoneira's dedication to pioneering sustainable agricultural practices and marks a significant step in the commercial market adoption of LNC.
Desert Control, on 31 January 2024, received a purchase order from Limoneira to apply LNC for an additional 6,652 trees over 60 acres at the Yuma ranch for the upcoming season. This deployment, targeted for completion by April 2024, is expected to have an immediate positive impact on improving water and nutrient efficiency vital to cultivating soil health for long-term productivity, yields, and quality of citrus cultivation under challenging desert conditions. The continued roll-out of LNC at Limoneira is anticipated to be executed in stages aligned with ongoing fallowing and forbearance programs as part of Limoneira's water conservation and sustainability strategy.
Edgar Gutierrez, Vice President of Farming Operations at Limoneira, comments, "Our decision to expand LNC deployment in Yuma is a testament to the effectiveness and scalability of Liquid Natural Clay in enhancing soil health. This technology optimizes the use of natural resources, paving the way for more sustainable and profitable desert farming practices, in close alignment with our sustainability programs."
The relationship between Desert Control and Limoneira started with a small technical LNC pilot project for 50 trees at the Yuma ranch in July 2022. The pilot's immediate positive impact on water conservation set the stage for an expanded pre-project covering 2,000 trees over 20 acres at the Yuma ranch in Q1 2023. "The journey from a small pilot to an extended pre-project, onwards to our first commercial deployment in the United States, highlights the growing confidence in our LNC technology and its scalability," says Ole Kristian Sivertsen, CEO of Desert Control.
Throughout the journey, Desert Control has achieved significant efficiency improvements vital to the scalability of LNC adoption. Production capacity per unit more than doubled, and the scale of application efficiency improved by more than 30X between the first 50 trees pilot in July 2022 and the 20-acre extended pre-project in Q1-2023. The improvements in application efficiency and scalability add significant value to the upcoming LNC deployments.
Limoneira's LNC roll-out marks an important milestone for Desert Control. This is the first entirely commercial adoption of LNC in the U.S., transcending the pilot program phase. The transition from pilot contracts to commercial deployments via the initial purchase order is an endorsement of LNC as a proven solution in sustainable agriculture.
For more information:
Ole Kristian Sivertsen
Desert Control
Mobile (NOR): +47 957 77 777
Mobile (USA): +1 650 643 6136
Email: Email: [email protected]
https://www.desertcontrol.com