Interview with Mike Hemman, SVP and Head of North America, Netafim

1. Tell us about Netafim North America:
Netafim is the precision agriculture business of Orbia and the inventor of drip irrigation, which was founded by farmers for farmers to address some of the most pressing challenges they face. For over 45 years, we've been leading innovators in agriculture, helping farmers improve yields while reducing water, energy, labor, and nutrient costs. We work closely with farmers to find customized solutions that will support their specific crop on their unique plot of land. While our focus is drip irrigation, we also provide precision agriculture solutions beyond our legacy drip irrigation products.

Our solutions range from traditional drip irrigation systems to our newly launched GrowSphere™ operating system, giving farmers the precision agriculture tools they need to increase crop yield and sustainability. We have 110 locations, 35 subsidiaries, and 13 production plants globally – this has given us the experience to work with almost every type of land and crop imaginable, from hospitable to harsh. Netafim is a trusted partner for growers globally, helping them to grow more with less.

2. Can you explain what GrowSphere is and its key features?
GrowSphere is an intuitive, all-in-one operating system that integrates irrigation and fertigation management in a single precision agriculture system. It allows farmers to monitor and control their irrigation & fertigation remotely, using a simple dashboard accessible from desktop and mobile devices. The comprehensive and easy-to-use operating system is one of the only platforms on the market today with a unified single-view dashboard accessible across desktop and mobile devices.

By providing real-time updates and recommendations based on data-backed insights, GrowSphere enables farmers to make more informed decisions when it comes to more efficiently using water, fertilizer, energy, and labor. The platform provides a suite of tools that farmers can leverage to make data-driven decisions for improving crop yield and quality, all while maximizing water usage and reducing fertilizer, energy, and labor costs.

The GrowSphere Operating System (OS) seamlessly connects in-ground hardware systems to the cloud. Farmers have full control of their acreage and can set irrigation protocols as automated or manual, or a mix of both approaches. No matter where they are, they can easily make adjustments whether they are off-site or in the field, assuring farmers can address unexpected weather patterns in real time.

3. What features make GrowSphere stand out in the market?
GrowSphere is one of the only platforms of its kind and offers a unified workspace with real-time monitoring and data-driven recommendations from proven crop-specific agronomic models. Unlike other platforms that focus on a single aspect of farming, GrowSphere integrates irrigation, fertigation, and crop monitoring into one system. This holistic approach eliminates the need for multiple systems, reducing complexity and improving operational efficiency. This also ensures that crops receive the exact amount of water and nutrients needed, minimizing waste and maximizing yield—something not all platforms can achieve seamlessly.

The platform features an advanced "crop advisor" tool that delivers tailored recommendations based on crop type, growth stage, weather, and soil conditions. The system uses proven sensor technology and supplies a complete toolkit. This includes irrigation models for over 30 crop types, which have been validated by global field data, ensuring its credibility and dependability. This level of specificity is often absent in competing systems, which may rely on generalized or less precise algorithms. GrowSphere is also highly scalable, with a multilingual interface, ensuring it can be used by farmers of all sizes and levels of technical expertise.

4. How does the partnership between Phytech enhance the GrowSphere platform?
The collaboration between Netafim and Phytech enhances the GrowSphere platform by integrating advanced plant and hydraulic system monitoring technologies. Phytech's real-time crop health monitoring and environmental data analysis helps support the actionable insights/recommendations, enabling farmers to make timely decisions that optimize crops.

The integration also includes hydraulic monitoring for components such as tanks, pumps, and valves, ensuring predictive maintenance and reducing downtime. By enabling faster problem detections and predictive maintenance, Phytech’s integration ensures farms can address issues with their irrigation systems promptly to overall improve efficiency. This seamless combination of data-driven insights and real-time alerts enhances operational efficiency and resource management.

This improves automation and control capabilities, ensuring precise irrigation tailored to crop needs while minimizing resource waste, positioning GrowSphere as a leading precision agriculture tool, empowering farmers to achieve higher efficiency and effectiveness.

5. How has GrowSphere supported farmers so far? What impact has it had on crop yield and sustainability?
GrowSphere is having a substantial impact on sustainability in agriculture, supporting thousands of farmed acres in the U.S. The platform allows farmers to manage resources and optimize crop performance by automating water and nutrient delivery based on specific crop needs and real-time environmental data. This result has proven valuable to farmers across various environments, showing significant waste reduction and improved efficiency, leading to higher yields and quality while using fewer resources.

Additionally, GrowSphere's real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance features enable farmers to quickly address issues like water leaks and maximize fertilizer application efficiency. This not only minimizes environmental impact but also improves resource conservation. The platform enables farmers to make data-driven decisions that optimize both sustainability and profitability, leading to consistent, high-quality yields, even in challenging environments.

6. What's next for Netafim in terms of innovation and growth?
Netafim North America is dedicated to advancing and providing solutions that positively impact the industries it serves. This commitment is apparent through groundbreaking technologies, such as GrowSphere, and active pursuit of partnerships that effectively deploy resources to address the global challenges faced by farmers.

In 2025 we will be launching a revolutionary alternative to aluminum sprinkler pipes that minimizes costs and most importantly, reduces labor. We’ll also be launching several new drip irrigation technologies for onions, controlled environment agriculture, vineyard crops, and nut crops.

We will continue exploring ways to enhance offerings through research and development, and collaborations, with the goal of delivering innovative solutions for the challenges ahead. Netafim is dedicated to advancing precision agriculture and empowering farmers to grow more with less. Our dedication to supporting farmers and addressing agricultural challenges is central to our mission. For further information about Netafim and their innovative solutions, visit NetafimUSA.com.