Meet Taylor Zeltwanger, NutraDrip’s Sales and Agronomy Representative for the North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota irrigation regions. As you can imagine, each day looks a little different, as Taylor’s duties vary from meeting with farmers who are interested in installing subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), to ensuring SDI systems are installed & running properly, to assisting current agricultural growers in maintaining their drip systems and boosting their agronomic practices.
On this particular day Taylor started his day by heading from home to South Dakota for a site visit, which Taylor describes as “finding out as much as we can about the growers needs, their farm, their community…what are things we can look for, subtle clues that can help us have a conversation around drip irrigation and how it will positively benefit their farm. What can we learn about their farm processes and the way that farmer operates…”
Once arriving at the field, Taylor visits with the grower and anyone else that may be there and has a conversation about current farming practices, their visions, family, goals, and more. He explains the processes of drip irrigation and the benefits it can provide and is available to answer any questions the potential customer may have. These conversations can last up to a few hours.
After answering these questions and deciding the next step with the grower, Taylor will ask if he can do a few tests and check a few things out around the field. First, Taylor performs a soil horizon test.
This includes digging a hole with a shovel to find where the soil horizons change. This is a factor in determining the recommended depth of drip tape. Next, Taylor will take a water sample from a potential `water source. This will get sent off to be sampled, as water quality is extremely important for the health of the soil and plants, along with an SDI system.
Taylor then takes his new knowledge home and gets to work communicating and helping our growers prepare and create the best plan of action for their farm.
Credit to: @chloannco on Instagram for the photos
