Kitten Farms’ cotton fields with row lengths of over 3,000 feet


ahead of the curve, he chuckled and said “You aren’t supposed to worry — just go for it!”


Kitten has found drip results to be consistent over the past 24 years. They improved on their flood yields by 50 percent early on as they adopted new systems. He attributes the yield benefit to the uniformity of the crop from drip irrigation.


even, uniform crop,” says Kitten. “We had talked to Hubert Frerich and knew drip would work.”


Hubert Frerich is well-known on the High Plains as the founder of Eco-Drip and the father of the permanent subsurface drip approach he pioneered in the early 1980s. When asked how the Kittens made the decision to adopt drip technology so far


The capital investment in drip for commodity crops, as well as the extensive infrastructure, is often noted as a detractor to drip irrigation. Kitten said they just haven’t found the detractors to be negative influences. “I love drip from a labor standpoint and for its quality and return. We want the water we pump to make as much revenue as possible, with nothing wasted.”


Plains farmers know that water is a diminishing resource, and they understand the impact the lack of water has on their land’s marketable value. The Kittens are looking to maximize the return they can get on the water they pump today as well as extending the farmable life of the resource. “We need to do as much as we can with as little water as needed.”


Kris Nightengale, MBA,


CID, is the vice president of sales and marketing for Jain Irrigation Inc. and has been working in leadership, sales and technical roles in irrigation manufacturing, distribution and construction


since 2002. He has served on various IA committees and currently chairs the IA Public Affairs Committee.


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