Discover how innovative drip irrigation technologies are transforming water management and boosting efficiency in farming. Mike Hemman, Netafim Senior Vice President of North America, shares his journey from crop protection to leading irrigation solutions, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in modern agriculture. Tune in to explore the future of precision farming and the vital role of water conservation across the globe.
***
Show Notes:
Ag Solutions Network Socials:
https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast
https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm
https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork
https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO
https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/
Ag Solutions Network website:
https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/
Click to watch or listen and as always, let us know if you have any questions or guest ideas by emailing contactus@agsolutionsnetwork.com.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Drip Irrigation
00:06:00 - Mike Hemman's Journey
00:12:00 - Innovative Irrigation Solutions
00:18:00 - Water Conservation and Efficiency
00:24:00 - Future of Precision Farming
00:30:00 - Challenges in Water Management
00:36:00 - The Role of Technology in Agriculture
00:42:00 - Sustainable Farming Practices
00:48:00 - Netafim's Global Impact
00:54:00 - Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook
*** ***
Introducing the Ag Modernization Fund
Water basins are strained across the nation, and while modern irrigation remains one of the fastest and most proven ways to improve water use efficiency, many farmers still face barriers to accessing the financing for installing the latest systems.
To address this challenge, Orbia, Netafim USA along with California Water Resilience Initiative (CWRI), launched the Ag Modernization Fund, a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle that pools private-sector capital to directly fund irrigation upgrades for growers.
Backed by Keurig Dr Pepper, Gilead Sciences, and General Mills, the fund closed in 2025 with $300,000, already supporting five farms spanning 200 acres. These projects, to be completed within the year, are projected to reduce water use by 491 acre-feet — nearly 159 million gallons annually, enough to fill 241 Olympic-sized pools.
This fund is also listed on the UN-backed CEO Water Mandate’s Water Action Hub, aligning with global sustainability goals to address water stress across 100 priority basins worldwide — 8 of which are in the United States.
About Our Guest:
Mike Hemman - SVP, Netafim North America Division
Mike joined Netafim, Orbia Precision Agriculture business, in 2019 as the President of Netafim USA and was promoted to Senior Vice President of North America in 2024. He has been instrumental in driving strategic growth and expanding profit margins through innovative market strategies, customer segmentation, product lifecycle management, and improvements in supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies.
With multiple decades of experience in the crop protection and seed industry, Mike has held key commercial leadership positions at DuPont, Corteva, and Pioneer Seed. His extensive background in biologicals, fertility, crop protection, seed, and irrigation give him a unique cross-sector perspective on the agricultural industry.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science from California State University, Fresno, where he also pursued Master of Science coursework in agronomy. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the Irrigation Association and has previously served on the boards of the Agricultural Retailers Association, Western Plant Health Association, and California Association of Pest Control Advisers.
All content for Ag Emerge Podcast is the property of Hosted by Monte Bottens and is served directly from their servers
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Discover how innovative drip irrigation technologies are transforming water management and boosting efficiency in farming. Mike Hemman, Netafim Senior Vice President of North America, shares his journey from crop protection to leading irrigation solutions, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in modern agriculture. Tune in to explore the future of precision farming and the vital role of water conservation across the globe.
***
Show Notes:
Ag Solutions Network Socials:
https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast
https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm
https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork
https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO
https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/
Ag Solutions Network website:
https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/
Click to watch or listen and as always, let us know if you have any questions or guest ideas by emailing contactus@agsolutionsnetwork.com.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Drip Irrigation
00:06:00 - Mike Hemman's Journey
00:12:00 - Innovative Irrigation Solutions
00:18:00 - Water Conservation and Efficiency
00:24:00 - Future of Precision Farming
00:30:00 - Challenges in Water Management
00:36:00 - The Role of Technology in Agriculture
00:42:00 - Sustainable Farming Practices
00:48:00 - Netafim's Global Impact
00:54:00 - Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook
*** ***
Introducing the Ag Modernization Fund
Water basins are strained across the nation, and while modern irrigation remains one of the fastest and most proven ways to improve water use efficiency, many farmers still face barriers to accessing the financing for installing the latest systems.
To address this challenge, Orbia, Netafim USA along with California Water Resilience Initiative (CWRI), launched the Ag Modernization Fund, a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle that pools private-sector capital to directly fund irrigation upgrades for growers.
Backed by Keurig Dr Pepper, Gilead Sciences, and General Mills, the fund closed in 2025 with $300,000, already supporting five farms spanning 200 acres. These projects, to be completed within the year, are projected to reduce water use by 491 acre-feet — nearly 159 million gallons annually, enough to fill 241 Olympic-sized pools.
This fund is also listed on the UN-backed CEO Water Mandate’s Water Action Hub, aligning with global sustainability goals to address water stress across 100 priority basins worldwide — 8 of which are in the United States.
About Our Guest:
Mike Hemman - SVP, Netafim North America Division
Mike joined Netafim, Orbia Precision Agriculture business, in 2019 as the President of Netafim USA and was promoted to Senior Vice President of North America in 2024. He has been instrumental in driving strategic growth and expanding profit margins through innovative market strategies, customer segmentation, product lifecycle management, and improvements in supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies.
With multiple decades of experience in the crop protection and seed industry, Mike has held key commercial leadership positions at DuPont, Corteva, and Pioneer Seed. His extensive background in biologicals, fertility, crop protection, seed, and irrigation give him a unique cross-sector perspective on the agricultural industry.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science from California State University, Fresno, where he also pursued Master of Science coursework in agronomy. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the Irrigation Association and has previously served on the boards of the Agricultural Retailers Association, Western Plant Health Association, and California Association of Pest Control Advisers.
AgEmerge Podcast 159 with Danny Royer - Farm Coordinator at UC Merced
Ag Emerge Podcast
1 hour 8 minutes
8 months ago
AgEmerge Podcast 159 with Danny Royer - Farm Coordinator at UC Merced
Danny Royer is the Farm Coordinator at UC Merced. From smart farms to reimagining supply chains, we’ll hear how Danny blends innovation with the art of growing food. He and Monte explore farming that looks at scaling back costs with sustainable practices as well as inspiring the next generation through real-world experience.
Instagram: @esf_ucm
https://www.instagram.com/esf_ucm?igsh=aml5Z3pmZmlyMXJ1
Danny was born and raised in Merced, California. Merced is located in the heart of California’s Central Valley and is surrounded by production agriculture. Not having family ties to agriculture though, Danny found his passion for farming and agriculture through 4-H, FFA and on his best friend's farm just outside of Merced. He started his career in farming by irrigating pistachios in Madera at age 16 and eventually found himself working summers on a construction crew for Merced Irrigation District.
After high school Danny took his passion for Agriculture to Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. While he was there he continued to focus on broadening his work experience by taking on jobs at the Cal Poly Foundation Dairy and the Cal Poly Farm Shop. Danny Graduated from Cal Poly in 2008 with a degree in Agricultural Systems Management and minor in Agricultural Business.
Cal Poly had prepared him for life after graduation, but Danny attributes his summer internships and combined work experiences to preparing him for the grind that would become the next eight years of his career. After graduating Danny worked in management and leadership positions for some of the largest farms and food production companies in California. After years of operational roles Danny transitioned into a new role as the VP of Technology for world renowned Bowles Farming Company.
It was ag tech that allowed Danny to start driving change in operations and redefining company cultures. Danny’s vast and extensive agriculture operations experience combined with the onslaught of ag tech allowed him to shift his strategy to incorporate ag tech solutions. After years of implementations and improvement iterations though, Danny was ready for something more.
Along with being a serial agriculturalist and technologist, Danny is an active member in his Community of Merced. He serves as the Chairman of the Board for the Community Foundation of Merced County and actively engages in community events and initiatives. Lastly and definitely most importantly to Danny, he is very much a family man. Danny is married with three children, who are the light of his life and his mission to create sustainable food systems is driven by a desire to see a more balanced and sustainable world for his family.
Got questions you want answered? Send them our way and we’ll do our best to research and find answers. Know someone you think would be great on the AgEmerge stage or podcast?
Send your questions or suggestions to kim@asn.farm we’d love to hear from you.
Ag Emerge Podcast
Discover how innovative drip irrigation technologies are transforming water management and boosting efficiency in farming. Mike Hemman, Netafim Senior Vice President of North America, shares his journey from crop protection to leading irrigation solutions, highlighting the challenges and opportunities in modern agriculture. Tune in to explore the future of precision farming and the vital role of water conservation across the globe.
***
Show Notes:
Ag Solutions Network Socials:
https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/agemergepodcast
https://www.facebook.com/ASN.farm
https://www.linkedin.com/company/agsolutionsnetwork
https://twitter.com/POWER2GRO
https://www.instagram.com/agsolutionsnetwork/
Ag Solutions Network website:
https://www.agsolutionsnetwork.com/
Click to watch or listen and as always, let us know if you have any questions or guest ideas by emailing contactus@agsolutionsnetwork.com.
Chapters:
00:00:00 - Introduction to Drip Irrigation
00:06:00 - Mike Hemman's Journey
00:12:00 - Innovative Irrigation Solutions
00:18:00 - Water Conservation and Efficiency
00:24:00 - Future of Precision Farming
00:30:00 - Challenges in Water Management
00:36:00 - The Role of Technology in Agriculture
00:42:00 - Sustainable Farming Practices
00:48:00 - Netafim's Global Impact
00:54:00 - Closing Thoughts and Future Outlook
*** ***
Introducing the Ag Modernization Fund
Water basins are strained across the nation, and while modern irrigation remains one of the fastest and most proven ways to improve water use efficiency, many farmers still face barriers to accessing the financing for installing the latest systems.
To address this challenge, Orbia, Netafim USA along with California Water Resilience Initiative (CWRI), launched the Ag Modernization Fund, a first-of-its-kind investment vehicle that pools private-sector capital to directly fund irrigation upgrades for growers.
Backed by Keurig Dr Pepper, Gilead Sciences, and General Mills, the fund closed in 2025 with $300,000, already supporting five farms spanning 200 acres. These projects, to be completed within the year, are projected to reduce water use by 491 acre-feet — nearly 159 million gallons annually, enough to fill 241 Olympic-sized pools.
This fund is also listed on the UN-backed CEO Water Mandate’s Water Action Hub, aligning with global sustainability goals to address water stress across 100 priority basins worldwide — 8 of which are in the United States.
About Our Guest:
Mike Hemman - SVP, Netafim North America Division
Mike joined Netafim, Orbia Precision Agriculture business, in 2019 as the President of Netafim USA and was promoted to Senior Vice President of North America in 2024. He has been instrumental in driving strategic growth and expanding profit margins through innovative market strategies, customer segmentation, product lifecycle management, and improvements in supply chain and manufacturing efficiencies.
With multiple decades of experience in the crop protection and seed industry, Mike has held key commercial leadership positions at DuPont, Corteva, and Pioneer Seed. His extensive background in biologicals, fertility, crop protection, seed, and irrigation give him a unique cross-sector perspective on the agricultural industry.
Mike holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant Science from California State University, Fresno, where he also pursued Master of Science coursework in agronomy. He is currently a member of the Executive Board of the Irrigation Association and has previously served on the boards of the Agricultural Retailers Association, Western Plant Health Association, and California Association of Pest Control Advisers.
