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
with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.
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.
From equipment to crop nutrition, products and practices, Monte Bottens shares the latest and greatest happenings of Bottens Family Farms.
Monte is an open book when it comes to helping farmers see what is possible. His recommendations to others come from years of on-farm trials, product experimentation, and pushing the boundaries of scaling soil health principles on sizable acreage. From growing his own seed, to future equipment trials, you might get some wild ideas for your own operations.
Monte Bottens has deep roots in agriculture. Raised as a fifth-generation, northwestern Illinois farmer, Monte is a business owner, entrepreneur and thought leader. Monte began his farming career with two bred sows given to him by his grandmother. Thanks to great guidance from his dad and equipment-sharing startup assistance, today he’s the owner of Bottens Family Farm (BFF).
The farm utilizes the latest agricultural innovations in precision farming technology and crop management systems while putting into practice advanced regenerative ag principles. BFF produces a diversity of crops and grass-fed livestock. which are sold direct to consumers under the Grateful Graze label.
He is the Founder, President and CEO of Ag Solutions Network, Inc. (ASN) headquartered in Moline, Illinois, where he leads the development and distribution of the POWER2GRO crop production system. ASN utilizes the latest technological advancements and highest-quality ingredients to enable farmers to build soil health and soil wealth. Monte is also the host of ASN’s podcast, AgEmerge where featured guests discuss new ideas, grower insights, research and emerging technology.
Monte is the Founder and Partner of California Ag Solutions, Inc. (CAS) in Madera, CA. The CAS team serves farmers of the Central Valley by helping them adopt reduced tillage techniques combined with improved water and nutrient efficiency using ASN’s POWER2GRO system on a wide variety of crops.
Monte has a love for the agricultural diversity in California. He serves on the leadership team of Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) center that develops integrated reduced tillage and irrigation techniques in California and globally. His excitement for ag tech and continuous process improvement also led him to get involved with the UC Davis Entrepreneurship Program and the Sacramento Angels. He has a desire to teach others and make region specific practices applicable for all different crops, soil types, and climates throughout the US. He has presented at many conferences and universities sharing his passion for soil health and agriculture innovation.
Monte is a graduate of Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. He and his wife Robyn live in Sherrard, Illinois, close to family on the family farm.
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.
