The New Zealand tour group at Agri-Inject facility in Yuma.
The Benefits of Chemigation: A Conversation With Bob Gills
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hemigation—sometimes also known as fertigation—is the use of irrigation systems for the controlled and efficient application of fertilizer, herbicides, and other chemicals to crop fields or pasture. By using chemigation methods, farmers can both save money and avoid applying excess chemicals, which can leach into the soil. In this interview, Bob Gills, the director of global sales for Agri-Inject, the leading player in the chemigation market, speaks with Kris Polly, the editor-in-chief of Irrigation Leader, about the benefits of chemigation and why the method is well suited to markets like New Zealand, where it is not yet widespread. Kris Polly: Please tell us about your company, Agri-Inject. Bob Gills: Agri-Inject is the worldwide leader of chemical injection systems for the agricultural market. A large portion of our business is in center-pivot irrigation, but we’re also used in subsurface drip and in greenhouses. And we’re not limited to just agriculture. We are also very popular in golf and athletic field chemical injection.
Bob Gills: Yes. You often hear the term fertigation, which refers to injecting liquid fertilizer through an irrigation
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Kris Polly: Recently you participated in a tour with a group of New Zealanders. Can you tell us about your role in that tour and your time with the participants? Bob Gills: Earlier this year, I was in New Zealand for business, and while I was visiting a dealer that we’d signed up at the end of 2017, he mentioned an upcoming fertigation master class put together by IrrigationNZ. I decided to attend. That gave me the opportunity to meet Andrew Curtis and Steve Breneger from IrrigationNZ. IRRIGATION LEADER
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BOB GILLS.
Kris Polly: So your technology allows fertilizers and herbicides to be added directly into the irrigation water of irrigation systems.
system. But the more encompassing term is chemigation, which refers to the accurate and timely injection of fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides through an irrigation system. The terms are often used interchangeably. Chemigation—and fertigation specifically—has been around for a while, and we’ve been in business since 1983, designing, selling, and supporting our fertilizerinjection systems. The market has been growing over time. Farmers are educating themselves on how and when a plant uses fertilizer, and they better understand how to apply fertilizer to minimize plant stress and maximize yield. The more farmers realize how an injection system can improve the overall management of their farm, the more attracted they are to our technology. We strive to be the fertigation thought leader; our solutions are now an integral part of the precision agriculture market.
