Kitayama Brothers, Inc. (KBI) hydroponic greenhouses with micro irrigation have been in use for years in their 40 acres of green houses on Thursday, August 27, 2015, in Watsonville, CA. Sterile reclaimed and recharge water is used all or in part from the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) and flows through micro irrigation tubes and emitters at each plant. This is one of the water saving systems the family uses. KBI are active members of the commercial agricultural community in Pajaro Valley and Santa Cruz County, exploring new ways to improve their quality and business efficienci
Kitayama Brothers, Inc. (KBI) hydroponic greenhouses with micro irrigation have been in use for years in their 40 acres of green houses on Thursday, August 27, 2015, in Watsonville, CA. Sterile reclaimed and recharge water is used all or in part from the Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency (PVWMA) and flows through micro irrigation tubes and emitters at each plant. This is one of the water saving systems the family uses. KBI are active members of the commercial agricultural community in Pajaro Valley and Santa Cruz County, exploring new ways to improve their quality and business efficiencies. Agriculture has been a part of the Kitayama family for three generations, since before WWII, when the founding grandfather Takeshi Kitayama began growing flowers and vegetables in Washington. In 1945, after internment, his sons Tom and Ray Kitayama, started a nursery and the business grew. They became leaders in the wholesale flower industry. in the mid-90’s, the business continued to grow, and a third generation of family members joined and formed Kitayama Brothers, Inc. Today, the business grows a variety of lisianthus, lily, Gerbera, snapdragon and others, additionally; land is leased to other growers for strawberries and a variety of other crops. Located ¼ mile from the Pacific Ocean (Monterey Bay) Kitayama Brothers, Inc., employs 100 - 300 people depending on the time of year. To water all the flowers, the business uses a combination of irrigation water sources that include ground water wells; sterile reclaimed and recharge water, rainwater harvesting, hydroponics and micro irrigation system. Over the past 15 years, the amount of water from PVWMA has been reduced by 2/3s, making onsite ground water wells ever more important, and a factor in groundwater deletion. Today, there is a high demand on well; this has been a factor in (seawater) salt intrusion in all of their wells, one having to be shutdown, because of the salty water harms plants. There must to be enoug
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