Tachi Farms in Stratford, California grows wine grapes, pistachios and pomegranates on more than 800 acres. General Manager Kevin Ruble is responsible for irrigation, water supply, pest control and day-to-day operations. Before SWAN Systems, the data he relied on lived in spreadsheets, separate programmes and field notes, making it harder to get a clear view across the ranch and slowing down decisions on a farm that never really stops.
With SWAN, Kevin now has a single place to see water use, compare blocks, track seasonal trends and prepare end-of-year reports.
821-acre permanent crop operation 💧 Wine grapes, pistachios, pomegranates 💧 Focus: irrigation & water reporting
Watch: “SWAN gives us all the data in one spot”
About Tachi Farms
Tachi Farms is a permanent crop operation in California’s Central Valley, growing wine grapes, pistachios and pomegranates across more than 800 acres, with some forage in the mix. As General Manager, Kevin Ruble oversees irrigation management, plant health, pest control, compliance and day-to-day decision-making.
He describes his role simply: keeping the ranch productive and efficient across a lot of ground, where you cannot be in every block every day – which makes trusted, well-organised information essential.
The challenge: data scattered across spreadsheets and systems
Before SWAN Systems, Kevin relied on multiple spreadsheets, different programmes and manual notes to keep track of water use, irrigations and performance. The information was there – but scattered – and that made it harder to move quickly and be confident he was making the best decisions with the water and time available.
- Irrigation and water-use data spread across spreadsheets, separate software and field notes.
- No single view across 800+ acres – and he “can’t look at every acre every day, all the time.”
- Year-end water-use and performance reporting took unnecessary time and manual effort.
- Increasing pressure to demonstrate efficient water use and justify decisions to owners and stakeholders.
Kevin wasn’t looking for more data; he needed organised data in one place so he could see patterns, spot issues early and act faster.
We used to use a lot of spreadsheets and different programmes… With SWAN, we’re able to incorporate most of that and get to the data more efficient.
Why Kevin chose SWAN Systems
Kevin adopted SWAN Systems to bring irrigation information into a single, organised platform. Rather than replacing everything overnight, SWAN gave him a structure he could build on – starting with satellite imagery, then connecting equipment such as flow meters, configuring each site to its soil and crop type, setting up irrigation plans, and organising the data for water-supply tracking and reporting.
SWAN is now the place where Kevin:
- Brings together flow meter readings, irrigation schedules and weather data.
- Looks at satellite imagery to understand how blocks are performing over time.
- Tracks water supply and use for reporting and SGMA needs.
- Reviews how irrigation decisions are playing out at field level.
Single source of truth 💧 Sensor agnostic 💧 Built for permanent crops 💧 Supports SGMA reporting
How Kevin uses SWAN week to week
Kevin uses SWAN both for day-to-day operations and for looking across whole seasons.
In practice, that means:
We’re still only human; you can’t look at every acre every day, all the time. And so, I think just another layer of having technology help us with giving the whole bird’s eye view. It just gets us to understand if there’s an issue, we can get there quicker to solve it.
The Difference SWAN Makes
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Hours back each week thanks to having all water, imagery, and flow-meter data organised in one place
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Faster, more confident decisions during key growth stages
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Earlier detection of problems, reducing the risk of yield loss
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Streamlined SGMA and operational reporting with accurate water-use records
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Flexible and sensor-agnostic, accommodating flow meters, pressure switches, imagery, and more
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Human support when it matters, helping Kevin extract and apply the insights most relevant to his season
In March 2025, Shannon Rinkenberger, our Key Account Manager for North America, spoke with Kevin Ruble about his experience using SWAN Systems – why he chose it, how he uses it, and the value it brings to his operation. You can listen to their full conversation here.
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 00:15–00:45 | Who Kevin is, where he farms, what he grows |
| 00:54–01:25 | Why he chose SWAN & the challenges he faced |
| 01:33–02:10 |
Benefits of data aggregation
• “We're only human” (01:52)
• “Bird’s-eye view” (02:04) |
| 02:21–03:10 |
Water savings & catching issues early
• “Cheap insurance” (02:55)
|
| 03:25–04:17 | How SWAN helps with SGMA reporting |
| 04:22–05:12 |
Time savings & streamlined decisions
• “Data in one place” (05:05)
|
| 05:56–06:39 | Working with Alejandra & the value of SWAN support |
| 06:44–08:17 |
How SWAN compares with other agtech (flexibility, sensor-agnostic, layering data) |
| 08:25–10:13 | A typical week using SWAN |
| 10:22–11:52 |
Value of year-end reporting
• “Layering your data” (11:30)
|
If Kevin’s experience resonates with your operation,
book a conversation with SWAN Systems
.
