dry-farm

[drahy-fahrm]

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in dryland farming.

verb (used with object)

1. to grow (a specified crop) by means of dryland farming.

Other Word Forms

• dry farmer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of dry-farm¹

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20

Example Sentences

Steve Gliessman and Roberta Jaffe own Condor’s Hope Vineyard at the foot of the Sierra Madre Mountains, where they dry-farm wine grapes without irrigation, relying on the rains.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“In terms of water used per serving, rice can be pretty good. Lots of crops use a lot of water, and in most of California, you can’t dry-farm everything.”

Read more on Salon

The reverse engineering is because farmers are adopting old methods — farming without chemicals, using landrace seeds, thinking about issues of sustainability and seed security — and trying to either dry-farm or farm with very little irrigation. 

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“Irrigated vines have roots that live in the top 20 or 30 inches of soil. Dry-farm vines can have root systems as deep as 20 to 30 feet,” Bucklin says.

Read more on The Guardian

“I wouldn’t dry-farm unless it was worth it, if I didn’t think it made better wine,” Bucklin says.

Read more on The Guardian