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Patented subsurface irrigation · Terra Nova Research
Keep every drop at the roots.
Pivots, wheel lines and flood irrigation lose up to 50% to evaporation. Our subsurface membrane holds water where crops need it — turning sandy soil into high-yield ground.
50%
water lost to evaporation by surface methods
$900–$1,300
per acre vs. $2,000–$9,000 for pivots
20
patented improvements over existing devices
0
maintenance, ever
How subsurface water retention works
A reservoir right under the roots.
Drip systems let water percolate straight past the plant down to the water table. Terra Nova's membrane irrigation by subsurface retention lays a barrier beneath the root zone, so rain and irrigation stay available to your crop.
Farmers have sequestered water for millennia — but never at row-crop scale. Our "Bravo" unit makes it practical, and is ready to install on short notice.
Increased yield & farm-gate revenue
What more yield is worth to you.
$1,239 per acre at 160 acres — volume pricing slides from $1,300 at 10 acres to $900 at 1,000+.
Measured in published field research: +48% vs. control.
| Typical yield | 20,000 lb/acre |
| Spot price (typical estimate) | $0.3/lb |
| Added yield | +9,600 lb/acre |
Added farm-gate revenue · Cucumbers
$2,880
per acre, every season
Your ROI
| Installation cost ($1,239/acre) | $198,240 |
| Added revenue | $460,800 / season |
| Payback | Under 1 season |
$1,239/acre at 160 acres (volume pricing).
Before savings on water, energy, seed and fertilizer.
Price: typical U.S. farm-gate estimate. Yield gains from Terra Nova field research summary (2021). Cotton yields: USDA 2024 final county yields, Lubbock County, TX (looked up 09/26/2026); other yields are typical U.S. averages. Your results depend on soil, climate and management.
Water conservation in agriculture
Water-efficient irrigation that works underground.
Surface irrigation methods like pivots, wheel lines and flooding can lose up to 50% of their water to evaporation before it ever reaches the crop.
Terra Nova's membrane is water-saving irrigation by design: it holds rain and irrigation water in the root zone, so less water is pumped, less drains away to the water table, and less disappears into the air.
For growers facing drought and tighter water allocations, that means real irrigation water conservation — without giving up yield.
Benefits
Take control of your water — and your destiny.
01
Drought survival
Water stays in the root zone instead of draining past it.
02
Higher yields
Maximize output on the fields you already farm.
03
Lower inputs
Less seed, water, electricity, diesel and fertilizer.
04
Better quality
Healthier crops command a higher farm-gate price.
05
Sandy soil, arable
Makes light, fast-draining ground productive.
06
No deep breaking
Eliminates costly deep tillage.
07
Stops erosion
Holds soil and moisture where they belong.
The X factor
Someday water authorities will choose between farms and towns. Be ready.
Center pivot irrigation cost vs. Terra Nova
Pay once. Harvest for generations.
Center pivot (from)
$2,000
per acre, plus ongoing energy & maintenance
Terra Nova
$900–$1,300
per acre, sliding scale by acreage
no maintenance — ever
Estimates only. Final price depends on acreage, location and membrane (orchard or row). Try the calculator above to price your acreage.
When crops fail: USDA insurance vs. Terra Nova
Insurance pays after the loss. We prevent it.
USDA crop insurance pays only after a loss — up to a ceiling set by your county, your yield history and the coverage level you elect. This is what that ceiling looked like in Texas, straight from USDA's own records for the 2024 drought year.
| Crop | Coverage ceiling / acre | Paid / acre, 2024 drought | Added revenue with membrane* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | $478 | $243 | +$550/acre |
| Corn | $497 | $86 | +$756/acre |
| Grain sorghum | $231 | $53 | +$280/acre |
| Wheat | $153 | $31 | +$286/acre |
| Peanuts | $1,143 | $528 | +$1,040/acre |
| Vegetables | $2,564 | $317 | +$1,500/acre |
Coverage ceilings average every insured acre in Texas across all coverage levels. Your own ceiling depends on county, approved yield and irrigated vs. dryland — irrigated fields carry substantially more coverage than dryland. Vegetables combine onions, cabbage, cucumbers and related truck crops.
Even in one of the worst drought years on record, cotton insurance paid about $243 per insured acre — while Texas cotton growers paid roughly $150 per acre in premiums, most of it federally subsidized. In a normal year, insurance pays far less.
Source: USDA Risk Management Agency, Summary of Business, 2024 crop year, Texas. Added revenue estimates the extra yield the membrane produces (cotton +105% irrigated; +100% for other grain, oilseed and legume crops; +25% for vegetables) at the typical yields and current spot prices shown in our calculator above — cotton 748 lb at $0.70, corn 180 bu at $4.20, sorghum 70 bu at $4.00, wheat 52 bu at $5.50, peanuts 4,000 lb at $0.26, cucumbers 20,000 lb at $0.30. The vegetable figure reflects cucumbers. Your actual gain depends on soil, crop, drought severity and management.
* Values are estimates based on current prices and published and non-published data.
The MaxYield membrane
$900–$1,300
per acre, one time. Sliding scale by acreage.
- No premium, every year.
- No deductible. No claim. No adjuster.
- Holds water through the drought instead of paying out after it.
- Adds yield in every year — wet or dry.
Insurance and the membrane can work together — one recovers after a loss, the other is built to keep the loss from happening. The membrane doesn't end every risk; it removes the biggest one.
Milestones
2024
Our "Kitty Hawk"
The Alpha unit literally hit concrete in testing — and the plot still proved the concept.
July 2025
Lubbock preview
Sneak preview for growers in Lubbock, TX, covered by local news.
April 2026
Plains Cotton Growers
Major sponsor of the PCG conference. Member, Utah Farm Bureau.
About Terra Nova Research
From university research to real farms.
A Delaware LLC bridging the gap between non-scalable academic research and real agricultural needs — bringing water conservation to over 5 billion acres of sandy soil worldwide.
Founder, James K. Franz
B.S. Engineering, General Motors Institute. M.S. Engineering, University of Michigan. Trained at Toyota in Japan and a Shingo Prize recipient. A 40-year manufacturing career spanning 58 countries.
Questions
How is this different from subsurface drip irrigation?
Subsurface drip lets water percolate past the roots down to the water table. Our membrane sits below the root zone and holds water where plants can use it.
What does installation involve?
We bring the Bravo unit and the membrane. You provide the tractor and labor. Row crops and orchards both supported.
Is there maintenance?
None. It's a one-time capital investment designed to pay off for generations.
How much does a center pivot irrigation system cost?
Center pivots start around $2,000 per acre and can reach $9,000, plus ongoing energy and maintenance. Terra Nova's underground irrigation membrane runs $900–$1,300 per acre with no maintenance.
What does Terra Nova cost?
$1,300 per acre at 10 acres, dropping steadily to $900 per acre at 1,000 acres or more. Final price depends on acreage, location and membrane required. Contact us for a quote.
Ready to turn sand into yield?
Questions, acreage, or just curious? Send a note — our team reads every message.
From Terra Nova Research
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