--- title: "Irrigation Distributors: Sell to the Farm and the Contractor Without an Order That Won't Run" url: https://www.uncap.com/industry/irrigation-water-systems author: "Denis Dyli" published: 2026-10-01 updated: 2026-10-01 summary: "Uncap builds irrigation ecommerce on Shopify for irrigation distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks that sell to two very different buyers. One is the farm, buying center pivot parts, drip and micro systems, pumps and filtration for the season. The other is the landscape irrigation contractor, buying rotors, valves and controllers for next week's turf installs. Ag dealers and landscape contractors get their own company accounts, catalogs and price tiers on the same Shopify store. Pump sizing and pivot packages go through the quote path." --- # Irrigation Distributors: Sell to the Farm and the Contractor Without an Order That Won't Run > Uncap builds irrigation ecommerce on Shopify for irrigation distributors, manufacturers and dealer networks that sell to two very different buyers. One is the farm, buying center pivot parts, drip and micro systems, pumps and filtration for the season. The other is the landscape irrigation contractor, buying rotors, valves and controllers for next week's turf installs. Ag dealers and landscape contractors get their own company accounts, catalogs and price tiers on the same Shopify store. Pump sizing and pivot packages go through the quote path. ## The challenge **Where a generic storefront breaks for irrigation** Two very different buyers share one catalog, and an irrigation cart can look valid and still be hydraulically wrong. | | Factor | Generic storefront setup | What irrigation distribution needs | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Two buyers | Farm dealers and landscape contractors each spend the visit scrolling past the other's catalog. | Ag dealers and landscape contractors get their own company accounts, catalogs and price tiers on one Shopify store. | | Hydraulic validity | A zone of rotors that outruns its valve and lateral will ship, install and underperform. | Compatibility rules built during implementation from your design standards, and anything outside them becomes a quote. | | Pump sizing | Pump selection offered as a dropdown, when it means reading the curve of a specific model. | Pump sizing and pivot packages go through the quote path, where your designer works the curve and the package. | | Installed base | The store has no idea what the grower owns, so every parts order starts with a serial plate read over the phone. | An equipment registry for each grower's pivots, pumps and controllers, with parts reorder by model or serial, built during implementation. | | Backflow and WaterSense | The WaterSense label sits in a footnote, when a contractor selling the upgrade needs it as a filter. | Device class, size and WaterSense label status modeled as product attributes and filters during implementation. | **Two buyers share one catalog and almost nothing else.** An ag irrigation dealer buys pivot drive components, sprinkler packages, drip tape, filters and pumps for a grower's season, often on a preseason order. A landscape contractor buys the same thirty SKUs every week from March to June and wants them on the truck by seven. Put both on a generic storefront and each spends the visit scrolling past the other's catalog. **An irrigation cart can look valid and still be hydraulically wrong.** Flow in gallons per minute, pressure in psi, pipe size and elevation decide whether a system runs. A zone of rotors that adds up to more flow than the valve and the lateral can carry will ship, install and underperform. Then the call comes to your counter. A drip block without the right filtration and pressure regulation ahead of the emitters fails the same way, just more slowly. **Pump selection is engineering, not a dropdown.** Matching a pump to total dynamic head and flow demand means reading the curve of a specific model. On a pivot, a booster or a pump station, that decision sits with a designer who will stand behind it. The Irrigation Association runs [separate certifications](https://www.irrigation.org/ia/Certification/Find-a-Certified-Professional.aspx) for designers (CID, with Sprinkler, Drip Micro and Surface designations), contractors (CIC) and agricultural irrigation specialists (CAIS). **Backflow and water-efficiency rules ride on the product.** EPA's [Cross-Connection Control Manual](https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2015-09/documents/epa816r03002_0.pdf) sorts backflow prevention into distinct device classes: air gaps, atmospheric and pressure vacuum breakers, double check valve assemblies and reduced pressure principle devices. It notes that pressure vacuum breakers have "broad usage in the agriculture and irrigation market." On the controller side, EPA [WaterSense](https://www.epa.gov/watersense/weather-based-irrigation-controllers) labels weather-based controllers that are independently certified to its performance criteria. EPA puts the savings from replacing a clock-based controller at nearly 7,600 gallons a year for an average home. A contractor selling that upgrade needs the label as a filter, not a footnote. **The installed base is where the parts margin lives.** A pivot, a pump station or a central controller stays in the field for season after season. Gearboxes, tower boxes, nozzle packages and seals are all ordered against a machine you or your dealer sold. When the store has no idea what the grower owns, every parts order starts with someone reading a serial plate over the phone. **Territory, preseason programs and cost-share paperwork shape the price.** Manufacturers sell through dealers who hold territory. Distributors sell to contractors on account tiers. Some growers fund efficiency upgrades through the USDA [EQIP program](https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs-initiatives/environmental-quality-incentives-program), where NRCS pays "once the work is implemented and inspected" and only if it meets NRCS standards and specifications. That puts the quote and the invoice on the critical path of the grower's reimbursement. ## The Uncap solution **From the account to the quote path** The build starts from the account, because the account decides which buyer is in front of the catalog. ### 1. Account, Each buyer gets its own account Uncap Portal gives each account multi-user access with roles and permissions, and its own assortment and pricing. - Reorder lists and order history a click away - Net terms, invoices and payments in the portal - Territory, preseason terms and minimums configured during implementation ### 2. Rules, Hydraulic validity designed in Rules built during implementation from your own design standards, on top of Uncap Quotes, not a shipped rule library. - Flow limits per valve size - Filtration required ahead of drip - Pressure regulation by emitter type ### 3. Quote, Anything outside the rules becomes a quote Pump sizing and pivot packages go to the designer, who works the curve and the package. - Exceptions go to the right approver - Branded quote document with a validity window - Every revision kept in a full revision history - An approved quote becomes a Shopify order in one click The build starts from the account, because the account decides which buyer is in front of the catalog. Ag dealers and landscape contractors get their own company accounts, catalogs and price tiers on the same Shopify store. [Uncap Portal](https://www.uncap.com/products/portal) gives each account real multi-user access with roles and permissions, its own assortment and pricing, reorder lists and order history a click away, and net terms, invoices and payments in the portal. Dealer territory rules, preseason program terms and any minimum order quantities are configured during implementation on top of those accounts. **Hydraulic validity is designed in, then handed to a person when it runs out.** [Uncap Quotes](https://www.uncap.com/products/quotes) runs "the full configure, price, quote (CPQ) workflow natively inside the Shopify admin," with negotiated account prices, tiers and volume breaks applied automatically. The irrigation compatibility rules on top of it (flow limits per valve size, filtration required ahead of drip, pressure regulation by emitter type) are built during implementation from your own design standards. They are not a shipped rule library. Anything outside those rules becomes a quote rather than a cart. **Pump sizing and pivot packages go through the quote path.** The designer works the curve and the package. Exceptions go to the right approver, and the buyer gets a branded quote document with a validity window. Every revision stays in a full revision history, and an approved quote becomes a Shopify order in one click. For a grower filing EQIP paperwork, that history is the record of exactly what was quoted. **The installed base becomes a reorder list, built during implementation.** An equipment registry for each grower's pivots, pumps and controllers, with parts reorder by model or serial number and a service history per machine, is built during implementation on top of the company account. It is not a shipped Uncap product for irrigation. The equipment data (models, serial ranges, parts per machine) is loaded from your own records. **Parts books become clickable.** [Uncap Diagrams](https://www.uncap.com/products/diagrams) turns tower box, drive train and pump assembly schematics into shop-by-diagram pages, with clickable hotspots mapped to live SKUs. Assembly trees drill from assembly to sub-assembly to part, filtering works by model, year or assembly, and a service tech adds the exact part without a part number. Your existing parts books come in through diagram import, with their callouts mapped. Kit suggestions, such as the seal kit next to the gearbox, are built during implementation. **Backflow and WaterSense become filters.** Device class, size and WaterSense label status are modeled as product attributes during implementation, so a contractor narrows a page of brass to one-inch pressure vacuum breakers before the truck leaves. **The real platform question is which ERP you run, so here is the direct answer.** If you run Epicor, Prophet 21, Eclipse, Kinetic and Eagle do not integrate the same way. The hard part on every one of them is contract pricing: it has to resolve in the ERP for the logged-in account, not be copied into the storefront and drift. [Uncap Connect](https://www.uncap.com/products/connect) is built against that problem. Its real-time, two-way sync "syncs customer-specific pricing, credit terms, and tax rules," it lives inside Shopify rather than as "a separate platform that sits between systems," and every record change is logged in an audit trail. Not every ERP runs through Connect. Uncap publishes its [ERP integrations](https://www.uncap.com/integrations) as delivered "through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration," and each project uses whichever route fits your system. **Adjacent proof, labeled as adjacent.** The closest published build is [Farmers Depot](https://www.uncap.com/work/farmers-depot), on Shopify Plus B2B with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations as "the system of record." It serves 14,528 customers across 13,046 companies, with about 10 company-specific pricing catalogs, login-only purchasing and 1,351 synchronized products. It is not presented as an irrigation build. What transfers is the account and catalog structure at that scale. Its sync runs through APPSeCONNECT, a managed middleware route, rather than through Uncap Connect. ## Key features **What Uncap builds for irrigation distributors and manufacturers** One store that prices each buyer on its own terms and sends the real sizing questions to a person. ### 01 · Catalogs, Separate catalogs for farm dealers and landscape contractors Each buyer sees its own lines at its own pricing, from one store. - Ag dealers: pivot, drip, pump and filtration lines at dealer pricing - Landscape contractors: heads, valves, wire and controllers at their tier ### 02 · Rules, Compatibility rules on configured systems Built during implementation from your design standards, so an invalid combination becomes a quote instead of an order. - Valve flow limits - Filtration ahead of drip - Pressure regulation rules ### 03 · Quotes, Quote path for pumps and pivot packages Curve-based sizing handled by your designer. - Approval routing - Branded quote documents and validity windows - Revision history - One-click conversion to a Shopify order ### 04 · Installed base, Equipment registry for the installed base Pivots, pumps and controllers registered to the grower's account, with parts reorder by model or serial. Built during implementation. ### 05 · Diagrams, Clickable parts diagrams Uncap Diagrams maps tower box, drive train and pump assembly schematics to live SKUs, imported from the parts books you already have. - Hotspots mapped to live SKUs - Assembly trees from assembly to sub-assembly to part ### 06 · Filters, Backflow and WaterSense filtering Device class, size and WaterSense label status as filters, modeled as product attributes during implementation. ### 07 · Pricing, Preseason and territory pricing Early order programs and dealer territory rules configured on account tiers during implementation, rendered at checkout rather than corrected on the invoice. ### 08 · ERP, ERP integration by the right route Customer pricing, credit terms and tax rules kept in step with the ERP, through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration. **Separate catalogs for farm dealers and landscape contractors.** Ag dealers see pivot, drip, pump and filtration lines at dealer pricing; landscape contractors see heads, valves, wire and controllers at their tier, from one store. **Compatibility rules on configured systems.** Valve flow limits, filtration ahead of drip and pressure regulation rules, built during implementation from your design standards, so an invalid combination becomes a quote instead of an order. **Quote path for pumps and pivot packages.** Curve-based sizing handled by your designer, with approval routing, branded quote documents, validity windows, revision history and one-click conversion to a Shopify order. **Equipment registry for the installed base.** Built during implementation: pivots, pumps and controllers registered to the grower's account, with parts reorder by model or serial. **Clickable parts diagrams.** Tower box, drive train and pump assembly schematics with hotspots mapped to live SKUs and assembly trees, imported from the parts books you already have. **Backflow and WaterSense filtering.** Device class, size and label status as filters. **Preseason and territory pricing.** Early order programs and dealer territory rules configured on account tiers, rendered at checkout rather than corrected on the invoice. **ERP integration by the right route.** Customer pricing, credit terms and tax rules kept in step with the ERP, through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration. ## Why Uncap **A long record on Shopify.** Uncap is a Shopify Platinum Partner, on Shopify since 2013, with 380+ unified storefronts launched on Shopify. Irrigation is scoped as a distribution problem first: accounts, tiers, catalogs and the ERP connection. **Honest about built versus configured.** Diagrams, quoting, account pricing and ERP sync are published product capabilities. Irrigation compatibility rules, the equipment registry, territory logic and preseason terms are implementation work, and you will see them in the scope and the price. **Scoped before it is built.** The Uncap [Blueprint](https://www.uncap.com/blueprint) is a fixed-price, four-week scoping engagement that maps the catalog split, compatibility rules, quote path and ERP integration before any build begins. The plan is yours to keep. ## Related pages This page sits under [Agriculture and Farming](https://www.uncap.com/industry/agriculture-farming), which covers seasonal demand, negotiated grower pricing, parts ordering, credit and settlement terms and compliance across farm supply; this page covers the irrigation equipment catalog that page never reaches. Pump, valve and backflow buyers also overlap with [Plumbing, HVAC and Mechanical](https://www.uncap.com/industry/plumbing-hvac-mechanical). For field notes on how kits, configuration and quotes split the irrigation catalog, read [Irrigation and Water Systems: Configurable Kits and Quoting](https://www.uncap.com/post/irrigation-water-systems-configurable-kits-quoting). For ERPs, see the [Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations integration](https://www.uncap.com/integration/dynamics-365-finance-operations) and the [Epicor Eagle integration](https://www.uncap.com/integration/epicor-eagle) for farm and home retailers. ## Ready to talk Bring one pivot or pump station quote from last season and your contractor price file. Between them they show the sizing work, the package, the dealer terms and the tiers the store has to hold. Book a strategy session with Uncap, or start with a Blueprint if what you need first is the catalog split, the compatibility rules and the integration route written down and costed. ## Frequently asked questions ### We run Epicor. Does the right platform depend on which Epicor system we have? Yes, and it is the first thing to confirm. Uncap publishes separate integration pages for Prophet 21, Eclipse, Kinetic and Eagle because they connect differently: on the Prophet 21 integration, pricing stays resolved in P21 and the storefront asks for the net number for the logged-in account, while Eagle has no published developer API and connects through Epicor's iPaaS. Uncap Connect syncs customer-specific pricing, credit terms and tax rules in real time, both ways, inside Shopify. Where a managed iPaaS route fits better, the scope says so. ### Can one store serve farm irrigation dealers and landscape contractors? Yes, with separate company accounts, catalogs and price tiers on the same Shopify store. The ag dealer sees pivot, drip, pump and filtration lines on dealer and preseason terms; the contractor sees heads, valves and controllers at their tier. Inventory, product data and the ERP connection are shared. ### How do you stop a buyer ordering a system that will not run? Compatibility rules on configured products catch the common failures, and everything outside them becomes a quote. Rules such as flow limits per valve size, filtration ahead of drip and pressure regulation by emitter type are built during implementation from your own design standards. Uncap Quotes runs the configure, price, quote workflow inside the Shopify admin; the irrigation rule set on top of it is your engineering, encoded during implementation. ### How are pump sizing and pivot packages quoted? Through the quote path, with a designer doing the sizing. The buyer submits flow, pressure and site details, your designer selects the pump against its curve or builds the package, and the quote goes out as a branded quote document with a validity window. Exceptions route to the right approver, every revision stays in the history, and an approved quote converts to a Shopify order in one click. ### Can growers reorder parts for the pivot, pump or controller they already own? Yes, through an equipment registry built during implementation. Each grower's pivots, pumps and controllers are registered to the account, with parts reorder by model or serial number, using the models and serial ranges you already hold. Uncap Diagrams adds clickable parts diagrams, with hotspots mapped to live SKUs, for the assemblies your techs service most. ### How are backflow preventers and WaterSense controllers handled? As product attributes and filters configured during implementation. Device class, size and connection type take a contractor straight to the pressure vacuum breaker or reduced pressure assembly the job calls for. WaterSense label status on weather-based and soil moisture controllers finds the labeled models. ### Which ERPs do you integrate with for irrigation distribution? Uncap publishes twelve ERP families on its integrations page: Acumatica, Cin7, Epicor, Fishbowl, Infor, Microsoft Dynamics, NetSuite, Odoo, Oracle, QuickBooks, Sage and SAP. They are delivered through an owned Uncap Connect app or a managed iPaaS integration, depending on the system. The Uncap team confirms fit for your specific ERP during scoping. ### What is the difference between this page and the agriculture and farming page? The catalog. The agriculture and farming page covers farm supply as a whole: seasonal demand, negotiated grower pricing, parts ordering, credit and settlement terms, and compliance. This page covers irrigation equipment and water systems: hydraulic compatibility, pump and pivot quoting, the installed base, backflow and WaterSense filtering, and selling to landscape contractors as well as farms. ### How does an irrigation build start? With a Blueprint, a fixed-price, four-week scoping engagement. It maps the farm dealer and landscape contractor catalog split, the compatibility rules, the pump and pivot quote path, your existing equipment data and the ERP route. The plan is yours whether or not you build with Uncap.