Innovationin Irrigation

12 CASE STUDIES FROM ACROSS AUSTRALIA

INTRODUCTION 3

COTTON- ING ON TO SMARTER WATER ING 4

GOING UNDERGROUND TO

DOUBLE TOMATO PRODUCTION 5

TAK ING THE SALT OUT OF THE R IVERLAND 6

OUT OF THE ORD-INARY 7

R ICE - ING ABOVE THE WATERMARK 8

HARVEY IRRIGATORS SEEKING GREENER PASTURES 9

WATER EFF IC I ENCY G IVEN A SPORT ING CHANCE 10

ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION :

AN ORCHARDIST’S VIEW 11

TURNING WATER INTO WINE 12

STATE-OF-THE-ART TOMATOES 13

SWEET REWARDS FOR WATER EFF IC I ENT FARMING 14

MILKING HI-TECH PASTURES

FOR WATER EFFICIENCY 15

CONTENTS

This producer also appears in the Innovation in Irrigation video.

INTRODUCTION

The irrigation industry is the lifeblood of many of Australia’s rural and regional communities. It provides

188,000 jobs, and every year adds more than $12 billion to the Australian economy.

Irrigation has always faced challenges - from its pioneering days in the 1880s, through the development of early infrastructure, the opening up of new irrigation districts (including for rice, cotton and horticulture), and the more recent growth of the wine industry. But the rate of change in the past decade has been unprecedented.

Today, irrigators face a variety of issues. These include a constantly evolving commodity market and production environment, and the need to maintain business profitability during drought. The significant water reforms that were begun more than a decade ago have affected irrigation more than any other industry sector.

Change is also being driven by concern for the environment – locally and globally – with the realisation that good water and environmental management can bring benefits for the farmer through increased productivity, profit or market access.

The irrigation industry has demonstrated that it can successfully address the challenges before it through innovative, far-sighted thinking. It has drawn upon a depth of skills and experiences, and invested in

new skills, technologies and ways of doing business. Water use efficiency has become the new catch cry and an economic driver behind many new and innovative water management approaches.

As you will see from this booklet, innovation comes in all shapes and sizes; with individuals, cooperatives, grower-driven organisations and government programs all playing a role. Irrigation authorities and commodity groups are also participating in regional strategies and adopting a “whole-of-catchment” approach to managing their biophysical resources. The motivators for irrigators to adopt these improvements vary from industry to industry and often include the influence of a collective regional or industry approach.

The irrigation innovations depicted here show how pioneers and champions can take the lead, developing the innovations, skills and knowledge for efficient and sustainable production. The 12 “Innovators in Irrigation” showcased in this publication have become leaders in the area of water management by employing creative strategies to ensure high productivity for every megalitre of water they use. It is hoped that these case studies will inspire and encourage fellow irrigators to develop the skills and knowledge needed for efficient and sustainable production and to realise the exciting potential of Australia’s irrigation future.

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An innovative cotton farmer in the north west of New South Wales has managed to reduce his water

use levels by nearly 20 per cent, while at the same time increasing his cotton yield.

Andrew Parkes manages Keytah near Moree which boasts over 10,000 hectares of developed country, primarily earmarked for cotton production.

The property is located between the Mehi and Gwydir Rivers, and receives its water allocations from Copeton Dam. Ten on-farm water storage dams hold a total of 50,000 megalitres.

The onset of the drought in the cotton season of 2001/2002 and accompanying water shortages prompted Andrew to look at changing the property’s water use.

As a trial at the end of the 2001/2002 crop, Andrew selected 40 rows in three paddocks which were not to be irrigated in the last round. At the end of the season the plants in those rows suffered no yield or quality loss.

This indicated that of the seven or eight in-crop irrigations that a cotton crop usually received, the last one may not always be necessary. It also prompted the thought process that perhaps the crops were generally being over watered!

“As we approached the 2002-3 cotton crop we knew we were facing a fairly dry season, we had to come up with a number of new ideas and techniques to help us best utilise the water available to us and to improve our water use efficiency (WUE),” Andrew said.

Andrew believed that he could improve Keytah’s water efficiency by 10 to 15 per cent on the industry average of ten

megalitres per hectare by improving certain aspects of the irrigation process. He accordingly adjusted the property’s water budget for the 2002/2003 season from the normal 10 megalitres per hectare to 8.5 megalitres per hectare.

The new water use plans began with changing the position of capacitance probes. Each field was surveyed for clay content (and, therefore, moisture holding capacity) using EM38 maps, and probes were positioned according to average soil type. Positioning was verified by the Error from Perfect Plane maps downloaded from tractor GPS guidance systems.

Andrew also started experimenting with different numbers and sizes of siphons to even out water levels and irrigation times across the fields.

“I wanted to reduce the amount of time it took to irrigate, as well as increase flexibility for watering times, thereby reducing the labour hours required to irrigate,” Andrew said.

Andrew conducted tests on the plants watered by single siphons and those watered by double siphons. The capacitance probes showed that water logging occurred when single siphons were used, resulting in reduced performance from the plants due to stress.

Those plants watered by double siphons were waterlogged for a significantly shorter period of time and could take more advantage of the period between irrigations to grow, resulting in an increased yield.

Crop yield maps were cross-referenced with EM38 maps which showed that both the lighter and heavier soils produced plants with lower yields.

NAME : ANDREW PARKES, KEYTAH LOCATION : MOREE, NEW SOUTH WALES INDUSTRY: COTTON PRODUCTIVITY: $940/ML DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • REDUCED WATER AVAILABILITY • INDUSTRY BENCHMARKS • INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY AND RETURNS • INFORMATION FROM SOIL AND YIELD MAPS • ON-FARM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT RESULTS

COTTON- ING ON TO SMARTER WATERING

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“The fact that we watered smarter and therefore used less water produced an additional unexpected and pleasing result; we found that we grew more cotton per hectare,” Andrew said.

At the end of the 2002/2003 season, the different irrigation techniques that Andrew had put into place saved Keytah nearly three megalitres per hectare, translating into almost 1.6 bales per megalitre.

In addition, Andrew also conducted some water saving predictions using a modelling program which found a further potential water saving of nearly 1.2 megalitres per hectare, based solely on different irrigation scenarios.

Andrew is now inspired to aim for a WUE of two bales per megalitre, which is double the current industry standard.

“I am really positive for the future of WUE on Keytah, as well as on all other cotton farms in Australia,” Andrew said.

“Up until now, the perception has been that increasing water efficiency is difficult to understand, and difficult to implement.

“Over the next 12 to 24 months, the cotton support industry will be developing the necessary planning and implementation tools to help other cotton farmers benchmark their water use, and increase their water use efficiency.”

NAME : DENNIS MOON, NORTH CENTRAL PRODUCE LOCATION : ROCHESTER, V ICTORIA INDUSTRY: TOMATOES, WINE GRAPES PRODUCTIVIT Y : $2 ,000/ML FOR TOMATOES, $7 ,000/ML FOR WINE GRAPES DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • REDUCED WATER AVAILABIL ITY AND EXTENDED PERIOD OF DROUGHT • IMPROVED AFFORDABIL ITY AND TECHNIC AL SUPPORT • IMPROVED GLOBAL POSITIONING TECHNOLOGY • INCREASED WATER USE EFF ICIENCY • BETTER SO IL HEALTH FOR ROTAT IONS • SPREADING MARKET R I SK

The decision to invest in sub-surface drip irrigation is paying off for Dennis Moon from North Central Produce

in northern Victoria. Tomato production has doubled, compared to areas using traditional furrow irrigation methods.

Dennis has been farming and investigating drip irrigation in the Rochester area for 19 years.

“We started out when it was new, with lots of problems, it was prohibitively expensive and there was little technical support.

“We’ve learned a lot since then, the price has come down, technology has moved on and the system stacks up very well for us,” Dennis said.

The company is involved in several farms totalling 1500 hectares. 300 hectares is used to produce processing tomatoes, all of which has moved to drip irrigation. Fodder crops for the local dairy industry are used as a rotation.

Installation of drip irrigation costs between $2,500 and $4,500 per hectare. Pipes are placed in rows 1.5 metres apart, 200mm below the surface.

The system gives greater control and uses less water. It puts less stress on the soil because it’s not being saturated or dried out, and root systems are less prone to disease. Most fertilisers are applied through the irrigation system.

Soil moisture probes take constant readings, which are analysed each day to determine how much to water.

“We aim to put back whatever moisture the crop has taken out during the day. No more, no less. Because it’s underground, there’s no need to worry about evaporation, so we can choose to water day or night.

“For the tomatoes, we’re using around five megalitres per hectare and getting 100 tonnes of tomatoes. This compares to traditional methods such as furrow irrigation, where we were using eight megalitres per hectare to produce 65 tonnes.

“We’ve just started using the system for fodder crops, but we’re expecting to increase production of maize and lucerne by around 30 per cent per hectare, which is 60 per cent per megalitre.

“At the moment we grow three or four crops of tomatoes, then rotate them with a cereal or maize crop, then lucerne to help protect against disease and give the soil a break,” Dennis said.

Dennis believes that if you’re using sub-surface irrigation, your farming systems have to change. And it’s not for everyone.

“For a start, the system has to be well maintained. Because it’s underground, you can’t see when things go wrong. Precision tillage is vital to avoid damage, and global positioning technology has made that a lot easier.

“It’s certainly working for us. I think it’s the only reason we’re still in business after an extended period of drought.”

Drip irrigation generally, including sub-surface systems, is becoming more popular, but Dennis says it’s important to get good advice before choosing a system.

“We made a lot of mistakes to start with, but have learned a lot over the years, and I want to pass on some of that experience.

“It very much depends on the type of farm, soils, crops and other factors,” Dennis said, “but I believe it’s the way of the future for a lot of areas beyond the traditional horticulture industries.”

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GOING UNDERGROUND TO DOUBLE TOMATO PRODUCTION

TAKING THE SALT OUT OF THE R IVERLANDN A M E : DAV ID INGERSON LOC ATI O N : BOOKPURNONG LOCK 4 /BERR I , SOUTH AUSTRAL IA I N D U S T RY : C I T R U S P R O D U C T I V I T Y : $ 2 , 5 0 0 - $ 3 , 0 0 0 / M L F O R N AV E L O R A N G E S D R I V E R S O F C H A N G E : • M E N TO R I N G A N D C O M M U N I T Y I N VO LV E M E N T • L O C A L G E O G R A P H I C A N D H Y D RO L O G I C C O N D I T I O N S • C O M M U N I T Y D I S C U S S I O N G RO U P S A N D E D U C AT I O N • AC C U R AT E F L OW M E T E R S A N D R E P O RT I N G S Y S T E M S A L L OW I N G R E G I O N A L M O N I TO R I N G A N D B E N C H M A R K I N G • WAT E R U S E E F F I C I E N C Y • G O O D S C I E N T I F I C A N D C O N S U LTAT I V E S U P P O RT

Irrigators along the river near Loxton in South Australia are using mentoring and training to take control of the region’s

salinity problem, as well as some innovative techniques to increase water use efficiency.

Regular monitoring identified the Bookpurnong Lock 4 area as a ‘hotspot’ for saline inflows into the River Murray some seven years ago.

Citrus grower David Ingerson says local irrigators immediately agreed to take action, even though the geography of the region meant it wasn’t impacting on production.

“Drainage water from increasing amounts of irrigated horticulture has been slowly pressurising the aquifer over decades and putting more salt into the river.

“We haven’t tried to blame people. We’ve all taken equal responsibility, and we’re working to make sure we’re all better farmers in the future.”

After four years of research into the area’s geography, hydrology and water movement funded by the Australian Government, there was a good understanding of the impact irrigation was having and what needed to be done.

A salt interception scheme is being built and is expected to make an immediate difference by taking 70 tonnes of salt out of the river every day. The Bookpurnong Lock 4 Environment Association also has plans for rehabilitation of the floodplain.

David’s own citrus farm is an example of the efficiencies being achieved by local irrigators, through involvement in research, discussion groups and training programs.

The 120 hectare property is situated on the Murray between Berri and Loxton, adjacent to the Gurra wetlands.

“Water efficiency is a key concern and we make sure we use the best consultants and scientists.

“Incredible results are being achieved through a PhD study on the use of polyacrylamides, which act like a sponge and stop water draining deep into the soil.

“We’ve cut water use by 15 per cent by spreading tiny amounts of the polymers four times a year. It breaks down quickly, and at 700 grams per hectare, there’s no impact on the environment.

“In the past we’ve used around 12 megalitres per hectare per year, but even with the drought the study’s cut this to around nine megalitres,” David said.

David has electronic flow meters on his pumps for more accurate monitoring and reporting of water use, which will eventually be linked remotely to the office.

The irrigation system uses low level, low output sprinklers, within 200mm of the ground and predominately under the canopy.

Soil moisture probes around the farm take measurements every minute and allow daily decisions on how much water is required. The aim is to restrict drainage below the root system and into the water table.

“As part of the community’s efforts to increase water use efficiency, I’m one of several irrigators with a moisture probe that’s linked to an internet based regional weather station and monitoring system.

“We are also involved with the PIRSA Farm Level Irrigation Monitoring Model funded by the River Murray Catchment Water Management Board which measures water use by variety, age and root stock, as part of efforts to keep track of efficiency on a regional and farm basis,” David said.

“I think education and training are vital, whether that’s through formal courses or talking over the fence and in groups with neighbours and consultants,” David said.

“Even though the salt interception scheme will make a significant contribution, the mentoring and new ideas will have the greatest impact in the long term.

“We have to understand what’s causing the problem, take responsibility and do things differently to stop more environmental damage and reverse what’s already occurred on our floodplains,” he said.

“By working together to increase water use efficiency we’ll all become better irrigators, we’ll all make more money and benefit the environment at the same time. It’s a win-win situation.”

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Water quality, and not water supply, is the biggest issue facing the people of the Ord

Irrigation District in northern Western Australia.

Lake Argyle and Lake Kununurra, with a combined maximum capacity of over 10,000 gigalitres, easily service the community’s on-farm needs of 300 gigalitres a year, meaning the fairly young irrigation industry has no water shortage problems.

Recently, increasing cultural and ecological importance has been placed upon the waterways of the catchment, which covers over 46,000 square kilometres of Western Australia and the Northern Territory.

Rising concerns over nutrient and pesticide run-off from existing properties and the proposed development of more farming area prompted the development of the Ord Land and Water Management Plan to protect the current water-related environment and plan for future allocation and use.

Development of the plan was an 18 month process of consultation with community groups, industry, and government organisations, ensuring the plan would encompass the many decision makers who have a stake in the waterways.

This year, the Ord Irrigation Cooperative (OIC) obtained Australian Government funding to establish a reference group, involving all agencies able to carry out research and development of issues raised in the early days of the plan. The Cooperative is a private one, with the growers of the Ord being the shareholders.

NAME : FR ITZ BOLTEN , OAS I S FARMS LOCATION : KUNUNURRA , WESTERN AUSTRAL IA INDUSTRY: SUGAR C ANE , HORT ICULTURE , MELONS PRODUCTIVITY: $2 , 793 /ML FOR SWEET CORN SEED DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • NEED TO SUSTA IN CULTURAL AND ENV IRONMENTAL S IGN I F IC ANCE • LAND AND WATER MANAGEMENT PLAN • INDUSTRY BENCHMARK ING AND PROTOCOLS • YOUNG FARMERS WILL ING TO EMBRACE CHANGE • CO-OPERAT ION BETWEEN SC IENT I F IC AND LOC AL COMMUNITY • GEOGRAPH IC INFORMAT ION SYSTEM (G I S ) TECHNOLOGY

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It is the growers themselves having research carried out that will set environmental, community and regulatory protocols for the future.

Fritz Bolten of Oasis Farms is one of the gowers who became involved with the Plan early on. He is also involved in the Minimising the Off-Site Impacts of Pesticides in the Ord River Irrigation Area project. This is one of fourteen specific projects which focus on improving farm practices to aid water quality, groundwater control and on farm efficiencies.

Fritz runs a mixed farming enterprise, growing sugarcane and hybrid seeds, and currently has about 1,200 hectares under flood irrigation.

“Water quality and rising ground water have become an issue here over the last few years so something had to be done,” Fritz said.

“The irrigation system was designed as a ‘flow through system’, so when the water flows out of the tail drains it flows back into the waterways taking any excess pesticides and other nutrients with it, so something had to be done to reduce these loads.”

The pesticide project builds on an earlier study which looked at the nutrient run off occurring as a result of irrigation.

The earlier study produced a number of protocols aimed solely at reducing high levels of pesticides and run-off from irrigation. These included disallowing spraying three days before and two days after irrigation, and enabling the OIC to conduct random water quality testing in the drainage systems.

“The average age of the farmers here is about 40, so it is a really good culture to introduce change into,” Fritz said.

“We were keen for some local scientific research to be done into chemical use as well as any significant impacts on yield and quality that might be experienced because of the changes in farm management, and hence the pesticide project was born.”

The pesticide project is farmer-funded and has another 12 months of research left. The result will be some best practice guidelines for the farmers to follow.

“We’re looking at a couple of different management practices, like diverting the run-off into some wetlands to soak up the nutrients and pesticides before returning the water to the river system, as well as a water re-use system where water from the drains is pumped back into the irrigation system, ” Fritz said.

“Basically we are just in the process of improving our performance and establishing benchmarks, so we know where we can go from here.”

According to Fritz, one of the reasons the Plan has been so successful is the cooperative relationship between the local farmers and the rest of the community.

“It has been a collaborative effort from the community, which I think has really aided the whole project because everyone is so willing to learn and share information,” Fritz said.

OUT OF THE ORD- INARY

RICE- ING ABOVE THE WATERMARKNAME : GLEN ANDREAZZA LOCATION : GR I F F ITH , NEW SOUTH WALES INDUSTRY: R ICE PRODUCTIVITY: $300 -350 /ML DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • REDUCED WATER AVA ILAB I L ITY AND EXTENDED PER IOD OF DROUGHT • BENCHMARK ING AND SHAR ING INFORMAT ION • NEED TO IMPROVE WATER USE EFF IC I ENCY • ENV IRONMENTAL AWARENESS • IMPROVED GEOGRAPH IC INFORMAT ION SYSTEM (G I S ) , INFRA-RED AND VAR IABLE -RATE -APPL IC AT ION TECHNOLOGY • FR I ENDLY BUT COMPET IT IVE INDUSTRY CULTURE

Water is liquid gold to rice grower Glen Andreazza, one of the country’s top producers.

He believes a lot of rice farmers will go out of business before long unless they use it to maximum efficiency.

Glen says he got where he is by looking over the fence, talking to his neighbours, and adopting, then improving their management systems.

“You can’t improve unless you talk to people and share information. There’s no point being cagey about what you’re doing, because you have to give to receive,” he said.

“Water efficiency is just one factor to consider, but it’s a vital one, especially in the midst of a drought.

“No-one wants to degrade their land or end up with rivers you can’t swim or fish in, so the environment’s important and we’re doing everything we can to preserve it.”

Water recycling drains have been installed on the four farms run by Glen, his father and brother, and their wives, near Griffith in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area.

At just over 800 hectares in total the farms are used predominately for rice and wheat, and sometimes canola or soybeans.

The recycling systems hold up to seven megalitres per property, each one connected to a drain at the lowest point. The water is pumped to the top of the irrigation system when it’s needed for the next watering.

“Each system costs around $60-80,000, and they will never technically earn their keep. But it’s the only way to go, especially as more and more water is taken from irrigators for the environment.

“The bays have been laser levelled and terraced, which allows higher water flows and faster watering, and reduces the depth of water needed to cover each bay.

“We’re also constantly monitoring the soil profile, water use and returns per megalitre, and have recently star ted prescription farming to apply variable rate fer tiliser.

“This involves taking an infra-red image of paddocks, walking over them to compare performance, and then drawing lines on the map for different application rates. This is uploaded to the plane and automatically adjusted for each area in the air,” Glen said.

The operation has a water entitlement of 5,348 megalitres a year, but the Murray Darling Basin Cap and contributions to environmental flows effectively cap that at 80 per cent. With the drought, they’ve been using every drop allowed over the past three years and even borrowing water against future entitlements.

The rice crop usually uses 11–13 megalitres per hectare over the season, and produces yields in excess of 12 tonnes per hectare. The Australian industry average is around 10 tonnes.

A rice crop leaves behind a full soil moisture profile, which can produce a winter wheat crop that would otherwise use up to four megalitres of water a hectare. Glen generally direct drills a biscuit wheat variety into the rice stubble.

Environmental guidelines in the rice industry limit production to 30 per cent of farm area each year, and are policed by Murrumbidgee Irrigation using satellite photographs. Allowable water use figures per hectare are also calculated each year, with penalties for excessive planting and water use.

Glen recently came second in the World’s Best Rice Grower Award, run across the Riverina. The sentiment behind the title recognises Australia has the world’s most efficient large scale commercial rice production.

“The Willbriggie area has a pretty good reputation amongst the discussion groups that are common in the industry. Sure we compete fiercely, but we’re always willing to share information,” Glen said.

“There are lots of rice growers still doing things the old way, but I believe they’ll have to change their farming practices and adopt new technology to remain viable.

“You have to try out new ideas and see what your neighbours are doing. Crawl before you can walk, test techniques in a small area, and then expand if they work. That’s what we’ve done, and it’s paid off,” he concluded.

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Pasture production on dairy farms in the Harvey Irrigation Area south of Perth is set to be revolutionised, as

a switch from surface (or flood) to centre pivot irrigation gathers momentum.

The change has come about because a two-year pilot project comparing water use, pasture growth and soil health on the two systems is getting remarkable results.

In the first year the eight hectare centre pivot site used significantly less water, while producing more pasture of higher nutritional value than the six hectare surface bay on the 240 cow dairy farm.

Consultant Ken Moore is managing the project, which aims to demonstrate the impact of different practices on profitability. It is being funded through Land and Water Australia’s National Program for Sustainable Irrigation.

Over the 2003-04 irrigation season, up to 14 megalitres of water per hectare was delivered to the surface irrigation site through an open channel, measured by a traditional dethridge wheel. For the coming season, a lay-back flume will be used for more accuracy.

The pivot is piped with precise metering, and the site had an average of ten megalitres applied per hectare.

“There was significant run-off from the surface bay compared with none from the centre pivot site,” Ken said.

“Added to that, the run-off had high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous, so the farmer is obviously losing expensive fertiliser.

NAME : KEN MOORE , BOORARA MANAGEMENT LOCATION : HARVEY IRR IGAT ION AREA , WESTERN AUSTRAL IA INDUSTRY: DA IRY PRODUCTIVITY: $900 /ML FOR M ILK DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • IMPROVED WATER USE EFF IC I ENCY • NEED TO IMPROVE DRA INAGE OUTCOMES • IMPROVED M ILK PRODUCT ION • IMPROVED SO IL HEALTH AND STRUCTURE • F I ELD DAYS AND INDUSTRY AWARENESS • ENV IRONMENTAL AWARENESS

HARVEY IRR IGATORS SEEKING GREENER PASTURES

“Both sites are covered in perennial ryegrass and clover, and while some additional nitrogen was applied on the centre pivot site, we believe the irrigation method itself largely accounts for the boosted pasture growth.

“The paddock where the centre pivot is being used produced 1.6 tonnes of pasture (measured as dry matter) per megalitre of water applied, compared with 0.7 tonnes for the surface bay.”

Samples were frozen and sent to Victoria for analysis. Each hectare of pasture under the centre pivot produced 155,000 megajoules of useable energy compared to 94,000 megajoules on the surface bay.

“This converts into an extra 8,500 litres of milk production worth around $2,500 per hectare during the demonstration period of December 2003 to July 2004.

“The centre pivot paddock also grew faster, allowing the cows to graze longer and more often. Those grazing the surface bay needed more supplements or additional day grazing.

“Based on our observations, the structure and health of the soil was significantly better under the centre pivot, and there were fewer weeds. We plan to carry out more soil testing through the 2004-05 season to get more accurate information in this area,” Ken said.

The farm is on loamy clay soils. Soil moisture probes were used throughout both sites at varying depths to 500 millimetres, with continuous monitoring.

Ken believes there’s a lot of room for improvement in both systems.

"Better surface irrigation management through improved measuring and monitoring of water use would boost water use efficiency, pasture production and profitability even without the switch to centre pivots,” Ken said.

“With the centre pivots, it takes time and research for irrigators to come up to speed, and learn better scheduling of watering, nutrient management, and grazing rotations to maximise growth.

“If farmers are willing to learn, they can certainly make more money from their current operation, and some well researched investment also pays off,” he said.

“Field days run for dairy farmers in the area have generated significant interest, and given many of them the confidence to invest in centre pivot irrigation.”

Harvey Water is also using the results as part of its strategic planning. The grower-owned irrigation supply co-operative is examining how demand may be affected as farmers in greater numbers across the region adopt sprinkler applications rather than surface irrigation.

“Everyone has a greater focus these days on both profitability and the environment, and they go hand in hand with water use efficiency,” Ken said

“It’s great to trial different systems on a commercial dairy farm, and I’m sure the results will provide a fantastic resource for others looking to improve their water management and profits.”

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WATER EFF IC IENCY GIVEN A SPORTING CHANCENAME : IDR I S EVANS , WESTERN AUSTRAL IAN GOLF CLUB LOCATION : PERTH , WESTERN AUSTRAL IA INDUSTRY: GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • PUBL IC SCRUT INY AND ENV IRONMENTAL AWARENESS • WATER USE EFF IC I ENCY • LABOUR EFF IC I ENCY • GREATER FLEX IB I L ITY AND RESPONS IVENESS • ACCURATE AND INTENS IVE CL IMAT IC MONITOR ING

The Western Australian Golf Club in Perth is an industry leader in water use efficiency. Using a computer

operated valve and head system with individually controlled sprinklers has reduced overall water use by a third.

Located on prime real estate just five kilometres from the city centre, the 18 hole golf course is one of the oldest in Perth, having been operating for 76 years.

With an aging irrigation system taking up increasing time with repairs and maintenance and using more water than necessary, the club had to install a new system.

Golf Course Superintendent Idris Evans says they decided on state-of-the-art technology worth around $1.8 million, and it is worth every dollar.

“The old system had three zones, pumped directly from the course’s three bores. We had to turn on a minimum of 15 sprinklers in order to do minimal amounts of hand watering. The pumps were not very powerful and it took up to 13 hours to water the entire course.

“Two-and-a-half years ago we totally replaced main lines, branch lines, sprinklers and controllers. A six million litre capacity lake was built, from which the new pumping station waters the golf course. This makes it easier for the aquifer to replenish itself.

“There’s now a single system, but more powerful pumps allow watering in six hours, and each sprinkler can be turned on or off individually,” Idris said.

The new pumps have variable power, so they can be turned up as more water is needed, with a maximum capacity of 90 litres a second.

Everything is computer controlled. A weather station takes measurements every ten seconds of temperature, humidity, solar radiation, evaporation and rainfall, and adjusts the settings to suit.

“If it rained at night, I used to have to get up and drive to the course to turn the sprinklers off, or simply let them run and waste the water,” Idris said.

“Now, the computer turns them off automatically after three millimetres and doesn’t turn them back on until the grass needs more water.

“After a hot day, it runs the sprinklers a bit longer. After a cool day, it shuts them down a few minutes earlier. All of this saves massive amounts of water.”

There’s a control ‘satellite’ at each hole, so adjustments can be made for each sprinkler from on the course itself, if staff notice areas looking either a little dry or waterlogged. The changes are uploaded to the central computer at the end of each day.

The computer system also tracks the water being used by each sprinkler and detects leaks. It’s a heavily regulated industry, and frequent readings of the water being used have to be sent to authorities.

The Western Australian Golf Club has a licence to pump 311,000 kilolitres a year from its bores. Although the old system didn’t have water meters, Idris estimates the club used around 450,000 kilolitres a year.

“Golf clubs have a bad reputation for using too much water, but I think it’s undeserved. Although we all want lush green fairways and greens, staff are also very conscious of the impact on the environment.

“This summer we’re hoping to increase water use efficiency even more, with the installation of a ‘fertigation’ system, which pumps wetting agent into the water. This helps it penetrate the soil and soak through to the roots, creating better growth with less water.

“If we can save an extra five per cent, that would be fantastic,” Idris said.

“The Western Australian Golf Club was the first in the state to use the valve and head system, but many others are installing computer controlled irrigation systems to isolate sprinklers for maximum efficiency.

“It’s the only way to go, to get the best out of the course and the best for the environment.”

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NAME : PETER HALL , M J HALL AND SONS LOCATION : SHEPPARTON, V ICTOR IA INDUSTRY: STONE FRU IT PRODUCTIVITY: $2 , 5000 /ML FOR PEACHES $19 , 800 /ML FOR APPLES DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • WATER RESOURCE SECUR ITY AND EFF IC I ENCY • SO IL MOISTURE MONITOR ING AND SO IL TEST ING • IMPROVED CONTROL OVER IRR IGAT ION • INDUSTRY BENCHMARK ING , EDUC AT ION AND COMPET IT ION

ADAPTATION AND INNOVATION: AN ORCHARDIST ’S V IEW

Availability of water is such an issue these days that it’s often one of the first questions asked by people

looking to invest in orchards run by MJ Hall and Sons in central Victoria.

Peter Hall and his two brothers run the third generation family company, managing properties for investment schemes as well as owning and leasing orchards around Mooroopna and Tatura.

Water cost and efficiency are so important they’ve installed new mini-jet irrigation systems on all six farms. This has cut water use by 30 per cent from the flood irrigation they used to use.

“Large orchards require complex control systems. We couldn’t find one we wanted, so worked with a supplier to develop the mini-jet sprinkler system and computer controls that produce accurate applications of water,” Peter said.

The farms cover 300 hectares in total, and produce 50 varieties of stone and pome fruit, including peaches, pluots (a cross between a plum and apricot), apples and pears. An increasing majority goes to fresh fruit markets, with the rest being canned.

Pump stations fitted with filters draw water out of the Goulburn Murray Water channels and pipe it to ‘blocks’, each of which has its own pressure regulated automatic control valve.

“We test the soil type and work out the most suitable fruit variety. That determines the size and shape of each block, then we set up the sprinkler system to suit, using two sprinkler sizes of 26 and 40 litres an hour,” Peter said.

“Monitoring of soil moisture allows us to decide, block by block, when to water and how much. That way it can be very much tailored to what’s needed.

“Nutrients are delivered through the watering system, and although there’s provision for an automatic system, we prefer to physically check the right block is being watered and turn the nutrients on and off ourselves to guarantee accuracy.”

Although the mini-jets deliver higher volumes of water per hour than drip irrigation, Peter believes they’re better for orchards, getting the right amount of water to a large enough soil area.

The operation is well ahead of industry averages in terms of production, which is put down mainly to the tightly controlled irrigation, and a state-of-the-art trellis system, which was developed with funding from the Australian Government.

The Open Tatura Trellis system grows trees closer together and reduces the wasted space within the tree itself, giving greater production per hectare for a similar amount of water. The trees also produce fruit within three years of planting with the support of the poles and wires.

“I doubt there are many other orchards achieving the tonnages we do from the same amount of water, which is about four to six megalitres per hectare, depending on the year and crop variety.

“With orchards, you basically put water in one end and get fruit out the other – it is water in bags. We can’t operate without water and it’s becoming more scarce and expensive.

“The community these days is focussed heavily on making sure irrigators manage their water more efficiently, and there will always be pressure to reduce consumption.”

As a Director of the Northern Victorian Fruit Growers Association, Peter takes part in many workshops with other irrigators and those supplying them with water. He also travels extensively.

“It’s all about sustainability. The environment and efficiency go hand in hand, if you want to continue farming,” Peter said.

“We want to be at the forefront of using new methods, not being dragged kicking and screaming into the future through regulation.

“Water’s definitely becoming more expensive and more of an environmental issue overseas, so efficiency is a competitive advantage when we’re so far ahead,” he said.

“In Europe, it’s also a marketing advantage. To sell fruit into the European Union (EU) these days you have to demonstrate your environmental credentials. We get a big tick for water use efficiency.”

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TURNING WATER INTO WINENAME : PETER SCHULZ , SALMON GUM ESTATES LOCATION : LOXTON, SOUTH AUSTRAL IA INDUSTRY: V IT ICULTURE PRODUCTIVITY: $4 . 385 /ML FOR CHARDONNAY GRAPES DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • WATER USE EFF IC I ENCY • INDUSTRY EDUC AT ION • SO IL MOISTURE MONITOR ING • IMPROVED WATER DEL IVERY SYSTEM AND INFRASTRUCTURE • IMPROVED LABOUR EFF IC I ENCY • EL IM INAT ION OF EVAPORAT ION FROM STORAGES

Since Peter and Jacque Schulz took over Salmon Gum Estates in South Australia’s Riverland near Loxton

in 1986, they have halved their water use and doubled their tonnage.

The couple grow a number of different varieties of wine grapes across nearly 72 hectares of vineyard, 50 of those bearing or in full production. Over the last six years they have implemented a number of changes that have dramatically changed the way they irrigate their vines.

“When we first arrived here, the attitudes to water use were fairly different,” Peter said.

“The industry standard was to irrigate about 75 millimetres every 12 days, or about 11 megalitres per hectare.”

A desire to do things better and save water resources led Peter to start looking at ways to increase his water use efficiency.

The first thing he did was attend a couple of Australian Government-funded Rivercare courses. These concentrated on soil textures and moisture capacity and showed the amount of water they were using was excessive compared to the soil’s needs.

In 1998 he installed moisture probes around his vines at five different levels; the first four levels (10, 20, 40 and 70 centimetres) measured the moisture in the root zone, while the fifth, at 120 cm, represented the drainage level. The moisture content was then automatically recorded every 15 minutes.

“By watering more to the vines’ needs we used closer to 8.9 megalitres per hectare, thereby saving all that extra water running off into drainage,” Peter said.

The second big change came in 2001, when the Loxton Irrigation System was regenerated.

The new system is owned by the 230 members of the Loxton Irrigators, while the water flow is controlled by the Central Irrigation Trust. The water is delivered to property boundaries via a piped high pressure system, eliminating the need for individual pumps.

The new system brought a different level of pressure, so Peter changed from an overhead sprinkler system to a drip system, meaning that Peter’s entire irrigation system is controlled by computers.

“On our home property the old system had 21 shifts per irrigation, and we had to order water at least seven days in advance,” Peter said.

“We are now down to four shifts per irrigation, all of which can be controlled by the computer, and we can order water within the hour if need be, so it is a really big change.”

The system’s computer program tells growers how much water is available from their pipeline at any given time. Peter now orders his water on an as needs basis.

“One of the most water efficient things about this system is that it has eliminated the use of channels and overflows, saving 4.8 gigalitres of water lost due to evaporation and leakages,” Peter said.

“Using the drip system and the moisture probes, we are now averaging 6.5 megalitres per hectare, so in effect we have almost halved our water use.

In addition Peter also frequently tests the nutrient levels in his vines by conducting petiole samples (testing done on the stalk at the end of a leaf) at flowering. These samples let him know how the vine is doing, and if it is lacking in anything.

“At the start of the growing season I generally apply a good amount of calcium to the soil which gives nutrients to the vine, and helps fight salinity,” Peter said.

Evidently the combination has paid off for Peter and Jacque, who have managed to increase their productivity even though their water use has almost halved.

“Our red grape tonnage and quality are consistently above average, which is really indicative of how well we are going,” Peter said.

“We are averaging between 25 and 28 tonnes per hectare for red grapes, while our chardonnay grapes are also doing better, averaging between 30 and 35 tonnes to the hectare.

“In total, we are currently producing about 1,700 tonnes of grapes with 300 megalitres of water, which is huge compared to what we were doing when we first arrived,” Peter said.

“I don’t know how much more water efficient we can get, but I am sure there will always be areas we can improve on.”

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NAME : R ICHARD THURBON, GREENHOUSE PRODUCT IONS LOCATION : ROSSMORE , SOUTHWEST SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES INDUSTRY: HYDROPONIC TOMATOES PRODUCTIVITY: $66 , 000 /ML DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • EASE OF OPERAT ION THROUGH MONITOR ING • WATER USE EFF IC I ENCY • INDUSTRY BENCHMARK ING • AVA ILAB I L ITY OF IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY • DEMAND FOR CONT INUOUSLY IMPROV ING QUAL ITY

A state of the art greenhouse with fully automatic computer monitoring and control system is paying off

for Greenhouse Productions, returning the company around $66,000 for every megalitre of water used to produce its tomatoes.

The hydroponic operation at Rossmore, near Liverpool in Sydney’s south-west, installed the 6,000 square metre Richel greenhouse early in 2004 at a cost of three-quarters of a million dollars.

Manager Richard Thurbon says as well as increasing productivity, it’s certainly made crop management a lot easier.

“The computer controller monitors temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide and lux (light) levels within the greenhouse using a number of sensors. It then maintains them to pre-determined parameters by opening and closing vents that run the length of the shed, moving shade screens and turning the heating and carbon dioxide systems on and off,” Richard said.

“Instead of manually taking measurements and moving vents, I now simply analyse the information and change the parameters in the computer to maintain ideal growing conditions.”

For each joule of light, a square metre of tomatoes transpires three millilitres of water. Simply understanding how a tomato plant grows and controlling the environment more effectively saves water by reducing transpiration and the demand for water from the plants, although it’s hard to quantify.

The tomatoes are grown in hanging ‘gutters’ placed at a height to stop staff having to bend over all the time. The gutters are filled

with cocopeat growbags, or ground coconut shells, into which the seedlings are planted.

Each plant has a string twisted around its stem, allowing it to grow vertically up to a support wire just below the eves. When it reaches this height it can be lowered by unwrapping some string from the spool. A healthy crop can be grown for around 12 months with plants reaching a length of up to ten metres.

Unlike many irrigation systems, night-time watering is generally avoided in hydroponic tomatoes, as the plants use little water overnight and excess water in the growing matter can lead to disease. The aim is to reduce the water content of the growing matter by around 15 per cent overnight, until the irrigation session the next day.

Richard believes Greenhouse Productions is in the top ten per cent of hydroponic growers, getting 22-30 tonnes of premium quality tomatoes for every megalitre of water used.

Irrigation, nutrient and pH levels are controlled by a separate irrigation system. There are plans to increase efficiency even further with the installation within two years of a new irrigation controller which will irrigate according to light levels rather than time periods.

“The efficiency of production is dependent on monitoring and automation. The controller analyses conditions more often and reacts faster than we could ever do manually, and that grows better tomatoes for less,” Richard said.

“At the moment, we’re giving each plant around 900ml of nutrient solution in six watering sessions through the day, but

of course the amount varies day to day depending on weather, age of the plant, and other factors.

“It’s all drip fed, so we know every bit of water and nutrient goes where we want it. I have figures that show our system is more than 800 per cent more efficient than traditional broadacre tomato farming!”

Tomatoes need a 25 per cent run off to flush out nutrient salts that build up within the growing matter. At the moment that’s used to water an orchard and paddocks.

The new system will completely recycle the water, which should see a further 40 per cent saving in water and nutrients.

“The new irrigation system will also have light sensors hooked up to make automatic adjustments to the concentration of nutrient within the irrigation water dependant on temperature and light levels,” Richard said.

“The technology we’re looking at has only been available in Australia for a few years, so not many places have it. In fact, fully automated systems are very expensive and only slowly being adopted at all in the industry.

“It’s the way of the future, though. Droughts are making broadacre vegetable production harder, and growers are starting to move their operations into greenhouses where their resources and dollars can be used more efficiently,” he said.

“The big challenge is to maintain taste, appearance and shelf life while taking advantage of the benefits of faster production and greater control.”

STATE-OF-THE-ART TOMATOES

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If you like the green beans and sweet corn on the cob you buy, chances are you should thank the Mulgowie Farming

Company, because it supplies around half of what’s available fresh in the shops.

Rod Emerick runs the company with his sister and their father, contracting to Woolworths and selling about 10 per cent of production overseas. They plant every day, so there’s something to pick every day.

The family runs farms in three regions. Originally based in the Lockyer Valley in south-east Queensland, a few years ago the company expanded into Bowen for year round production. Then water shortages prompted further expansion to the Burdekin River Irrigation Area, which is under-utilised so access to water isn’t a problem.

Rod says water use efficiency is something that all irrigators should be thinking about, and that it’s great to see a spotlight recently on how precious water is.

“The industry needs to take every opportunity to promote different ways of thinking. Longer term, it would have been given more focus anyway, but the drought has no doubt prompted people to move more quickly,” Rod said.

The Bowen property is all drip irrigation, using trickle tapes (thin plastic pipes branching off to each plant). This is very efficient for water use but takes about five times the labour of other systems.

NAME : ROD EMER ICK , MULGOWIE FARMING COMPANY LOCATION : BURDEK IN R IVER IRR IGAT ION AREA , QUEENSLAND INDUSTRY: SWEET CORN AND GREEN BEANS PRODUCTIVITY: $3 , 000 /ML FOR CORN AND BEANS DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • DEMAND FOR CONT INU ITY OF SUPPLY • WATER USE EFF IC I ENCY AND CONTROL OF WATER ING • REDUCED WATER AVA ILAB I L ITY AND EXTENDED PER IOD OF DROUGHT • IMPROVED TECHNOLOGY WITH REMOTE CONTROL AND MONITOR ING OF SO IL AND CONDIT IONS • HAV ING SUFF IC I ENT SC ALE

Unlike orchards, where trees are planted and the irrigation system installed and forgotten for decades, corn and beans are planted each year and replacing the tapes is extremely labour intensive.

The Lockyer Valley farm is a mix of overhead irrigation systems, which Rod says is efficient if done properly. Centre pivot is the most efficient, and that’s what’s being installed at the Home Hill property in the Burdekin.

“It had flood irrigation when we bought it, but centre pivots give greater control over the amount of water being used, allow more accuracy with nutrients, and take very little labour,” Rod said.

“We used about 2,500 megalitres of water last year, when it was mostly flood irrigation. That’s dropped to around 2,000 megalitres this year, with 70 per cent pivots. Hopefully by the time it’s finished we’ll be down by another 25 per cent to 1,500 megalitres for the same area of production.

“There’s been a 10-15 per cent increase in yield because of the change-over, and we’re getting 50-60 per cent more yield per megalitre with the centre pivots, simply because we have more control over what we’re putting on the crops,” he said.

“These days we’re probably producing around $3,000 of corn and beans from each megalitre of water at Home Hill.”

Moisture probes are spread throughout the property, providing constant information through the internet on the amount of water needed by each pivot. These can be controlled from anywhere via mobile phone.

Water use is strictly measured, so that production levels can be measured against the amount of water used, as well as the nutrition and fertiliser applied.

Rod believes that, so long as water is relatively cheap, there’s not as much imperative for irrigators to change their ways.

“Old systems are at a disadvantage, because you simply can’t remove their inherent inefficiencies, and not every one can afford to change completely,” Rod said.

“However, it’s an issue we all need to address.

“Anyone with the oppor tunity to change should carefully examine their scale and type of operation. The amount of water use, the size of the blocks being irrigated, landscape and soil types and the type of crops grown, will all impact on what is most suitable,” he said.

“Someone producing on a smaller scale might find drip irrigation is the most efficient, despite being more labour intensive. For us, the centre pivot is definitely the way to go.

“We’ve reached the stage at the moment that we’re extremely efficient. It’s simply a matter of monitoring and maintaining that efficiency over time, until something new comes along.”

SWEET REWARDS FOR WATER EFF IC IENT FARMING

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NAME : ROSS N ICOLL LOCATION : NUMURKAH , V ICTOR IA INDUSTRY : DA IRY PRODUCTIVITY : $977 /ML DRIVERS OF CHANGE : • INCREASED M ILK PRODUCT ION • BETTER QUAL ITY PASTURE • MORE EFF IC I ENT WATER USE

MILKING HI-TECH PASTURES FOR WATER EFF IC IENCY

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Keith and Ross Nicoll, dairy farmers from Northern Victoria, have produced excellent production

and water use efficiency results with the installation of a state of the ar t irrigation system.

The brothers have been jointly managing the properties at Numurkah for nearly 25 years, and currently run about 950 Friesian and Friesian Jersey cross milking cows.

Their pasture, predominately perennial rye grasses, is flood irrigated via the Murray Irrigation system, and requires approximately 8.6 megalitres per hectare, plus effective rain.

The key driver for change was the development of a Whole Farm Plan. The plan was developed with assistance from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries, environmental management teams, and irrigation designers. It integrated many different aspects of water management and water use efficiency, and gave the Nicolls the direction and confidence to develop the property.

“In 2001, we decided that irrigating our pastures was becoming too large an operation to continue doing manually,” Ross said.

“We wanted to install a fully automated system which would enable us to get all our irrigating done efficiently, and that would run itself 24 hours a day.”

The system operates via a computer and a VHF radio transceiver, which are located in the milking shed. The software enables Ross to open and shut irrigation wheels at set times, and also measures the amount of water which flows onto the field.

“As well as getting the job done faster, we also wanted to increase our water use efficiency, which involved getting more water on to the fields in a shorter period of time, and getting it off the paddocks faster too,” Ross said.

“By doing this we are getting the water on and off the paddock quickly, just enough to wet the root zone, but not long enough to waterlog the paddock and stress the plants.”

Pasture management is integral to the success of the Nicoll operation, and the automated system allowed this. However, the system was not the only measure put in place to improve water use efficiency.

“The key to efficient water use to is to grow, utilise and conserve as much quality pasture as possible,” Ross said.

“This also means using all available water, ideally without any run off and percolation losses.”

However, because there are always bound to be incidents of run off, the second part of the water use plan involved the construction of a settling dam, where all the nutrients that came through in the run off could settle. Once settled, the water can then be reused for irrigation.

“Re-using the run off means that we use every bit of water that comes on farm, but with accurate irrigation timings the run off is dramatically reduced,” Ross said.

The Nicolls were so impressed with the efficiency of the automated system that they have now installed it to control irrigation over 300 hectares, the majority of their property.

“Setting up the system to cover the majority of the place wasn’t cheap, but we did receive some assistance from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries which helped us out,” Ross said.

“The cost of automation is small compared with the cost of laser levelling the land, but we managed to lease some of the equipment, giving us five years to pay it off, and the system is well on its way to paying for itself.”

According to Ross, the benefits of the system have far outweighed the cost.

“One direct benefit is that the quality and quantity of our pastures has increased,” Ross said.

“In 2003/2004 we produced over seven million litres of milk, 244,000 kilograms of protein and 297,500 kilograms of butterfat, which is an excellent result.”

In addition, the Nicolls now use fewer chemicals to control weeds, they have reduced Occupational Health and Safety risks for their employees, and they have reduced run-off and leeching into the water table.

“The other thing is that I now feel very confident when buying our water, because I know that it is all being used efficiently,” Ross said.

“Throughout the drought, we had as close as possible to Best Management Practices in place, which assisted with retaining stock, thus leaving the business in a strong position to consolidate post-drought.”

For free copies of this brochure or the Innovation in Irrigation video contact the Natural Heritage Trust Information Line on freecall 1800 065 823 or email nht@deh.gov.au

For more information about NHT programs visit www.nht.gov.au

ISBN 0-642-55097-2

© Published by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in 2004.