The Maffra Agriculture Victoria irrigation extension team conducted a farm walk at a dairy farm near Sale in March of 2023. Local irrigators were afforded the opportunity to see a long-term installation of sub-surface drip irrigation under lucerne.
Context in the MID
Sub-surface drip irrigation is a network of pipes buried underground which delivers water directly to the plant root zone. It provides potential for very targeted irrigation matched closely to plant water requirements, while greatly reducing surface runoff and evaporation compared to spray and flood irrigation.
The polygon of the host farmer’s sub-surface drip irrigated paddocks. The yellow, red, and green lines indicate the main pipes, sub-surface pipes, and drains, respectively.
However, despite its water use efficiency sub-surface drip is viewed with significant scepticism in the MID due to several failed demonstrations under pasture over the past two decades.
‘It is fairly niche for the MID but is a reminder that we should not completely disregard it for some uses’
– Dairy farmer.
This farm walk provided the opportunity for local irrigators interested in sub-surface drip to see a system in their local area that has been working effectively to irrigate crops for over 10 years.
Facilitating farmer discussions
Agriculture Victoria irrigation extension officers liaised with the farmer to allow attendees to come on farm, see the system infrastructure and hear directly from the farmer about his experience using this system.
‘Seeing a system that has been working effectively for so many years gives me the confidence to consider trying this if it stacks up financially’
– Beef and horticulture farmer.
Ten local dairy and beef cattle farmers attended the day, which is seen as an ideal number for a farm walk. Unlike a field day where the main aim of the day is to present information to a large audience, a farm walk aims to foster extensive discussion amongst a small group of farmers, with the extension officers mostly taking on a facilitation role.
The group hearing about the system from the host farmer, facilitated by Agriculture Victoria’s Irrigation Extension team.
These days require significantly less planning and organisation than a full field day and are a great option to regularly provide opportunities for farmers to see technologies and practices working in their local area.
The host farmers are often respected early adopters who are honest about their failures and successes when discussing the practice or system they are showcasing. The open and frank conversations that farm walks promote increase positive community interactions and learning between farmers to help drive practice change.
The farm walk experience
The farm walk started with the host farmer explaining the reasoning behind the initial move to sub-surface drip irrigation for the lucerne paddock, the cost of initial installation and the running costs over time.
There were many questions from the farmers about the system design, spacing, pressures, filtration, and other technical factors.
Host farmer answering attendee’s questions about the filtration design and operation.
The group then moved out into the paddock to look at the current lucerne stand, hear about the exciting yield potentials and the host farmer’s experience of yields over the different years, as well as system operation, maintenance, potential pitfalls, and paddock trafficability.
‘It was really great to see how effective this system can be, but also to hear about the pitfalls and potential challenges’
– Dairy farmer and pump specialist.
Overall, the day was considered very successful by the attendees with interesting discourse and many questions. A short survey conducted after the farm walk showed that attendees significantly increased their understanding of the requirements and suitable use cases for sub-surface drip in the MID and would be more likely to consider the technology in future farm developments.
