Irrigating Agriculture

Irrigating Agriculture

Whole Farm Planning and Irrigation upgrades improve drought security

Irrigating with saline groundwater in the GMID

Irrigation Efficiency Incentives in the Mallee

Seasonal Updates: Commodity outlook & cropping options

Irrigating in a dry season

The Dirty Side of Irrigation

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published - 5 December 2018
By Alexis Killoran
Irrigating in a dry season

In the Macalister Irrigation District, lessons from previous dry seasons have highlighted the need to plan and make early decisions and then monitor and adjust as you go along.
Plan early and consider contingencies
Key points to consider during a dry irrigation season include:
 Do a water budget
Will you have enough irrigation water …
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Farm Planning

published - 29 November 2018
By Rob O'Connor
What to know about Evapotranspiration and how to use it to schedule irrigations

Evapotranspiration provides a relatively objective and reliable estimate of the water requirements of actively growing plants in a farm situation. Evapotranspiration information can be used by irrigators to more accurately schedule irrigations to help achieve top yields and improve water productivity.
What is Evapotranspiration?
Evapotranspiration is an estimate of the loss of …
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Home, Irrigation Scheduling, Resources

published - 12 November 2018
By Rob O'Connor & Tim Robinson
Top irrigation links!

This page shows ‘hot links’ that provide valuable and popular information for irrigators and the broader irrigation community in northern Vic, southern NSW and Gippsland

Upcoming irrigation water availability
Nowadays, irrigation water availability and price, is influenced not only by the water allocation in your district, but by water allocations in other …
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Farm Planning, Home, Resources, Water Management

published - 11 October 2018
By Tim Robinson
Dry Seasonal Conditions workshops – September 2018

Free workshops presented in September by Agriculture Victoria and Plan2Farm provided the latest on seasonal settings and outlooks and an opportunity to discuss some tactical farm decisions under the current dry conditions.
If you were unable to attend the workshops or you want to revisit any of the content you …
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Farm Planning, Home, Resources

published - 4 October 2018
By Nick O'Halloran
Renewables and Irrigation Webinar – What works and when? On and off grid systems

Agricultural research economists, Janine Powell and Jon Welsh (both AgEcon) share their findings about how and when incorporating renewable energy technologies and irrigation storage stack up.
Janine and Jon first began investigating the feasibility of renewable energy and irrigation in 2014 during the Department of Agricultures’ Carbon Farming Futures program and …
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Home, Irrigation Systems, Resources

published - 27 September 2018
By Alexis Killoran
Calculating Readily Available Water at the Macalister Irrigation Farm

A soil pit was recently dug at the Macalister Demonstration Farm (MDF) to better understand the Readily Available Water (RAW) content of the farm. RAW is the approximate amount of water measured in millimetres, held in the soil that is easily available to plants.
This water can be used by plants …
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Home, Irrigation Scheduling, Resources

published - 20 September 2018
By Alexis Killoran
Making sure you are ready for irrigation – maintenance tips

Due to the dry conditions experienced in the Macalister Irrigation District (MID), irrigation has started earlier, and perhaps may finish later than normal, so it is important to ensure your system is operating as efficiently as possible.
This will maximise the amount of grass or pasture you can grow and reduce …
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Home, Irrigation Systems, Resources

published - 10 September 2018
The design of a Centre Pivot or Lateral Move irrigator

System design can vary greatly for Centre Pivot or Lateral Move (CPLM) irrigation systems. Variations in design can have a large effect on capital and operating costs. Paddock shape, soil type, local climate, crops to be grown and power source will all influence design requirements. Understanding these design requirements for …
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Home, Irrigation Systems, Resources

published - 17 August 2018
Planning a Centre Pivot or Lateral Move system

When planning a Centre Pivot or Lateral Move (CPLM) system the following aspects need to be considered at the planning stage:

Physical location (area, shape, topography, soil type)
Water supply (flow rate, supply location, quality and quantity)
Irrigable area (area to be developed, system capacity)

Land area: A typical centre pivot system has a …
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Home, Irrigation Systems, Resources

published - 6 August 2018
Centre Pivot or Lateral Move – what to consider?

Centre Pivot and Lateral Move (CPLM) irrigation systems have many advantages over surface irrigation systems. However careful consideration regarding system design, as well as adequate system maintenance and management, is essential to achieving these benefits.  The following points need to be considered when installing CPLM systems:
Advantages and disadvantages of …
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Home, Irrigation Systems, Resources