15 July 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilVRD0h1rqw Discussion points: Overview of Agriculture Victoria On Farm IoT Trial Technology from the IoT Trial included: Water flow, pressure, and level sensors Weather stations Soil moisture monitoring equipment Dendrometers Remote bay outlet control What Irrigation AgTech can do for your farm business Variable rate [...]
Recently there has been increased interest in pipe and riser system with the roll out of programs like Farm Water. Upgrading farm irrigation supply channels to pipes and risers can potentially improve the efficiency of water use on farm through lower seepage and evaporation losses. Pipes vs channels Irrigators need [...]
The Victorian Minister for Agriculture, Jaclyn Symes recently announced that the amount available for the On-Farm Drought Resilience Grant Program has increased from $5,000 to $10,000. Farmers can access up to $5,000, with 50 per cent co-contribution, for drought infrastructure investments and up to $5,000 for farm business planning activities. [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Tension measuring devices provide information about water availability in the soil. Soil tension can be used by irrigators to better plan when to irrigate in order to optimise plant performance and water productivity. Scheduling Irrigation with Tension Tension measures how tightly the water is held in the soil. It is generally [...]
As part of the Accelerating Change project in Northern Victoria, various soil moisture monitoring (SMM) devices were used over the last 3 years under surface irrigated pasture and other forages on farm to assist with improved irrigation timing. Key learnings SMM provides objective and useful information for irrigation scheduling and [...]
An underperforming centre pivot or lateral move (CPLM) irrigation system can be costly. Poor performance can occur throughout the system including in the pump, motor, sprinklers, drive mechanism, and end gun. This can impact your system’s ability to operate at the expected capacity and can result in poor crop emergence, [...]
Are you planning to make a change to your irrigation system or are you new to irrigation in the Goulburn Murray Irrigation District? The Irrigation in Northern Victoria booklet is now available to read online. This new booklet outlines the key things you should consider when selecting an efficient irrigation system and meet your planning approval obligations. The booklet also provides a great overview of the whole farm planning and approvals process, incentives, irrigation [...]
Technology used in irrigation scheduling is becoming more diverse and more sophisticated. Scheduling information can be gathered from variety of sources including weather stations, soil moisture monitoring devices, and plant sensors. Plant-based sensors work on the concept of using plants as a “biosensor”. Meaning, the plant is used as the [...]
