Water savings of up to 30 per cent are being achieved in the Shepparton district, through improvements to on-farm irrigation systems, according to one of the areas leading providers.
Total Eden sales manger Brenton Jettner said savings of up to 20 per cent were being achieved, through improved irrigation systems.
“That’s through evaporation or seepage, but also you don’t have to charge the channel, so you don’t have any pre wetting, or loss, per se, in getting to the paddock.
“In all our numbers we can confidently say we are going to be a minimum of 15 per cent.
“In a lot of cases, where we can show (improvements) with metered inlets and outlets, we are up to 30pc.”
Mr Jettner said one in 20 farmers in the district would have shown an interest, if not a commitment, to improving irrigation infrastructure.
He said most had been intensive flood irrigators. “They are simply going to have to find ways to produce more efficiently, with the water they have got, rather than saying we are going to give up water.
“A lot of people will find capital, without selling water – I think people have made commitments, but they are of the opinion they need to be viable, in the long term, and that will only happen, with water.”
Bundera Farms’ David Gordon, Undera, has gradually been transitioning from dairy cattle to crops, including maize and lucerne hay.
He first installed a new pump in 2007 and had been carrying out upgrades, since then. “The pipe and riser gives me on time delivery,” Mr Gordon said.
The system was first installed for dairy pastures, “to produce good quality feed and with the flexibility of not having open channels.
“You turn the wheel on, three hours later it would start running onto the paddock, by the time you filled your farm channels up.
“Now you press the button and it’s instant.”
He said he was achieving savings of 15pc and the recycle dam was never used. The farm now grew lucerne and maize, on contract.
