WITH a new pivot irrigation system in place, Eight Mile Creek dairyfarmer James Mann is on the lookout for further savings.
The pivot was installed in 2014 and covers a 60-hectare lucerne paddock.
Mr Mann got involved in the smarter irrigation program to look at improving land productivity
“If we can grow the same amount of feed for less water, or more feed with the same water, there is a financial logic behind producing more with less,” he said.
Already the project has meant the soil under irrigation has been mapped and analysed for water holding capabilities, with a computer program advising optimal applications and rates.
Mr Mann said, if the system proved to be more productive, it might be expanded to the other pivots on the farm, covering some 600ha.
Elizabeth Anderson
Editor of Stock Journal.
Editor of Stock Journal.
