1. Scaling irrigation management to support whole farm operations
- S1E3
- 17:45
- January 4th 2021
Gravity fed flood irrigation systems are an important part of the dairy industry in Victoria. The SIP2 researchers from Agriculture Victoria; Andy McAllister, Amjed Hussain and Des Whitfield talk about their work with producers to develop a more efficient whole farm gravity fed irrigation system. They are using satellite-based irrigation scheduling and new irrigation bay designs. This approach relies on minimal use of in-field sensors and will integrate farm irrigation scheduling with automated management of irrigation re-use systems. This will enable producers to make better irrigation and grazing management decisions.
The SIP2 Podcast
Smarter Irrigation for Profit Phase II (SIP2)
Smarter Irrigation for Profit Phase II is a partnership between cotton, dairy, sugar, rice and grains, research organisations and farmer groups. SIP2 builds on Smarter Irrigation for Profit Phase 1 which enabled research in areas of irrigation system audits, irrigation scheduling, new technology, system design and water use efficiency. Phase 1 demonstrated that improved water productivity hinged on ‘Getting the Basics Right’. It found that participating Australian irrigators could achieve a 10-20 percent improvement in farm profitability by adopting best practice and precision irrigation technologies.
An essential part of Smarter Irrigation for Profit is the commercial optimised irrigation sites. These sites provide an opportunity for researchers, consultants, producers and industry support staff to share knowledge, see how irrigation technology can be applied and collaborate across industries through field walks and field days.
Smarter Irrigation for Profit Phase II has 14 sub-projects looking at:
- New and innovative irrigation technologies,
- Cost effective, practical automated irrigation systems and
- The application of best practice irrigation techniques.
The objective of SIP2 is to improve the profit of over 4000 cotton, dairy, rice, grains and sugar irrigators.
SIP2 is supported by funding from the Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment as part of it's Rural R&D for Profit program.