ALISTER Clyne said he decided to establish a new spray irrigation system came the day he fell into a channel.
The Tinamba West farmer received an electric shock trying to put a door on an irrigation pipe and fell into the channel while watering his 364ha dairy farm.
- AT A GLANCE
- Who: Alister Clyne
- What: irrigated dairy operation
- Why: upgrading irrigation network for production gain
- Where: Tinamba West
- Report: EMMA FIELD
In January, Alister installed two ditch-fed linear spray irrigated systems, one of which pivots in an 18ha half circle to irrigate what was a previously dry area.
One linear irrigator is 385m long, while the pivot irrigator is 330m. Both irrigators feed from a newly dug central channel and the system is the first ditch-fed T-L Ultra in Australia.
Alister, who farms with his parents Alan and Christine, and wife Katie, admits his new $750,000 system is a leap forward from his old flood irrigation.
"I have gone from bag stops and tins to spray irrigation," Alister said.
The decision to install the new system was driven partly by health and safety issues but also to improve the productivity of his land, water usage and the desire to increase his herd.
The new system was installed on a formerly under-utilised 130ha section of the farm, half of which was lasered and the remainder was mainly wild flood irrigated in autumn and spring.
"Previously we had five wheels and a lot of four-foot doors," Alister said.
"We have free draining soils and you get a lot of water going below the root zone (of the pasture).
"With flood irrigation we used a lot of water."
After increasing their herd size to 1000 cows before the 2006 drought, the Clynes eased back their cow number to 850 because they weren't growing enough pasture.
"With the (previous) irrigation system we had we struggled to get enough grass for (the cows) and we were burning up our water too quickly," Alister said.
"Our feed rates were down to 2.5 tonnes of dry matter per cow.
"Once you go below three tonnes of DM of grass per cow, our profit was more at risk as we had to rely on (purchased) feed, and we're more exposed.
"Now I have confidence to milk another 100 cows and the additional margin in those extra cows will make it worthwhile."
The two linear systems are also extremely efficient, as the hydraulic machine with diesel motors moves continuously and waters consistently and evenly.
After Alister installed better irrigation on the 130ha, he can grow an extra 400 tonnes of grass, or four tonnes of DM cow/year, saving on feed costs and water which would have washed through the soil.
"As long as I manage my moisture I will grow 10 to 15 per cent more feed," Alister said.
"It's grass, so it's straight down the neck of the cow, (which is better than) silage.
"With this system I irrigate all year round and I save 1.5 to 2 megalitres/ha for the season, which is 260ML over 130ha."
Alister said he chose ditch-fed linear machines, rather than a pipe system as it is less labour intensive but required building a 1.67km channel which cost $250,000.
Lifestyle and his and his staff's safety was another a big reason for the switch.
Previously it took five days to do a complete watering which was labour intensive. Now it's a one-person job to set up and requires minimal supervision.
"I can get half an inch (25mm) of water on the whole lot and it only takes 24 hours," Alister said. "I would rather have my staff in the shed."
"If I kept going (with the previous system) I was going to get injured through fatigue.
"It's a win-win situation for us - low labour and efficient water application."
