Victorian Resources Online (archived)

Index of Questions

Step 1: What do I want to achieve?
Step 2: What are my farm's features and constraints?
Step 3: What irrigation options should I consider?
Step 4: What needs to be considered in my design and management, and what will it cost?
Step 5: What option best meets my goals?

Step1: What do I want to achieve?

1.1 - What do I want to achieve from this investment?
1.2 - Will this investment be consistent with my long-term business goals?

Step 2: What are my farm's features and constraints?

2.1 - What is my current irrigation system?

Is the current irrigation system of your farm or site:

A green field site?
A laser graded border-check system?
A non-laser graded border-check system?
A pressurised system?

2.2 - What are my farm's features and constraints?

2.2.1 - What soil type do I have?
2.2.2 - What is the shape of my farm/site?
2.2.3 - Are there any physical constraints on my farm/site?
2.2.4 - Are there trees on my farm/site?
2.2.5 - How undulating is my land?
2.2.6 - Do I have access to 3 phase electricity?
2.2.7 - Do have access to surface drainage?
2.2.8 - Do I have/need sub-surface drainage?
2.2.9 - What is my water supply?
2.2.10 - What is my water quality?
2.2.11 - What external or catchment issues do I need to consider?

2.2.11.1 - Earthwork Planning Controls

2.2.11.2 - Remnant Vegetation

2.2.11.3 - Farm Effluent Management

2.2.11.4 - New Irrigation Development

2.2.11.5 - Irrigation Farm Dams

2.3 - How well is my current irrigation system performing?

2.3.1 - How much water does perennial pasture need?
2.3.2 - How much water is supplied by rainfall?
2.3.3 - How much irrigation water is required?
2.3.4 - How much water do I use for irrigation?
2.3.5 - How well is my irrigation water being applied?

2.3.5.1 - What is the frequency of my irrigations?

2.3.5.2 - How long do I take to irrigate?

2.3.5.3 - How quickly do my paddocks drain?

2.3.6 - How productive is my pasture?

2.3.6.1 - Do my pastures have good species composition?

2.3.6.2 - Do my cows eat the pasture I grow?

2.3.7 - Can I improve my irrigation performance?

2.3.7.1 - How much water can I potentially save?

2.3.7.2 - How suitable is border-check irrigation for the soil types on my farm?

2.3.7.3 - Would centre pivot irrigation be a better option?

Step 3 - What Irrigation options should I consider?

3.1 - What are the relative strengths, limitations an costs of different systems?
3.2 - How do these options fit in with my goal(s) and farm situation?

Step 4 - What needs to be considered in my design and management, and what will it cost?

4.1 - Border-check - What needs to be considered in my planning, design and management, and what will it cost?

4.1.1 - What planning issues do I need to consider?

4.1.1.1 - What land area and shape can I irrigate with border-check systems?

4.1.1.2 - Can undulating land be irrigated?

4.1.1.3 - What soil types are suitable for border-check?

4.1.1.4 - What are the water supply and quality issues?

4.1.1.5 - What catchment issues do I need to consider?

4.1.2 - What needs to be considered in the design stage?

4.1.2.1 - Do I have a Whole Farm Plan?

4.1.2.2 - What slope, length and width should my bays have?

4.1.2.3 - What should be the size of my channels and drains?

4.1.2.4 - How big should my drainage reuse system be?

4.1.3 - What does border-check irrigation cost?

4.1.4 - How should I manage a border-check irrigation system?

4.1.4.1 - What flow rates should I use?

4.1.4.2 - When should I irrigate?

4.1.4.3 - How much should I apply, or how long do I run water onto the bay for?

4.1.4.4 - How should I manage the drainage reuse system?

4.1.4.5 - How should I maintain my irrigation system?

4.2 - Centre Pivot - What needs to be included in my planning, design and management and what will it cost?

4.2.1 - What planning issues should I consider?

4.2.1.1 - What area can be irrigated?

4.2.1.2 - What shape can be irrigated?

4.2.1.3 - Can undulating land be irrigated?

4.2.1.4 - What soil types can be irrigated?

4.2.1.5 - What are the water supply issues?

4.2.1.6 - What are the water quality issues?

4.2.1.7 - What are my catchment obligations?

4.2.2 - What needs to be considered in the design stage?

4.2.2.1 - What is the right system capacity and can it supply enough water in hot weather?

4.2.2.2 - Is the irrigation application uniform?

4.2.2.3 - What sprinklers do I need?

4.2.2.4 - What pressure does the system need?

4.2.2.5 - How do I minimise wheel running?

4.2.2.6 - Do I need a drainage system?

4.2.2.7 - Should I choose a hydraulic or electric drive system?

4.2.2.8 - Centre pivot or lateral move?

4.2.2.9 - What do I choose – diesel or electric operation?

4.2.3 - What is the cost of the system?

4.2.3.1 - What is the up-front capital cost of a centre pivot system?

4.2.3.2 - What does it cost to run a centre pivot system?

4.2.3.3 - What is the trade-off between capital and operational cost?

4.2.4 - How do I manage a centre pivot system?

4.2.4.1 - How is grazing managed?

4.2.4.2 - How should I manage wheel tracks?

4.2.4.3 - When should I irrigate and how much do I apply?

4.2.4.4 - What are the maintenance requirements?

Step 5: What option best meets my goals?

5.1 - Does my irrigation investment choice meet the goals that I have identified?
5.2 - Have I considered all of the risks associated with the option?

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