Browsing by Author "Hesp, C"

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Evaluating alternative irrigation for a greener future
(2011) Hesp, C
The potential agronomic and environmental benefits of green cane harvesting and trash blanketing, the ongoing issues of nutrients and pesticides threatening the Great Barrier Reef, the rising ground water levels in the area, and water use efficiency issues, prompted the progressive MAFIA grower group to conceptualise a project to trial alternative irrigation systems and compare them with the conventional furrow irrigation system. A lateral move irrigation system was established on the Hesp property, in the Mulgrave farming area in the Burdekin, to irrigate sugarcane throughout a full 4 year crop cycle. This system was compared to conventional furrow and, on a nearby property, a drip irrigation system. The sites were extensively instrumented to measure parameters that would enable the water and nutrient balance to be monitored on the furrow and lateral move irrigated fields. Importantly, an intensive economic analysis was conducted to provide a guide to the economic evaluation of the three systems. Overall the results of the trial indicated that it was indeed possible to grow large sugarcane crops under the lateral move and drip irrigation systems, and that these crops could be subsequently harvested green. It was shown that the lateral move and drip systems also provided opportunity for improved water use efficiency over the furrow irrigation system and that the subsequent flow on benefits from this was reduced loss of nutrients via deep drainage and irrigation runoff. The economic evaluation, using actual inputs costs from the trial sites, show that the furrow and lateral move had similar operating costs which were significantly less than the drip system. However, it should be pointed out that this economic study looked at the adoption of a new irrigation system versus an existing furrow irrigation system. If the analysis was to examine a greenfield investment comparison, then the economic results could significantly change because of the extra capital investment required to establish a furrow irrigation system. In this analysis, environmental benefits resulting from improved water, nutrient and pesticide use are not accounted for in dollar terms, but if included would recognise the value of more efficient farming systems. While every effort was made to provide reliable information from this study, constraints associated with conducting the trial, within an existing “whole of farm” operation, meant that it should be considered more as a pilot study rather than a rigorous scientific trial. For this reason care should be taken in extrapolating the data from this study to other properties or areas where different circumstances and constraints could alter the perspective significantly.
SRDC Research Project final report Irrigation runoff event monitoring
(2006) Hesp, C
A major concern of the Burdekin irrigated sugarcane growing industry is the impact of nutrient runoff on the waterways and the surrounding environment. In line with the current Commonwealth and State Government’s Reef Water Quality Plan and the NRM regional plans, growers expressed the desire to evaluate the current situation to be able to address these concerns. This project was designed to enable growers to monitor runoff from their paddocks when irrigating and to assess the resulting. A trailer was designed and fitted with a solar power ISCO Avalanche refrigerated pumping sampler. It was designed to be a mobile unit that could easily be moved to any site within the MAFIA grower group area. The intention has been to make this unit available to any other grower group within the Burdekin area. During this project a number of training days were held and information disseminated to other grower groups through presentations at regional field days and workshops. Event sampling was carried out by growers in the MAFIA group which they then paid to have tested for nitrate concentrations. This information allowed growers to assess nitrate concentrations in runoff from irrigation of plant cane and discussions about the results were carried out with the members. Although a good wet season this year has limited the number of irrigation events available to monitoring. Great interest was expressed in further use of the sampling trailer to compare different fertiliser application methods and bedding practices to evaluate best management practices. The fact that the MAFIA group paid to have a consultant test the water samples shows their commitment to the success of the project and ongoing use of the water sampling trailer. A baseline survey was carried out at the start of the project and a follow up survey was done at the end of the project. Even with the weather constraints this year there has been an indication from these surveys that over 50% of growers in the group have made recent changes to their irrigation practices as a result of this project. It has provided the MAFIA members with degree of ownership of their runoff issues. This has highlight to an already aware group the extent of runoff and possible future investigations in improvement of irrigation practices. There has been a perceivable increase in the confidence of growers in the group about the validity of the sample data collated as it directly relevant to them.