News & Media

It's on again with a new location, WTC 2012 Irrigation Expo will be at Shepparton Showgrounds May 16 & 17, 2012.

The WTC Expo 2012 focus on the government's "On Farm Water Efficiency Program" Round 3 and Modernisation.
A total of 1800 farming families came through the gates over the two days of expo, some with farm plan's in hand to take advantage of round two of the On Farm Efficiency Program.
Expo hosted the majority of irrigation suppliers together in one place with irrigation demonstrations and a program of events to deliver up to date irrigation information including innovative irrigation methods and products.
Exhibitors expressed that expo provided them with an opportunity to showcase their products and, more importantly, to interact with their customers in an informal, hands-on environment.
Farmers and their families we were able to put faces too many of the business owners they had spoken to on the phone over the years but hadn’t met before and there were plenty of seats and tables to sit and catch up with friends at expo while the young children took a break in the play area.
Farmers found the expo well worth attending and said they were definitely looking forward to being back there again next year. See you at the 2012 WTC Irrigation Expo 16th and 17th May 2012.
Contact: Wendy Buck 0438052630
wendy@wtcexpo.com.au
www.wtcexpo.com.au

Shepparton News; Friday January 14
Stop Press: MISG is one of only five organisations who will get an extended hearing when the federal parliamentary inquiry into the impact of the proposed Murray-Darling Basin Plan hosts a public hearing.
The inquiry, headed by independent MP Tony Windsor, will sit in Shepparton on January 21 from 5 pm to 9pm.
A list of the five organisations who will be represented, Murray Irrigators Support Group, United Dairyfarmers of Victoria, Rubicon Water, D&M Stockfeeds and the North East Victorian Catchment Councils will each get 20 minutes before the inquiry.
Other groups that made submissions can register their interest on the day to speak between 8 pm and 9 pm.
For full story in the Shepparton News Friday 14th January 2011

I have been asked as the facilitator of the Murray Irrigators Support Group (MISG)to participate in the INQUIRY INTO THE IMPACT OF THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN PLAN IN REGIONAL AUSTRALIA
On behalf of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia, be advised that the Committee has commenced the inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia
Terms of Reference
The Standing Committee on Regional Australia will inquire into and report on the socio-economic impact of the proposed Murray Darling Basin Authority’s ‘Guide to the Proposed Basin Plan’ (the Proposed Basin Plan) on regional communities, with particular reference to:

• the direct and indirect impact of the Proposed Basin Plan
on regional communities, including agricultural industries, local
business activity and community wellbeing;
• options for water-saving measures or water return on a
region-by-region basis with consideration given to an analysis of
actual usage versus licence entitlement over the preceding fifteen
years; and
• the role of governments, the agricultural industry and the
research sector in developing and delivering infrastructure and
technologies aimed at supporting water-efficiency within the
Murray-Darling Basin.

In examining each of these issues, the Committee will also consider community views on:

• measures to increase water efficiency and reduce
consumption and their relative cost-effectiveness;
• opportunities for economic growth and diversification
within regional communities; and
• previous relevant reform and structural adjustment programs
and the impact on communities and regions.

This will include consultation with local government, Regional Development Australia, community groups and individual stakeholders to better understand the local and community issues raised by the Proposed Basin Plan.

The Committee will report back to Parliament by the end of May 2011.

If you would like to be part of our Submission please contact Wendy Buck Facilitator Murray Irrigators Support Group on info@misg.com.au or leave a message on 0438 052630 we only have till the 20th December so we need to get cracking on this alternatively you can send your own submission to the inquiry into the impact of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan in Regional Australia the Committee would appreciate any views you may have on the inquiry terms of reference. Please feel free to distribute information regarding the inquiry to your networks. Inquiry updates will be available from the Committee’s website at www.aph.gov.au/ra .
Submissions should be sent to the Committee by 20 December 2010. It is preferred that submissions are sent by email to ra.reps@aph.gov.au.
Alternatively they may be sent by mail. Submissions should be addressed to:

The Committee Secretary
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Regional Australia
PO Box 6021
Parliament House
CANBERRA ACT 2600

Wendy Buck Facilitator Murray Irrigators Support Group (MISG) info@misg.com.au Strathmerton

Cr Wendy Buck was elected to Council on 9 August 2010.
Mayor Ed Cox congratulated Wendy Buck on her appointment.
Along with her husband Richard and daughter, Cr Buck owns and operates the Gazebo Motor Inn, Strathmerton.
Cr Buck extensively participates in the agricultural sector and is the facilitator of the Murray Irrigators Farming Support Group and the community representative on the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project Murray Valley Modernisation Consultation Committee.
Cr Buck is also chairman of the Water Technology Cluster Events Committee and the Water Technology Cluster Irrigation Expo and the farmer representative and associate member of the Irrigators, Surveyors & Designers Group.
Cr Buck developed the Small Communities Great Treasurers of the Moira Shire tourism brochure and website and was the founding editor of the Strathmerton Standard newspaper.
Cr Wendy Buck: contact details
Phone: 0427 820 645
Email: wbuck@moira.vic.gov.au

Dairy Australia accepts applications for R&D projects from individuals and organisations worldwide. Applications are judged on the perceived benefits to the Australian dairy industry and potential for success.
for more information go to http://www.government-grant.com.au/2010/08/dairy-australia-reasearch-projects/
We will consider funding applications that address one or more of our Core Objectives (as set out in the Dairy Australia Strategic Plan):

Increase farm productivity.
Maintain and develop high margin markets, channels and products.
Promote and protect the unique benefits of dairy.
Applications should be made by the organisation conducting the proposed research. For example, applications from universities should be submitted through their central office or research secretariat. Where several organisations are collaboration in research projects, one organisation should take responsibility for the project and subcontract part of the research to the other organisation(s).

Ideally the duration of projects is 1-3 years. Extended projects may be considered in exceptional circumstances.

Applications to More Than One R&D Corporation
If you are applying for joint funding from two or more R&D corporations, you should determine the most appropriate ‘lead’ corporation and prepare the funding submission in the way directed by that corporation. For example, if Dairy Australia is being asked to fund more than 50 per cent of the project, then we should be considered the lead corporation. On the other hand, if we are being asked for less than 50 per cent of the total cost, we will accept proposals in the format sent by other corporations.

Please check with the lead corporation to determine whether it distributes copies of your funding submission to other R&D corporations or if you are expected to do this. Please inform all the relevant parties that you are seeking joint funding.

Paper prepared by
Harry Kooloos
“Amarran”, Mayrung NSW
Sam North
Hydrologist, NSW DPI
Deniliquin NSW
email: jkooloos@bigpond.com.au
IREC
C/- CSIRO Land and Water, Griffith
Private mail bag 3 Griffith NSW 2680
Tel: 02 69601550 Fax: 02 69601562 Email: irec@irec.org.au
GRDC
FOR IRRIGATION CROPPERS
2007
Page No 1
2007 GRAINS RESEARCH UPDATE for irrigation croppers
The new “V-Bay” flexible layout
Harry Kooloos / Sam North
Introduction
Rice is seen by most irrigators with General Security access licences in the irrigation districts of southern NSW as their most profitable and reliable crop and 50-60% of all water delivered to these districts is used to grow rice. Contour systems constitute roughly 50% of the area laid out to irrigation in southern NSW and, to minimise deep percolation and ensure good water depth control, these systems are located on impermeable, often sodic, heavy clay soils in (very) flat terrain. Rice businesses are generally growing and viable, but returns per megalitre (ML) are relatively low for the most limiting resource: i.e. water (Cummins & Thompson 2002). Despite the low return per ML, contour systems are profitable because of their very low labour and capital requirements (Rendell McGuckian 1998). However, the low return per ML places a heavy reliance on businesses to maintain scale (ML/family) and the high per hectare (ha) water use makes production sensitive to water price and availability (Denimein LWMP Working Group 1995).
The general decline in the terms of trade for agricultural commodities and the increasing cost and decreasing availability and reliability of irrigation water is affecting irrigated farm profitability in these districts and indications are that these pressures will increase rather than decrease. Rice farmers have maintained their profitability in the past by increasing the scale of their enterprises and buying in more water and this used to be easy to achieve. However, pressures facing irrigators make it increasingly difficult for them to maintain their profitability in this way. Switching out of contour irrigation into row-cropping or more intensive industries is difficult and expensive and switching to border check systems offers little prospect for maintaining farm profitability (Rendell McGuckian 1998). There is also little incentive to switch from annual crop systems to more capital intensive industries (e.g. horticulture and dairying) because of the uncertainty and risk associated with the low reliability of supply for irrigators with General Security licences in southern NSW (Frost et al. 2003). There is thus a need to find ways to increase the profitability of rice based farming systems which retain the advantages of basin systems but which return more per ML, are better adapted to a lower and more variable irrigation supply, and do not require a large capital investment.
One way to achieve this is for irrigators to allocate water to winter crops in years when water is limiting, rather than growing rice. This strategy derives from economic theory which states that profits are maximised when net returns to the most limiting resource are maximised. Beecher et al. (1995) showed that gross margins to land, labour and capital are higher for rice than for viable alternative crops, so the most profitable strategy when water is plentiful is to use water to grow rice. When water is limiting, the most profitable strategy is to spread available irrigation water equally over a larger area and maximise the average net return per ML (Yaron & Bresler 1983). In Mediterranean climates, this is achieved most effectively by using available irrigation water to supplement winter rainfall and deficit irrigate winter crops (Stewart & Musick 1982; North 2005a).
Rice growers in southern NSW are reluctant to adopt this strategy because of the risks associated with waterlogging in winter and after spring irrigation (North 2004b; North 2005b). Thus, for this strategy to be successful, watering and drainage times in basin layouts need to be improved so higher yields of winter crops can be achieved with lower risk. Furthermore, this needs to be done in a way that improves the net returns to land, labour and capital from winter crops. If this can be done, then the shift to a more flexible cropping system will provide a viable alternative to predominantly rice based systems.
Evolution of “drive-over banks”
A system for achieving these outcomes has been developed in the Berriquin Irrigation district over the past five years. Initially, Nick and Steve Morona, “East Rostella”, Deniliquin, wanted to develop a contour system that had greater versatility than current contour designs, was quicker to water and drain, and which had better access into and within paddocks. They developed check banks along the contour that were wide and had low slope so they could be driven over. This allowed paddocks to be trafficked up and down the slope, rather than perpendicular to it, and improved machinery efficiency, weed control on banks and paddock drainage in winter.
2007 GRAINS RESEARCH UPDATE for irrigation croppers Page No 2
The new “V-Bay” flexible layout Harry Kooloos / Sam North
Morona’s system, which has been described at a previous GRDC Update (Morona 2005), had a number of distinct advantages over conventional contour systems. These included:
• 6% more crop area because banks can be cropped;
• lower chemical use as banks are cropped and are no longer sources of weed seed;
• increased labour and machinery efficiency because there is less turning and headlands;
• they eliminated the need for cross-overs which concentrate traffic and cause compaction and restrict paddock drainage if not properly installed or maintained;
• better drainage was achieved by sowing with the slope;
• drainage was better for 80-100 m wide contour basins than if paddock had been converted to border check bays down the slope with 400 m long bays;
• long runs made it possible to adopt control traffic and precision farming systems, there-by reducing costs and increasing machine efficiency.
There were however a number of disadvantages to Morona’s system:
• it was hard to maintain a constant sowing depth with the air seeder over drains/banks;
• a road grader was needed to pull down/up banks if dirt is only pulled one way;
• it was necessary to drive through wet drains if sowing occurred shortly after a pre-irrigation.
The Kooloos’ “V-Bay”
Harry Kooloos, “Amarran” Mayrung, saw Morona’s system and felt he could improve upon it. After some consideration and discussion with his earthmoving contractor, the Kooloos “V-bay” was born. In this system, paddocks that were originally landformed on a single plane (slope 1:2000) were re-graded within each bay to a double slope of 1:1500 which drained to the centre (see Figure 1). A drain, 5 cm deep and one scraper blade in width, is cut down the centre of this V along the middle of each bay and, to further improve drainage, a spinner cut is made down the centre of the centre drain. Paddocks have a side-ditch along both ends of the bays. Channel stops are placed in the head supply/drainage side-ditch and 300 mm pipes in the side-ditch at the opposite end of the bay in order to speed drainage. Bays do not have slope along their long axis and check banks are constructed so that they can be driven over, allowing the paddock to be trafficked with the slope.
The “V-bay” has all the advantages of Morona’s system and overcomes its principal disadvantages:
• the check banks are on the high side of each bay so they don’t need to be as high, making them easier to drive over, less likely to crack through and leak, and amenable to being pulled down/up with non-specialised machinery (see Figure 2);
• trafficability down the paddock is improved by placing drains down the centre of the bay and at some distance from the check banks;
• the double slope in each bay means that only half the volume of water is needed to fill the bay and get complete coverage, resulting in quicker watering and drainage times and reducing the likelihood of water backing up in drains. (This creates the option to increase the bay size and reduce the number of structures).
The “V-bay” system may still have some disadvantages, principally in the additional cost associated with moving larger volumes of earth and potentially if top-soiling is not done and heavy cuts expose unfavourable sub-soils. There may also be a minor problem with trafficking through the centre drain in wet years, but this should be easy to overcome. However, in theory, this system has the potential to markedly improve the
2007 GRAINS RESEARCH UPDATE for irrigation croppers Page No 3
The new “V-Bay” flexible layout Harry Kooloos / Sam North
irrigation efficiency of contour systems, reduce the risk of waterlogging and so improve winter crop yields, and improve machine and operational efficiency. All these aspects will be assessed this coming irrigation season and compared to the performance of conventional contour designs in a project funded by the Murray LWMP’s and conducted by NSW DPI staff at Deniliquin.
Figure 1. Vertical (top) and side-view (bottom) plan representation of Kooloos’ “V-bay” basin system.
Figure 2. The Kooloos “V-bay” drive over bank seen in profile

Monday, 19th July 2010
Shepparton News - Country News
Irrigation pioneer
Flood irrigation innovator John Padman has been nominated for a leadership and innovation award under the Regional Achievement and Community Awards.
Mr Padman heads up Strathmerton irrigation company Padman Stops and is passionate about fast flow irrigation technology to generate improved water savings.
He produced a pump and flow meter that could be used to track the effects of ``fast watering'', conducting trials to monitor their effectiveness.
In nominating him, the Murray Valley Irrigators Support Group described Mr Padman as a driving force in the irrigation community, achieving excellent outcomes.
Finalists in each of the eight categories will attend a presentation dinner in Ballarat on October 16.
For information go to www.awardsaustralia. com

In the face of the Federal Government's Water for the Future program and its $3.1 billion water buyback scheme, as well as the anticipated substantial reduction in irrigation water available for food production to be legislated in the new Murray Darling Basin Plan, RAMROC's water4food campaign is about:
ensuring water justice for our region and its communities
maintaining the viability and sustainability of our rural towns
retaining the region's food producing capacity
contributing to long term global food security
The eight Soroptimist International Clubs in the riverina are supporting the water4food campaign, by way of representations to both federal and state governments, as well as individual Soroptimist club donations.
During June 2010, the Soroptimists will be women walking 4 water4food to publicly show their ongoing support. This will take place in and around our towns, both individually and in groups. Our target is to walk the number of kilometres that join our clubs - from Albury to Cootamundra and all points west.
The Soroptimist president, Will Mead, has pledged to walk the 190km distance from Tocumwal to Griffith. The other 136 members have a target of 470km between them.
So watch our walking tally grow – visit the water4food website www.water4food.com.au during the month of June for a weekly update on progress.
We are also arranging to hold community meetings in 6 centres along the Tocumwal to Griffith route, so that communities can hear at first hand about the water4food campaign, and the implications of the draft Murray Darling Basin Plan which is scheduled for public release in July or early August.
We encourage our communities to support the water4food campaign.
Community Meetings
Monday 5th July 2010
10.00am to 11.00am - Tocumwal Community Centre - located at the hospital
12.00 noon to 1.00pm - Finley Returned Services Club in Tocumwal Street
2.30pm to 3.30pm - Deniliquin Multi Arts Workshop Hall, Cressy Street
Tuesday 6th July 2010
10.00am to 11.00am - Jerilderie Council Building, Ian Gilbert Room
12.30pm to 1.30pm - Coleambally Community Club, Falcon Road
3.00pm to 4.00pm - Burley Griffin Room at Griffith Regional Theatre
To donate to the campaign your options are:
Electronic Transfer
Account name: RAMROC
BSB: 633000
Acc No: 113387955
Bendigo Bank Mathoura Branch

Cheque payable to
RAMROC, PO Box 3572, Albury NSW 2640

For further information, please contact:
Mrs Will Mead, President Riverina Soroptimists International 02 6962 3856 or 0407 262 514
RAMROC chairman Cr Terry Hogan 02 6954 6743 or 0428 546 765
RAMROC executive officer Mr Ray Stubbs 02 6023 8791 or 0408 498 534

PROPOSALS INVITED FOR $300 MILLION ON-FARM IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY PROGRAM

The Rudd Government is calling for proposals for a new $300 million on-farm irrigation efficiency grants program to help deliver a long-term sustainable future for Murray-Darling Basin irrigation communities.

Releasing the program guidelines Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, said the funding would help irrigation communities adjust to a future with less water by supporting farmers investing in water-saving irrigation practices and technology.

“We are investing in irrigation infrastructure to help our farmers and regional communities and protect food security.”

Senator Wong said the On-Farm Irrigation Infrastructure Program was open to irrigators in the Southern Basin and the Lachlan River catchment.

The new program invites competitive bids to deliver cost-effective ‘tranches’ of on-farm investment from partners such as irrigation water providers, peak-industry groups and catchment management authorities.

The program has been modelled on the arrangements trialled through the On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency (Pilot Projects) program. It will invest in more efficient irrigation systems in areas where a long-term economic and environmental benefit can be demonstrated.

The $300 million in funding comes from the $5.8 billion Sustainable Rural Water Use and Infrastructure program, a key plank of the Government’s 10-year, $12.9 billion Water for the Future plan. Funding starts in 2009-10 and continues until 2013.
More information on this program and Water for the Future is available at: www.environment.gov.au.

Global carbon market
The Minister for Climate Change and Water, Senator Penny Wong, announced two new measures that will assist Australian businesses and individuals to participate in the global carbon market.
Individuals and businesses can open accounts in the Australian National Registry of Emissions Units.
“This will allow them to participate in the global carbon market by trading Kyoto units using the Registry.

“The Registry will also be a crucial piece of infrastructure once the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme is introduced.”

The Australian Government also established Australia’s National Authority for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI).

The National Authority approves participation by businesses in CDM and JI projects under the Kyoto Protocol.

Senator Wong said G20 leaders last week committed to stimulate investment in clean energy, renewables, and energy efficiency and provide financial and technical support for such projects in developing countries.

“In the recent G8 declaration, key economies made it clear that they are moving towards emissions trading schemes such as the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme,” Senator Wong said.

“These milestones provide new opportunities for Australian businesses in the emerging global carbon market.

“It helps them access the cost-effective abatement opportunities that exist internationally.

“A robust global carbon market will mean that carbon pollution reductions occur first in the countries and sectors with the lowest-cost abatement opportunities. This reduces the costs – for the world and for Australia – of achieving the emissions reductions that the world needs.”

BACKGROUND

The CDM allows developed countries or authorised private entities to undertake projects that reduce emissions in developing countries.

JI allows developed countries or authorised private entities to implement emissions reduction projects in other developed countries.

The carbon credits generated by CDM and JI projects can be traded on international carbon markets.

From 1 July 2011, liable entities under the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) will be able to use eligible credits generated from CDM and JI projects for compliance purposes. Australia can also use the credits towards meeting its Kyoto target.

To contribute to Australia’s commitment to refrain from using nuclear-based credits for compliance under the Kyoto Protocol, the National Authority will not approve participation in nuclear CDM and JI projects.

As a further measure to meet this commitment, the Government intends to rule out the use of nuclear-based CERs and ERUs for compliance purposes under the CPRS.

For information on how to apply for an account in the National Registry, visit www.climatechange.gov.au/international/anreu

For information on how to receive approval to participate in CDM and JI projects, visit www.climatechange.gov.au/nationalauthority.html

Introduction of the 2009 Chinese Irrigation & Drainage Delegation Members Companies to Australia
1.Introduction of the Irrigation and Drainage Branch, China Association of Water Enterprises
Irrigation and Drainage Branch, China Association of Water Enterprises（hereinafter the Association）is a organization, registered officially in China Ministry of Civil Affairs, which registration NO. is 3188-1. Its administrative authority is China Bureau of Comprehensive Development Ministry of Water Resources.
The Association is a national irrigation & drainage industry organization organized by companies (whose business is irrigation and drainage equipment), relevant colleges and universities, and scientific research & academic institutions.
The Association is dedicated to promoting technological progress of irrigation and drainage equipment industry and scientific research in China and accelerating the reform and development of irrigation and drainage project.

Introduction of Ms. Xu Fuchu, the General Secretary of the Association

Graduated from the Institute of Water Conservancy and Hydropower, Wuhan University, China. She has 8 years work experience in planning and design of cropland water conservancy projects.

She once worked for Water Resources Division of Rural Area, the People's Republic of China Ministry of Water Resources. Since 1997, she has held the position as the General Secretary of Irrigation and Drainage Branch, China Association of Water Enterprises.

During this period, she led Chinese irrigation and drainage enterprises to develop a number of industry self-regulation, technology promotion and market development work, and has led Chinese irrigation and drainage delegations to visit the United States, Europe and other countries and places for international exchange. She is the first Chinese person to introduce Chinese irrigation and drainage equipment industry to the world.
2.
Introduction of Jieyang Da Hua Saving Water Facilities Co., Ltd. Guangdong Province, China
Jieyang Da Hua Saving Water Facilities Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise which makes water-saving irrigation products research, development, production, sales and design and construction of water-saving irrigation project.

Our main products include: Rocker sprinkler, sprinkler series, drip irrigation hose, sprinkler small mobile units, compensated emitter tube, aluminum pipe, PE pipe fittings, PVC pipe fittings, garden sprinklers and so on. We also can do design, production and installation of agricultural, landscape fountains and greenhouses irrigation projects.

Contact info of Jieyang Da Hua Saving Water Facilities Co., Ltd.:
ADD: Meidou Industrial Park, Rongcheng District, Guangdong Province, China
Tel: 0663-8671095
Fax: 0663-8681630
Email: phc@263.net

Representative of Jieyang Da Hua Saving Water Facilities Co., Ltd.
Pan Huai Cong, General Manager, major in Management, undergraduate degree.

Has served as Xinfeng Spring Factory, Jieyang City, Guangdong Province. Has rich experience in business management and marketing.

In 1996, occupied the position as the General Manager in Jieyang Da Hua Saving Water Facilities Co., Ltd.

After twelve years, he led Jieyang Da Hua Saving Water Facilities Co., Ltd. into the ranks of excellent enterprises manufacturers of China water-saving irrigation products, and the selected to be the Vice President of Irrigation and Drainage Branch, China Association of Water Enterprises .

3.Introduction of Beijing Northern Cross Irrigation Technology Co., Ltd.
Beijing Northern Cross Irrigation Technology Co., Ltd.（Northern Cross®）is located in Zhongguancun Science Park, Haidian District, Beijing City, is a professional company engaged in sales of irrigation equipment, irrigation project construction, irrigation system design, irrigation technical training and consultation. Business involves agriculture, park, golf, environmental engineering and other fields. It can provide customers with perfect service of irrigation system from technical advice to engineering design and construction solutions.

The Company has set strong business relationship with many foreign manufacturers. It is authorized dealer of irrigation products in China of the U.S. Toro ®, also of agricultural products of Irritrol ®and Nelson ® as well as domestic agent and of technical support service provider of large-scale irrigation of Lindasy ®, of filter system of Yardney ®, Azude ®.

Contact info of Beijing Northern Cross Irrigation Technology Co., Ltd.:
ADD: 12B07, C Building, Jinyu International, NO.48, Wangjingxilu, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100102
Tel: 010-64787101
Fax: 010-64787102
Website: http://www.northerncross.cn
Email: office@northerncross.cn

Representative of Beijing Northern Cross Irrigation Technology Co., Ltd.
Yue Jinhua, General Manager, graduated from Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering, China Agricultural University, undergraduate education degree.

Has ever worked for the Water Conservancy Bureau of Shunyi District, Beijing and Beijing Representative Office, Rain Bird International Inc. in the United States.

He is one successful irrigation entrepreneur with strong growthiness at young generation of China.

4.Introduction of Jin Tan Wang Da Watering Machine Co., Ltd.
Jin Tan Wang Da Watering Machine Co., Ltd. is a professional manufacturer of agricultural irrigation pumps and irrigation machine.

Leading products: BP, ZB, TC, NS, ZW series self-priming pump, HW, HBC series of mixed-flow pump, CB series centrifugal pump, NB, NBZ sand pump suction line, IS, ISG, ISW series of industrial pump, YW, TP , WQ series sewage pump, SZG1-18 water-ring vacuum pump, AFB-type single-stage single-suction cantilever resistant pump, PX series nozzle, TS series plastic hose, sprinkler irrigation and its supporting units, sets of water pipeline and series of XQB pressure irrigation equipment complete, but also can take all kinds of fountains, spray irrigation, micro-irrigation, landscape irrigation and various types of drainage works: design, installation and maintenance to the urban and rural areas..
Representative of Jin Tan Wang Da Watering Machine Co., Ltd.
Mr. Gao Wangda, Chairman& CEO. Machinery specialty, College Degree. Had worked for Jintan Sprinkler Factory, Jiangsu Province, China. Former Director of Foundry and Metal Working workshops, former Marketing Chief, Deputy Sales President and others. Resigned in 1991 and established Jin Tan Wang Da Watering Machine Co., Ltd. Mr. Gao Wangda has extensive experience in irrigation and drainage machinery.

In 1976, he had participated in national projects sprinkler technologies mechanical work many times as a member of a joint national sprinkler mechanical design team formed by Chinese Ministry of Water Resources, Ministry of Machinery Industry and other ministries.

So far, Jin Tan Wang Da Watering Machine Co., Ltd. which he led comes out top at manufacture, research and development and sales of Chinese irrigation machine and supporting products in China.

Now Mr. Gao Wangda is the Vice President of Irrigation and Drainage Branch, China Association of Water Enterprises.

5.Introduction of Xinjiang Lan Shan Tun He Saving Water Technology Co., Ltd.
Xinjiang Lan Shan Tun He Saving Water Technology Co., Ltd. ( hereinafter: Lan Shan Tun He) is an enterprise mainly operates production and marketing of polyester (PET), PVC profile, PVC pipe, drip irrigation and other water-saving irrigation equipments.

It is also a wholly foreign-owned enterprise supported by Blue Ridge Capital in Changji, Xinjiang, China, engaging in research and development, production and processing of agricultural water-saving irrigation equipment and construction and technical services of water-saving irrigation projects.

Representative of Xinjiang Lan Shan Tun He Saving Water Technology Co., Ltd.
Zhao Xingyi: General Manager of Xinjiang Lan Shan Tun He Saving Water Technology Co., Ltd.

Once held the position of Finance Department of Xinjiang Tunhe Trade and Industry Company, Deputy General Manager of Tunhe Polyester Company and others.

He is the expert in the field of development and construction of enterprise projects and business management.

Wei Tongquan: Undergraduate degree, specialty: Water and Soil Engineering, Institute of Water Conservancy and construction, Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Northwest, China)

Registered Master Builder, Engineer.

Once held the positions as the Technician and Project Leader at National Engineering Research and Technology Center (Xinjiang); Engineer, Project Manager and Director at Xinjiang Tunhe Water-Saving Technology Co., Ltd. and others.

Currently, as the Director of Xinjiang Lan Shan Tun He Water-saving Technology Project Center.

6.Introduction of Dan Dong Bo Hai Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.
Dan Dong Bo Hai Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd. is an integrated enterprise which sets irrigation product development, production, marketing and irrigation design, construction as one. It is one influential water-saving irrigation products manufacturer in northeastern region of China.

Our main products are: large circular sprinkler units, deep distance and flexible shaft pump by independent researched and developed (national patent product), mobile, semi-mobile, fixed-spray and drip irrigation units, PVC pipe with complete specifications, pipe fitting, PE pipe, pipe fittings, aluminum alloy tubes, soft plastic strips, a variety of centrifugal, gravel and net filter, kinds of agricultural pumps and so on.

Representative of Dan Dong Bo Hai Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.
Gao Weihua, General Manager, Undergraduate degree. Specialty: Business Management.

Had served as the President at Aluminum Plant of Baishan City Jilin Province, China, and the Director of Baishan Metallurgical Bureau.

Has rich experience on business management.

In 1997, he resigned his official post and founded Dan Dong Bo Hai Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.

Since establishment, he has been active in advocating and implementing the cooperation mode between factory and research institutes and junior colleges and universities.

He successively led and organized the research & development production of agricultural irrigation with PVC and PE pipe formula, and successfully developed a series of DBP sprinkler units and other water-saving irrigation products. Enterprise capital rose rapidly from RMB 500,000 at early start to RMB 10 million in the short term, while realized steady growing of enterprise output value, sales and profits.

7. Introduction of Hu Nan Bonanza Valve Co., Ltd.
Hu Nan Bonanza Valve Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise with professional manufacturing of various valves, gates, sewage field bars and other hydraulic and mechanical product.

Main products: energy-saving side direction automatic non-return device (referred to as BLS energy-saving non-return device).

Contact info of Hu Nan Bonanza Valve Co., Ltd.:
ADD( Office)：NO.479, Furonzhonglu, Changsha City, Hunan Province
ADD (Factory): Economic Development Zone, Ningxiang, Changsha City, Hunan Province
Tel: 0731-2567798
Fax: 0731-2567628
Post Code: 410005
Website: www.hnbls.com www.bonanza.net.cn

Representative of Hu Nan Bonanza Valve Co., Ltd.
Ye Feng, Chairman of the board, Undergraduate degree. Specialty: Machinery. Specializes in product research & development and business management.

Ye Peng, Director, undergraduate degree. Specialty: Machinery.
Specializes in product research and development.

8.Introduction of Zhong Shui Xin Hua Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.
Zhong Shui Xin Hua Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd. is a professional company which engages in whole research and development, production, sales and engineering design of agricultural water-saving irrigation and safe drinking water facilities in rural areas. The company has general contracting aptitude of water industry design and water conservancy and hydropower construction. It can provide full range of services for domestic irrigation and drainage, water supply projects with planning, consultation, design, construction, equipment sets and technical training etc.

Main business: commitment to the subject and projects of water-saving technologies research and development; take water-saving irrigation, safe drinking water projects planning, design and construction; develop, produce and sell water-saving irrigation products and water treatment equipment; undertake water treatment projects and environmental management projects.

Main products: inside drip irrigation emitter, compensated tube, micro-sprinklers, filtration fertilizer equipment, plastic pipe and fittings, chlorine dioxide disinfection equipment, iron removal and manganese removal water purification equipment, fluorine removal and arsenic removal water purification equipment and so on.
Representative of Zhong Shui Xin Hua Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.

Representative of Zhong Shui Xin Hua Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.
Chen Yangyang: Assistant to the General Manager, Zhong Shui Xin Hua Irrigation and Technology Co., Ltd.

College degree.

Specializes in market development and business management.

9.Introduction of Jian De Agricultural Science Development and Service Co., Ltd.
Jian De Agricultural Science Development and Service Co., Ltd. is a modern agricultural enterprise which set domestic agriculture, industry, technology and trade in one.

Our main products are: drip irrigation belt, micro-sprinkle belt and filter. All products have had a wide range of applications in watermelon, strawberry, grape and other fruit growing, the planting of tomato, pepper, black fungus, mushroom and other vegetables, as well as all kinds of industrial crops planting, such as tobacco, tea, flower etc.

Until now, regarding the area of drip irrigation products, the company has reached 15,000,000 Mu in various parts of China with, one million farmers had been benefited.

Representative of Jian De Agricultural Science Development and Service Co., Ltd.
Chen Xinmin, Deputy General Manager.

College degree.

Specializes in marketing and business management.

10.Introduction of Fujian Aton Advanced Materials Technology Co., Ltd.
Fujian Aton Advanced Materials Technology Co., Ltd., it is a state-level key high-tech enterprise in China that focuses on pipeline industry; a company that has 9 subsidiaries; a plastic large enterprise group that has total assets of more than 0.5 billion; and a company that hold the position as the Vice President at Irrigation and Drainage Branch, China Association of Water Enterprises.

Water-saving irrigation system products independently developed by the company:
Filter, UPVC sprinkler pipe, LDPE pipe sprinkler, drip irrigation belt drip irrigation pipe, filtration irrigation pipe, rocker sprinkler, ground sprinkler, micro-sprinkler, emitter and other accessories.

Representative of Fujian Aton Advanced Materials Technology Co., Ltd.
Chen Liyang, Deputy General Manager.
Dr. of Economics, University of Kyoto, Japan.

Served as the Manager of Investment Department.

Now, holds the position as the Deputy General Manager in charge of export and foreign investment.

Specializes in market research, feasibility analysis.

Murray Irrigators Support Group has been asked to attend the Government Inquiry into Adapting Farming practices in Climate Change, held in Melbourne on Sept 3rd 2009.
As the facilitator of the Murray Irrigators Support Group I am pleased to being given the opportunity to represent our farmers at the Government Inquiry.
The Murray Irrigators Support Group (MISG)responded to a Government inquiry from the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Primary Industry and Resources in March 09 at the Strathmerton Bowls Club, farmers were invited to have an input into this government submission, Wendy Buck Facilitator, of the Murray Irrigators Support Group, Dudley Bryant/farmer and Chairman Murray Valley Modernisation Committee, John Padman/ Padman Stops and Bill Williamson/CRC Irrigation Futures, will go to Melbourne to speak to the Government Inquiry into adapting farming practices in climate change, for further information on the submission follow the Government submission link on about MISG or email info@misg.com.au, Wendy Buck Facilitator MISG
Northern Victorian Irrigators is sponsoring the trip to Melbourne for the team. Thank you NVI.

Achievers named
Photo: Wendy Buck and John Padman
The Cobram Courier July 29,2009
Two individuals and a business have been nominated for Regional Achievement and Community Awards.
John Padman and Wendy Buck, both from Strathmerton and padman Stops in Strathmerton, have been recognised for their hard work in the community and have been nominated for various awards.
The Regional Achievement and Community Awards aim to encourage, acknowledge and reward the valuable contributions of businesses, towns, enviroment and sustainability initiatives, individuals and communities are making throughout regional and rural Victoria.
Under these awards there are eight different sections focusing on different areas of the community.
John Padman has been nominated for the Parks Victoria Enviroment and Sustainability Award.
His business, Padman Stops has also been nominated for the Regional Development Victoria Business Achievement Award.
mr padman is the manager of automatic irrigation control manufacturer Padman Stops and is changing the way business is done.
The business is pioneering environmentally sustainable flood irrigation techniques through its "Fast Watering" project. Mr Padman has assisted irrigators to achieve 80 per cent water efficiency, save precious water, increase crop productivity and reduce soil degredation while reducing carbon emissions generated in the irrigation progress process through his innovative technologies.
Mr Padman has already earned his fair share of recognition for his business' hard work.
He has been awarded at the 2008 Savewater! Awards and has also been recognised by the Victorian Premier John Brumby.
Ms Wendy Buck has also been nominated for the bartercard Local Hero Award and the Parks Victoria Regional Achiever Award, as part of the Regional Achievement and Community Awards.
Ms Buck is currently pursuing three projects in the local community.
She is the Editor and photographer of the Strathmerton Standard, which ensures the rural community is in touch with whats happening.
She has also developed and marketed th Small Communities Great Treasures tourism brochure, which has encouraged tourism and ecanomic growth in our drought enravaged community.
Ms Buck has also facilitated the Murray irrigators Support Group/myfarm website.
This site encourages water savings, productivity and sustainabilityfor farmers in these difficult climatic times.
The best of luck is wished for these locals who have been recognised for their outstanding achievement in the community.
Great prizes includeing exposure on Prime Television or a share in $12,000 in Award Saver Accounts from the Commonwealth bank are included as part of the awards.
A gala awards dinner and presentation evening will be held in ballarat on Saturday, october 10 to honour each state's outstanding rural and regional achievers.
Three finalists in each category will attend the prestigious event, alongside 400 other guests.
Nominations for the Regional Achievement and Community Awards closed on July 17.

Modern techniques are the future of ag.
Southern Riverina News June 17, 2009
Photo: Farm talk.. Murray Valley Modernisation Co-ordinator Colin James addresses farmers at the field day.
Victorian premier John Brumby reaffirmed his strong support for irrigation modernisation in Victoria's north, at a field day in katunga recently.
Mr brumby surprised the participants at The Future of Irrigation Field Day held at Bill Greads' dairy farm at the end of May.
Premier John Brumby said he came to see John Padman's technology, and to talk to some of the farmers about the future of modernised irrigation in Victoria's north.
The Premier spoke about Victoria's discussions with the Commonwealth, including the need to ensure that Victoria's massive irrigation upgrade is properly balanced with future Commonwealth water purchases.
He also outlined the importance of the $300 million provided for in the federal Budget for on farm upgrades and how these on farm upgrades would complement the $2 billion Foodbowl modernisation project.
Farmers went to the field day witness outstanding results from delivery to grass roots.
More than 200 farmers turned out for the day and many comments on how much they enjoyed the field day. They also relished the opportunity to inspect Bill Gread's ambitious farm upgrade - with white rock channels, 10ft padman Stops and the latest in automated metres is the Rolls Royce of farm upgrades.
Providing helpfull information on the day was a range of great speakers including Senior Modernisation Coordinator and John Edwards consultant Goulburn Valley Irrigation Services Colin James, Dudley Bryant from Northern Victorian Irrigators, John Padman of Padman Stops and Peter Hendy of peter Hendy laser land Forming.
Laurel Boaz, who leases Mr Greads' property, said she chose to settle in the region because of the 100 per cent water allocation.
She commented on how now, with reduced water allocation, they have to change their farming practices to achieve the amazing results they are having with Lucerne.
Mr Padman said the field day was also a great opportunity to look positively to the future.
"If we achieved nothing else we were able to motivate a large group of farmers to give them hope for the future in these challenging times," he said.
Mr Padman hosted the day, along with facilitator Wendy Buck from Murray Irrigators Support Group and NVIRP.

Field day surprise.

June 3, 2009 - Numurkah Leader
Photo: John Padman, Dudley Bryant, Premier John Brumby, Bill Gread and lauren Boaz.
AMIDST the overall and workboot-clad farmers walking the irrigation channels of Bill Gread’s Katunga farm last Wednesday was a flurry of men in black suits and slick sunglasses, accompanying Victorian Premier John Brumby on his surprise visit to the area.

Premier Brumby joined 150 farmers from across the region to pick his way along Mr Gread’s white rock lined channels and watch “fast watering” - a concept invented by Strathmerton Padman Stops manufacturer John Padman - at work.

Organised by the Murray Irrigators Support Group, Northern Victoria Irrigators Renewal Project (NVIRP) and Padman Stops, the field day was aimed at giving local farmers the opportunity to learn more about the importance of on-farm upgrades, and the new technology which Mr Gread has embraced, to outstanding effect, over the past few years.

It also, however, provided Premier Brumby with a peek into the importance of on-farm investment.

Mr Gread’s investments include the installation of new automated meters, pipes and channels, laser grading of his property, the lining of channels with white rock to prevent seepage and reduce weed growth, and the installation of wide bay outlets and new fencing - all techniques which have allowed the Katunga farmer to establish a hardy crop of lucerne whilst achieving 50% water savings.

Over lunch, Premier Brumby mingled with farmers, talking about the issues they confronted in the face of drought, before he addressed the gathering, sparking speculation that an announcement about funding for irrigation infrastructure rationalisation could be on the cards.

“I’m a big believer in farmers who want to stay in the game and be the best at what they do,” Premier Brumby said.

“What we’ve tried to do is put in place the right measures to support these farmers - that’s what the $1 billion Foodbowl (Modernisation Project) investment is all about. We want to bring irrigation infrastructure up to genuine 21st century standards. Nowhere in Australia, or the world, will you see this quantity of money spent on irrigation infrastructure.”

Premier Brumby said the State Government was now turning its attention to on-farm efficiency works, with recent discussions on the subject with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd resulting in on-farm upgrade funding being included in the federal budget.

“The bulk of the $300 million included in the budget for on-farm efficiency upgrades will end up in the NVIRP region,” he said.

Premier Brumby said his visit to the Katunga field day had confirmed as correct his belief in the Foodbowl Modernisation Project and on-farm upgrade funding.

“I think what I’ve seen today confirms the correctness of the approach we’ve taken,” he said.

“We’ve got to build up the farm system to give farmers the very best opportunity to compete. I’m a great believer in the future of the irrigation industry and this region.”

Irrigation in the spotlight
The Cobram Courier
June 3, 2009
Photo: Discussions: Wendy Buck John Padman and premier John Brumby take a stroll through the farm.
Premier John Brumby was amongst the visitors at a fiture of irrigation field day in Katunga on Friday.
The field day wad held at Bill Greads dairy farm which is leased by Laurel Boaz.
Hosts of the day were Wendy Buck from Murray Irrigators Support Group, John Padman from padman Stops and the Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project.
Many farmers came along to see Mr Gread and his ambitious farm upgrades, including white rock channels 10ft Padman Stops and the latest automated metres, notably the Rolls Royce of farm upgrades.
John Edwards from Goulburn Valley Irrigation Services (ISDG) praised this technology and its water efficiency.
"The white rock lining of the 20 ML/day channel now supplying the Heslop/Slikas farm is a good innovation in virtually eliminating leakage and seepage from open channels," Mr Edwards said. "The Fast Flow Irrigation techniques developed on the Gread farm illistrates the success of improved irrigation technology."
Adding to the festivities was a surprise visit from premier John Brumby who came to see Mr Padmans revolutionary technology and to talk to some of the farmers about the future of modernised irrigation in northern Victoria.
He outlined the importance of the $300 million provided for farm upgrades in the Federal Budget and how these would complement the $2 billion Foodbowl Modernisation Project.
Mr Brumby also spoke about Victoria's discussions with the Commonwealth, including the need to insure that Victoria's massive irrigation upgrade is properly balanced with future Commonwealth purchases, and reaffirmed his strong support for irrigation modernisation in the region.
NVIRP CEO Murray Smith was very pleased with the response generated from the field day.
"It was great day, where farmers were also able to talk to others about what irrigation delivery options they were planning on their farms." Mr Smith said.
"Farmers were keen to look at and discuss options that they could integrate on their farm to achieve water efficiencies with the modern irrigation system."
The future is looking bright, Mr Smith assures, for irrigators in the area.
C0-hosts Mr Padman and Ms Buck were equallly ecstatic with the results from the events.
"Its bloody magnificent," Mr Padman said.
"If we achieved nothing else we were able to motivate a large group of farmers to give them hope for the future in these challenging times."

Fast Flow on Show
Sponsors of the field day were MISG, Padman Stops and NVIRP.
Country News June 1 2009
Photo: John Padman explains the "Fast Watering" technique to farmers and the Premier John Brumby
By Geoff Adams
Was it the fast-flowing stream or just seeing that much water in a drought that kept more than 100 farmers transfixed at the field day demonstration?
They watched while irrigation equiptment manufacturer John Padman and farmer Laurel Boaz turned on the stream through a 45cm pipe in a big 2.8ha bay on the katunga dairy farm.
After about 10 minutes the crowd dispursed and returned to the house yard for lunch. By the time they had finished the sausages and hamburges, the bay was finished.
it was a practical demonstration of what can be done with fast-flow irrigation.
farm owner Bill Gread has built almost a kilometre of new cannels on the 160ha farm in Spences Rd, with about 300m lined with white rock to reduce seepage and weed growth.
Mr Gread has ploughed hundreds of thousands of dollars into the formerly neglected property during the past two years,intending to see how well the fast-flow principals worked.
Northern Victoria Irrigation Renewal Project, which jointly sponsored the day, has commissioned a study into the performance of the novel channel lining, developed by district farmers and installed by contractor Peter Hendy.
Murray Valley modernisation co-ordinator Colin James told the group about 25per cent of the areas channels and regulators could be retired, saving millions of dollars while improving services to irrigators.
He said projects so far had saved about 3.2GL of water, with 34km of channels rationalised.
Northern Victorian Irrigators chairman Dudley Bryant encouraged farmers to look at modernisation as part of a big picture, upgrading the channel systems as well as opportunities for onfarm development, leading to a more sustainable irrigation industry.
New lessees of the farm, Laurel Boaz and Rod Thomson, have moved to Victoria from Gatton in Queensland to take over the farm.
They expect to have the dairy ready to go this week, and intend to milk about 400 cows on the property using maize and lucerne silage and grazing on ryegrass and clover.
Premier John Brumby made a surprise visit to the field day.
He arrived without the usual media pack, and disappeared among the farmers.
He told farmers in a short address he'd been in talks with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd over how to find more on-farm efficiency works that eventually made it into the federal budget.
He said the $300 million was released for on-farm upgrades, and the bulk of that would come to this area and be linked with modernisation.
Asked why he came to Katunga, Mr Brumby said he'd been keen to see Mr Padman's technology and to talk to some of the farmers about the issues he had been discussing with the prime minister.

Farm walk shows great water saving results

Red Gum Courier Nathalia and District 24th April 2009

The Murray Irrigators Support Group held a farm walk on Wednesday 8th April
Photo: Mark and Moniques Bryant.
Mark and Monique Bryant are to be congratulated on the amazing results they have achieved on their Kaarimba property.
30 farmers from around the region took the 1 hour farm walk of the shaftal and rye paddocks where an innovative watering regime proves you can save water and increase feed produced.
Mark explained how he used the fast watering technique and the advice from his agronomist, to always do a second watering four days after the first watering, no matter what! "I can't emphasise how important that piece of advice was to our result. After sowing the rye and shaftal on the 2nd of march, then grazing it on the 23rd and again on the 5th of April the rye being approx 22cm an excellent result, the keys to success being the second watering four days after the first and the Padman Stops. From last year's results Mark has cut his watering time in half from 24 hours to 12 hours per 8 hectares, and he was so happy with the results he stopped measuring at 12 tonns of feed per hectare using 4.2 megs of water.
John Padman, Padman Stops explained how the Padman Stop and the fast watering technique are tools for the farmers to use to improve productivity and congratulated Mark and monique on their results, he also added it was great to see so many young farmers attend the farm walk.
John said "this was the perfect example of what fast watering is all about getting far better results doing two to three fast waterings with the same amount of water as one slow watering. The MISG will be looking at doing further farm walks every 4-6 weeks, for further information or to be added to the mailing list contact Wendy Buck at info@misg.com.au or 03 5874 5282.

Farm walk shows remarkable results

Photo: Local farmers & Mark and Monique Bryant in the shaftal and rye farm walk.
April 15, 2009 - Numurkah Leader

THE Murray Irrigators Support Group (MISG) held the first in a series of farm walks last Wednesday, visiting a Kaarimba farm where detailed planning and new technology have achieved incredible results.

Farmers Mark and Monique Bryant opened their farm gate to 30 participants from around the region, and took them on a tour of their shaftal and rye paddocks, where an innovative watering regime has allowed them to not only save water, but also to increase the amount of feed they are able to produce.

"I used a fast watering technique and followed advice from my agronomist to do a second watering four days after the first, no matter what," Mark explained.

"I can't emphasise how important that piece of advice was to our result. After sowing the paddock on March 2, and doing a total of four waterings, we had 230 cows in here grazing on March 23 and the rye today is about nine inches high."

By "fast watering" using Padman Stops, Mark said he had cut his watering time in half - down from 24 hours for eight hectares, to 12 hours.

"I've halved my water consumption, and last year still managed to produce more than 12 tonnes of feed to one hectare of land and 4.2 megalitres of water," he explained.

Managing Director of Padman Stops, John Padman, who was on site to explain how the technology worked, said he was astounded by the amount of feed Mark and Monique had managed to produce.

"This is a perfect example of what fast watering is all about. You'll get far better results doing two or three fast waterings than you would with one slow watering with the same amount of water," he said.

"Mark and Monique are two young farmers who are looking at improving their output by taking up new technologies, and that's something we've all got to look at if we're to survive these hard times."

"We can't do the same thing we did five or 10 years ago - we have to work to get these sort of exceptional results if we're to survive into the future."

The MISG will hold a farm walk in the local region every month. For further information on these walks, or to add your name to their mailing list phone Wendy Buck on 5874 5282.

High yields achieved
Whats New on the Farm
Cobram Courier April 15, 2009
Photo A great yield: Tatura DPI senior irrigation officer Chelsea Nicholson measures the shaftal and rye with John Padman.
The Murray Irrigators Support Group held a farm walk on Wednesday 8th April at Mark and Moniques Bryant's.
Mark and Monique Bryant are to be congratulated on the amazing results they have achieved on their Kaarimba property.
About 30 farmers from around the region took the 1 hour farm walk of the shaftal and rye paddocks where an innovative watering regime proves you can save water and increase feed produced.
Mark explained how he used the fast watering technique and the advice from his agronomist, to always do a second watering four days after the first watering, no matter what!
"I can't emphasise how important that piece of advice was to our result,"
"After sowing the rye and shaftal on the 2nd of march, then grazing it on the 23rd and again on the 5th of April the rye being approx 22cm an excellent result.
The key is the second watering four days after the first and the Padman Stops."
Mark has cut his watering time in half from 24 hours to 12 hours per 8 hectares, and he was so happy with the results he stopped measuring at 12 tonns of feed per hectare using 4.2 megs of water.
John Padman, from Padman Stops explained how the Padman Stop and the fast watering technique are tools for the farmers to use to improve productivity and congratulated Mark and monique on their results, he also added it was encouraging to see young farming families achieving such positive results.
"This was the perfect example of what fast watering is all about getting far better results doing two to three fast waterings with the same amount of water as one slow watering," Mr Padman said. The MISG will be looking at doing further farm walks every 4-6 weeks.
For further information or to be added to the mailing list phone Wendy Buck on 5874 5282 or email at info@misg.com.au

Farmers changing with climate

farmers Changing with climate
April 1, 2009 - MIL
Photo: Farmers look on at the Padman Stops Field Day.
District farmers had the chance to tell the government what innovative approaches and techniques they have implemented or believe should be implemented to improve productivity at a forum and field day at Strathmerton in March.

The public forum at the Strathmerton Bowling Club and later the trial site at Padman Stops, was in response to a new inquiry by the House of Representatives standing committee on primary industry and resources into adapting farming practices in a new climate.

Farmers are concerned about the future of their industry and are seeing dramatic changes in the climate.

This was the farmers' chance to tell the government what innovative approaches and techniques they have implemented or believe should be implemented to improve productivity.

About 45 people attended the day, which was organised by the Murray Irrigators Support Group and Padman Stops.

The Murray Irrigators Support Group was formed in response to grant opportunities, where farmers can come together to take advantage of collectively pooling recourses with government bodies, council and expert grant writers.

The group is a network where farmers can trial innovative approaches to farming and gain support from each other and other organisations.

At the forum and field day, the first speaker was Water Technology Cluster manager Bruce Cumming.

Green Grant called for.
Farming Extra April 2009.
Photo: Wendy Buck and Darryl Lukie.
An information and field day held in Strathmerton last week has led to a submission being put to the Victorian Government for a "green" grant.
Murray Irrigators and Padman Stops hosted the information day at the Strathmerton Bowls Club last month followed by a field day at Padman Stops' trial site that afternoon.
Co-ordinator Wendy Buck said the result of this was a submission to the Government for a grant, so farmers could trial a more efficient watering system.
"We are putting a submission to the government on behalf of the farmers, so we can propose a $10,000.00 grant for each farmer to trial the low energy green irrigation," Ms Buck said.
"By using the Padman Stops, it's faster, low energy watering, it's carbon plus so its better for the enviroment.
"We are proposing this grant so farmers can afford to trial the system on their farms."
The submission was put to the government recently.
Also included in the submission would be the opportunity for farmers to be included in soil moisture monitoring program, currently being undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries.
The day was attended by about 30 farmers and included a series of guest speakers.

Forum yields innovative results
Numurkah Leader March 11 2009
Photo: Wendy Buck and Garry Flannigan.
A local forum and field day delving into techniques to help farmers adapt to climate change has driven the forum organisers to prepare a submission to a Federal Government inquiry on the subject.
About 30 farmers from around the region attended the Adapting Farming Practices in a Changing Climate forum and field day in Strathmerton last wednesday, which was organised by the Strathmerton-based Murray Irrigators Support Group (MISG).
MISG member and managing director of Padman Stops, John Padman said he was pleased to see local farmers take the opportunity to contribute to the forum.
"It was a worthwhile day, with a diverse bunch of people bringing with them stories and ideas about what techniques they have implemented, and would like to implement to cope with the changing climate," he said.
"The MISG will now take these ideas and comments to government, and will prepare a submission proposing that the government make available to farmers a $10,000.00 grant, which will assist them with the implementation of innovative techniquesto help them increase their productivity in a hotter, drier climate."
The forum was also addressed by several guest speakers including manager of the state government-supported Water Cluster Committee, Bruce Cumming; Echuca based Department of Primary Industries representative Brian Holmes, and Federal Member for Murray Dr Sharman Stone.
The group of forum participants spent the afternoon touring an irrigation site at Padman Stops where John has been performing trials in "Fast Watering", a project which last year won him the national Savewater! award in the regional/rural category.

Irrigators seek green grant

Demonstration: Farmers attend the Padman Stops trial site.
March 11, 2009 - Cobram Courier
Photo: Farmers at the Padman Stops field day test stop.
An information and field day held in Strathmerton last week has led to a submission being put to the State Government for a `green' grant.
Murray Irrigators and Padman Stops hosted the information day at the Strathmerton Bowls Club on Wednesday, followed by a field day at Padman Stops' trial site that afternoon.

Co-ordinator Wendy Buck said the result of this was a submission to the government for a grant so farmers could trial a more efficient watering system.

"We are putting a submission to the government on behalf of farmers, so we can propose a $10 000 grant for each farmer to trial the low energy green irrigation," Ms Buck said.

"By using the Padman Stops, it's faster, low energy watering, it's carbon plus so it's better for the environment.

"We are proposing this grant so farmers can afford to trial the system on their farms," Ms Buck said.

She said the submission would be put to government by March 20.

Also included in the submission would be the opportunity for farmers to be included in a soil moisture monitoring program, currently being undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries.

The day was attended by around 30 farmers and included a series of guest speakers.

At the Padman Stops Trial Site at Strathmerton.

Padman Stops' John Padman spoke about how his trials have shown the faster the water is applied to a bay, the less water is used, with better control of application on all bays. The best way to achieve the perfect irrigation is to set up the Fast Watering Technique to achieve a 40 to 50mm application under any soil condition and then slow the watering down as required, depending on soil condition and crop's grown.

Water project group formed
New logo for MISG
November 5, 2008 - Numurkah Leader

FARMERS from around Moira Shire have been working in conjunction with council and John Padman of Padman Stops to form a support group for local innovative water projects.

Strathmerton woman Wendy Buck, facilitator of the new Murray Valley Fast Watering System Support Group, said the group was established as a means of encouraging local farmers to undertake new water saving projects, and attracting funds to support these projects.

“John Padman and his business Padman Stops has been undertaking a Fast Watering Project, which is quite revolutionary for local farmers, so we’ve formed this group based on his project,” Wendy said.

“The group aims to produce feed with less water, and understand the impact of on-farm physical factors and on-farm management factors on the effective use of fast irrigation applications.”

Wendy said the group would also work towards submitting grant applications for funds to help it pursue water saving projects.

“Landcare and Woolworths make grants of $5500 available for innovative water saving project, and have invited farmers to submit grant applications, so we decided the group would also use the expertise of the council business development and community development teams to work on our applications.”

Field day 3. The future of Irrigation field day, by far the biggest the Murray Irrigators Support Group partnered with Padman Stops and NVIRP with six guest speakers from a whole farm plan perspective, to showcase a Royals Royce farm upgrade in Katunga where even the Premier John Brumby attended.
Farmers came to see the outstanding results from the delivery chanell to grass roots.The new techniques for the establishment of lucerne with 50% water savings.White rock channels, reconfigured supply channels, and automated meters.

GROW MORE WITH LESS SUB -SURFACE DRIP
IRRIGATION FIELD DAY
Netafim, together with NVIRP, held the "grow more with less" Field Day at the Dixon farm Cnr of Davies and McKenzie Road, Merrigum.
The Dixon’s successfully established a 60 acre SDI block for lucerne in 2007 to supply additional feed for their dairy herd.
The day featured farm walks covering all aspects of SDI and formal presentations from leading
personnel in the fields of:
• Sub-Surface Drip Irrigation
• Lucerne Agronomy
• Farm Modernisation
• Whole Farm Plans
• Rural Finance
NVIRP Modernisation Coordinators and Irrigation Farm Designers were available to discuss farm plans.
Farmers were given the opportunity to discuss their future farm requirements.
A bbq lunch and refreshments was enjoyed by approx 100 people.
For more details please contact Darren Kell on 0419 362 845 or email dkell@netafim.com.au
[image|55]

Field day 2.
At Mark and Monique Bryant's.
By “fast watering” and using Padman Stops, Mark said he had cut his watering time in half - down from 24 hours for eight hectares, to 12 hours. On the advice from my agronomist to do a second watering four days after the first, no matter what,” Mark explained. “I’ve halved my water consumption, and last year still managed to produce more than 12 tonnes of feed to one hectare of land and 4.2 megalitres of water,” he explained.

Field day 1. At the Padman Stops Trial Site at Strathmerton.

Padman Stops' John Padman spoke about how his trials have shown the faster the water is applied to a bay, the less water is used, with better control of application on all bays. The best way to achieve the perfect irrigation is to set up the Fast Watering Technique to achieve a 40 to 50mm application under any soil condition and then slow the watering down as required, depending on soil condition and crop's grown.

Bennett Clayton Engine Technology
Bennett Clayton Pty. Ltd.
Is an engine development company specialising in the development and implementation of alternative fuel conversions for existing diesel engines.

The Bennett Clayton technology, invented and patented by John Bennett in the 1990’s, enables the conversion of diesel engines to a range of alternative and/or renewable fuels including LPG, LNG and bio-alcohols (including methanol and ethanol). These engines are designed to operate in traditional heavy-duty applications delivering significant improvements in fuel efficiency, power and reduced emissions.
Bennett Clayton’s current development focus is principally the conversion of stationary diesel engines to LPG, as this fuel is locally produced; widely available and supported by a well established and extensively distribution infrastructure.
Diesel to LPG conversions have been implemented in a range of stationary and mobile diesel engines including MAN metropolitan transport buses; Mercedes Benz trucks; London taxis; Nissan utility truck; Toyota Landcruiser truck and on stationary engines used for deep bore water pumping and electricity generation.
In every case, the converted engines have delivered significant benefits in terms of emissions, running costs and operational improvement
A John Deere 6068 diesel engine was remanufactured incorporating a Bennett Clayton LPG conversion.
The engine has been developed on order for an agricultural application powering a deep bore water pump.
Engine No.1 of the type was developed as a proof-of-concept and development bed. It has been in field operation since April 2009 delivering the following performance benchmarks:


•Pumping costs reduced from AU$51/Ml to AU$38/Ml

•Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) reduction of 11%

•Regulated emissions reduced by up to 92%Particulates reduced by 99.9%

Sophisticated combustion design, and thoughtful engineering are required to produce a motor that is simple and maintenance friendly, yet super clean and efficient.

This engine will provide years of service, using LPG, and is ready for future alcohol fuels.

Bennett Clayton engines are essentially multi-fuel ready and can be optimised to other fuels, such as bio-alcohols, with little adjustment and modification.

Bennett Clayton delivers customer product requirements right first time by implementing a rigorous and comprehensive product quality assurance; reliance on high integrity materials; meticulous process control; and by embedding quality engineering in processes, procedures and team ethic.

Farm Fuel Rebates

Farmers enjoy a Commonwealth Government rebate of about 38c per litre for diesel fuel used on the farm.

A major on-farm diesel fuel use is driving irrigation pumps. ABARE reports an estimated 142,000 licensed bores in Australia. In addition, there are at least that many surface pumps.

The vast majority of these pumps are diesel-powered as electricity is only viable if the pump is near power infrastructure, and wind is mostly suitable for low-flow applications.

Multi fuel engines, powered by LPG and bio-alcohols (methanol and ethanol) are available now to replace the current diesel engines.

These alternative fuel engines have demonstrated reliability, having operated in the field for thousands of hours. They exhibit extremely low emissions, and reduced CO2 production. They are more economical than diesels, both in fuel cost, and in maintenance. They are built in Australia.

However, their take up in the market is hampered by the distortion created by the diesel fuel rebate. On an even playing field, alternative fuel engines are very competitive and would be taken up more rapidly.

We are asking that the diesel fuel rebate scheme be changed to a fuel rebate scheme, with the rebate applied to a fuel in proportion to its energy content.

This would mean that diesel would attract a rebate of in round figures 38cents,
LPG 24 cents, Methanol 18 cents and Ethanol 23 cents.

These rebates would provide parity to diesel, and remove a major objection and barrier to the adoption of cleaner, friendlier and ultimately carbon negative fuels.

This small change will have a significant impact on emissions, and CO2 production as well as providing industry development and employment in regional areas.


Marcus Clayton
0429352570

148 The Boulevard
Ivanhoe East Vic 3079
0429352570
info@bennettclayton.com.au
www.bennettclayton.com.au

Fast Watering by John Padman

Definition of fast watering: Surface Irrigation applied faster than 10 ML per day

In 2006, Padman Stops began their “Fast Watering” project, with the aim of creating a high efficiency irrigation system.

The theory behind the system was that irrigating faster than the water can soak below the root zone would result in higher efficiency.

John Padman, with this in mind, built a pump with a flow meter that could be used in a trial to measure the effect of “Fast Watering”.

Trials conducted have found that the faster the water, the less water is used.

In one trial the application rate of the pump was found to be down to 0.3 mega-litres (30mm application) of water per hectare compared to 0.77 mega-litres (77mm application) per hectare for conventional irrigation.

Water Saving Advantages:
Additional water can be used to grow more feed.
Reduced water logging, and soil degradation.
Increased plant growth, and reduce weed growth.
Minimize leaching of nutrients.
Low energy, green irrigation is more carbon efficient.

Keys that control infiltration rate.
Watering speed---Soil Condition--- Plant Density Soil Type---Length of Bay--Slope of Bay.

What is the best application rate?
Suggested application rates vary from 30mm to 75mm. (0.3-0.75MLperHA.) In most cases 40mm to 50mm is sufficient.
Smaller applications are suggested for watering up of seed such as Lucerne or cereals.
Heavier applications are needed for deep rooted plants such as Lucerne.

The Key to high efficiency irrigation is to apply the correct application for each situation.

Infiltration rates will change with cultivation and crop density through the life of the layout
Installing larger stops today could cost as little as $40 extra
To upgrade later could cost you in excess of $500

Demonstration of Surface Irrigation Evaluation Technology in the
Goulburn Murray Irrigation District
Report 1: Evaluating the Performance of Bay Irrigation in the GMID
R.J. Smith1, M.H. Gillies1, M. Shanahan2, B. Campbell3 and B. Williamson4
1 National Centre for Engineering in Agriculture and CRC for Irrigation Futures, University of
Southern Queensland
2 RM Consulting Group, Bendigo
3 Price Merrett Consulting, Kerang
4 CRC for Irrigation Futures, Dubbo
Corresponding Author: smithrod@usq.edu.au
Note this report is currently pre-press and final draft.
ABSTRACT
The CRC for Irrigation Futures recently undertook a project piloting use of the IrriMATETM
performance evaluation process in bay irrigation at a number of sites across the GMID. This
evaluation technique, which was developed originally for furrow irrigation, is now well accepted
in the cotton industry.
The project successfully demonstrated that evaluation of performance can lead to substantial
realisable gains in efficiency for bay irrigation, including the ‘good’ irrigators. For the irrigations
evaluated, application efficiencies averaged 72% and realisable gains in efficiency of 19% are
possible with changed management. For most farmers this will mean application of higher flow
rates and shorter irrigation times. Practically this means on-farm automation.
The evaluation process provides the means to determine the preferred flow rate and irrigation
time for automated systems and also the means for identifying optimum capacities for farm
outlets. This latter data is of interest to scheme modernisation design, because flow rates
available to irrigators through their meter outlets are often less than required for maximum
performance on farm.
The project identified some deficiencies in the evaluation process caused by differences in the
management of bays compared to furrows, deficiencies which have now been overcome in the
development of new evaluation tools.
INTRODUCTION
Monitoring and evaluation of bay irrigation practices in Southern Australia is not new. It has
been used for a variety of purposes over many years, for example, to evaluate surface irrigation
simulation models (Maheshwari & McMahon 1993 a & b; Austin & Prendergast, 1997), for the
estimation of soil infiltration characteristics (Maheshwari and Jayawardane, 1992; Hume, 1993),
and for the comparison of alternative (surge flow) systems (Turral and Malano, 1996).
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In no case did the work lead to an assessment of the performance in efficiency terms of bay
irrigation or of the opportunities for improvement of performance. This contrasts directly with the
experience in the cotton and sugar industries where the focus of evaluations has always been
on performance improvement (for example, Raine et al., 1997; Dalton et al. 2001).
Recent use of the IrriMATETM evaluation system in Qld and northern NSW has engendered
confidence in those regions in surface irrigation evaluation techniques. The robust data sets
which are developed allow for the modelling of optimised irrigation events, and implementation
of the recommendations generally provides a unique match of modelling with reality. This
confidence has resulted in substantial change, despite the fact that adoption of the optimal
irrigation practice may require an increase in labour.
In northern NSW and Qld in the late 1990’s, irrigation application efficiencies varied widely from
17 to 100% with an average of 48% (Smith et al, 2005). Deep percolation (drainage) losses for
Queensland cotton fields averaged 42.5 mm per irrigation, representing an annual loss of up to
2.5 ML/ha /season. BDA Group (2007) estimated that the application of IrriMATETM in the cotton
industry has so far saved 400 GL over a 16 year period or 28.5 GL/annum and has contributed
to industry improvement in WUE of 10%, with anticipation of another 10% improvement in WUE
by 2014.
In the present study, field trials were conducted using the IrriMATETM system at a limited number
of sites with the objective to demonstrate the application of surface irrigation evaluation to bay
irrigated pasture and to indentify the potential gains in irrigation performance. Although the
sample of sites was small they provide an indication of the level of performance across the
GMID and the opportunity for substantial water savings through changed practice on-farm.
EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
Overview
The IrriMATETM evaluation system is both a set of measurement and simulation tools, and a
process that involves:
• Monitoring of an irrigation event(s);
• Inverse solution from the measured irrigation advance and other data to give infiltration
and surface resistance parameters prevailing during the measured irrigation;
• Simulation of the measured irrigation as a means of calibrating the simulation model and
calculating the performance parameters for the measured irrigation; and
• The conduct of ‘what if’ simulations to determine the flow rate and time to cut-off to give the
best or preferred irrigation performance.
Field Sites
A total of seven sites were selected at short notice by cold calling potential collaborators. A
geographic spread was intentional, in an attempt to cover a broad range of soil types and
configurations (Table 1). Some discrimination on pasture type was also made, with a preference
for permanent pasture. If anything, the sites were biased toward the more efficient irrigators,
because only those better irrigators had sufficient water remaining to be able to irrigate during
the study period.
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Table 1 Site details for irrigation evaluations
Site Location Soil Type Crop
Dimensions (m) Irrigation
Width Length Outlet Supply Schedule
S1 Strathmerton
Cobram loam, Moira
loam, Muckatah clay
loam
PP 63 324 Up-turn
pipe
Dethridge &
Bore -4.2 &
14.7 ML/day
14 day
S2 Kyabram Lemnos loam PP 55 473 Padman
stop
Pump 8.6,
7.1 ML/day 7 day
S3 Strathallan Rochester clay Lucerne 87.5 315 Padman Dethridge
11.2 ML/day 12 day
S4 Calivil Mologa loam PP 43 283 Slide Dethridge
4.6 ML/day
10 day
S5 Horefield
Cohuna fine sandy
loam, Leitchville sand,
Cullen loam
Lucerne 45.5 343 Straight
pipe
Dethridge
10.0 ML/day 14 day
S6 Normanville
Coombatook sandy
loam, Coombatook
sandy clay loam
Lucerne 61 435 Padman Dethridge
7.3 ML/day 12 day
S7 Stanhope Sandy loam Winter P 20 169 2.5ML/day
Field Procedure
Details of each site were collected including bay width and length, longitudinal slope (capturing
any changes in grade) and bay supply configuration. Typical slope was 1:750. Data collected
for each event included:
· the inflow hydrograph; and
· the irrigation advance (advance times for various points along the bay including the time for
the advance to reach the end of the bay).
The flow rate and irrigation advance were measured using the IrriMATETM suite of tools
developed by the National Centre for Irrigation in Agriculture (NCEA), as described by Dalton et
al. (2001). The inflow into the bay was measured using a large throated custom designed flume
(Figure 1) with capacity up to 15 ML /day. The instrumentation monitors depth through the flume
continuously throughout the irrigation event to record both the total inflow volume and the full
inflow hydrograph. Water advance was measured using electronic contact sensors positioned at
six points along the length of the bay. Each sensor consists of eight pairs of wire contacts
connected to separate timers spread transversely across the bay in an attempt to overcome
spatial variability of advance rates.
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Figure 1 Measurement of inflow into the bay (Photo courtesy of Phil Price)
In order to provide meaningful efficiency values the evaluation process also requires reliable
estimates of the soil moisture deficit prior to the irrigation event, and this becomes the target
depth of application. In this study the soil moisture deficit was estimated from ET (either pan
evaporation or Silo ETO) and estimated pan and crop factors as appropriate. In most cases the
deficits were higher than would usually be the case because of the current water shortage.
Analysis and Simulation
The time dependent soil infiltration characteristic is defined using the three parameter modified
Kostiakov equation, one of the most commonly used empirical functions for surface irrigation.
The depth of infiltration, Z (m3/m2) due to water present on the soil surface for time τ (min) is
given by:
t t o
Z = k a + f (1)
where a and k are empirical parameters and fo (m/min) is the final or steady intake rate of the
soil. The parameters of the infiltration function and the hydraulic resistance to flow (Manning n)
provided by the pasture are typically evaluated using an inverse solution of the volume balance
model as defined and validated by McClymont and Smith (1995), Gillies and Smith (2005) and
Gillies et al. (2007). The parameters are identified as those that cause the simple volume
balance model to best reproduce field measurements of advance (and runoff if available).
The inverse volume balance approach works well for furrow irrigation however there were
several cases where it failed to successfully estimate the parameters in this project. These
difficulties arise primarily because the volume balance method is only valid with data collected
prior to cut-off of the inflow. This limitation is compounded in the case of bay irrigation by the
relative importance of the surface roughness, the large volume of temporary storage on the
surface of the bay, and the short irrigation times compared to furrow irrigation. In these cases
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an alternative inverse solution of the more robust full hydrodynamic model was employed. This
latter model, Sisco, currently being developed at USQ based on the earlier work of McClymont
et al. (1999), allows estimation of the roughness and infiltration parameters using measurements
collected after the inflow cut-off time.
Once the relevant parameters have been determined, the IrriMATETM process employs the
surface irrigation simulation model SIRMOD (Walker, 1999) to replicate the measured irrigation
and to quantify the performance of that irrigation. It can then be used to investigate the
opportunities and strategies for improvement. SIRMOD is a proven model (McClymont et al.,
1996) that solves the full hydrodynamic equations (continuity and momentum equations) that
govern unsteady free surface flow. For this study SIRMOD III was used rather than SIRMOD II
because of its ability to accommodate a time varying inflow into the bay.
The key irrigation performance parameters calculated are the application and requirement
efficiencies and the volumes of deep percolation and tail-water runoff. Application efficiency (Ea)
is a measure of the volumetric losses occurring during an irrigation and is defined here as:
Volume applied
Volume stored in rootzone
Ea ×
= × × × (2)
Under this definition, tail-water runoff is considered to be a loss to the particular irrigation even if
not lost to the farm. It is acknowledged that tail-water is usually captured and recycled thus
contributing to the whole farm efficiency.
Requirement (or storage) efficiency (Es) is an indicator of how well the irrigation meets its
objective of refilling soil moisture deficit in the root zone is presented here as:
Soil moisture deficit
Volume stored in rootzone
Es × ×
= × × × (3)
The value Es is important when either the irrigations tend to leave major portions of the field
under-irrigated or where under-irrigation is purposely practiced to use precipitation as it occurs.
CASE STUDY RESULTS
Example – Site 1
This site at Strathmerton is located on a moderately permeable soil, predominately Group II with
some Group III at the bottom end of the bay. Inflow rate for the first irrigation was restricted by
the capacity of its unusual pipe inlet structure. Average flow rate for the trial was 4.2 ML/d but
increased throughout the trial from 3 to 4.7 ML/d as shown by the full inflow hydrograph given in
Figure 1. This was typical of the hydrographs for a number of the trial sites. The cause is not
known and may be due to variations in the level of the supply channel or to non-steady
conditions in the farm channel.
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0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Time (min)
Inflow (ML/day)
Figure 1 Inflow hydrograph for site 1 irrigation 1
The analysis of the data from this site resulted in infiltration parameters consistent with the soil
type at this site and an excellent fit between the simulated and measured advance as shown in
Figure 2. To satisfy the estimated deficit of 71 mm, the infiltration characteristic suggests that
water needs to be available on the surface for about 400 min. This is clearly exceeded at the
upstream end of the bay and over much of its length resulting in over irrigation (Figure 3) and
substantial losses to deep percolation.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Time (min)
Distance (m)
predicted advance
predicted recession
measured advance
Figure 2 Advance and recession curves for site 1 irrigation 1
By reducing the time to cut-off from 690 min to 600 min the application efficiency is increased
from 72% to 82%. Both tail water runoff and deep percolation are reduced. Doubling the inflow
rate from 4.2 to 8.4 Ml/d and further reducing the time to 260 min increases the efficiency to
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90%. In this case there is no deep percolation loss and the runoff is 10%. Further increases in
inflow rate deliver negligible improvements in efficiency and any further reduction in time to cutoff
leads to under-irrigation, that is, the deficit is not satisfied.
0
20
40
60
80
100
0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350
Distance (m)
Infiltration (mm)
Inf ilt rat ion
Est imat ed def icit
Figure 3 Depth of infiltration site 1 irrigation 1
For the second irrigation at this site the pipe structure was removed and replaced by a higher
capacity Padman stop. Inflow rate for this irrigation was increased to 14.7 ML/d however
application efficiency was reduced to 57% because the irrigation duration of 216 min was far too
long. Reducing this time to 125 min would have given an efficiency of 95%.
Infiltration and Hydraulic Resistance Parameters
The hydraulic resistance parameter (Manning n) varied around a mode of 0.25, from a low of 0.1
for the first irrigation of the winter pasture at the Stanhope site to a high of 0.36. These values
are consistent with other published data for bay irrigated pasture, for example, Robertson et al.
(2004) who reported a similar variation over time at a single site.
The infiltration characteristics for the trial sites are illustrated in Figure 4. Leaving aside the
winter pasture site 7, three groups of soil infiltration characteristics can be identified. The first is
the very permeable site 5. This site is typical of the coarser textured soils occurring on the prior
stream levees that show rapid infiltration and high levels of deep drainage (Lyle & Wildes, 1996).
The second group are the moderately permeable soils (sites 1 and 4) that have a characteristic
with substantial curvature over the early time (0.3 < a < 0.5) and a moderate continuing rate of
infiltration.
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0.0
50.0
100.0
150.0
200.0
250.0
300.0
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800
Time (min)
Cumulative infiltration (mm)
S1-1&2
S2-1
S2-2
S6
S5
S3
S4
S7
Figure 4 Infiltration curves for each of the test bays
The final group are the heavier floodplain soils that exhibit a characteristic typical of a cracking
soil, that is, an initial rapid infiltration followed by a relatively low steady rate. For these soils the
initial rapid infiltration is very closely related to the degree of drying since the previous irrigation.
According to Robertson et al. (2004) it can be estimated as 0.75 (ET – R), where ET and R are
the evapo-transpiration and rainfall, respectively, since the previous irrigation. The term (ET –
R) is equal to the soil moisture deficit. The parameters calculated for this group of soils are
entirely consistent with those previously reported by Maheshwari and Jayawardane (1992),
Austin & Prendergast (1997), and Robertson et al. (2004).
Efficiencies, Deep Drainage and Tail-water
The calculated performance for each of the irrigations is presented in Table 2. These show an
average application efficiency of 69% (with range 46 to 86%). Tail-water runoff was 14% (0 to
36%) and the loss to deep drainage was a similar magnitude and is equivalent to a depth of 12
mm (0 to 26 mm excluding sites 5 and 7 which had abnormally high drainage losses). Site 5 is
on a highly permeable soil (sand) and only managed to achieve an application efficiency as high
as 46% because of the very high deficit of 111 mm. This site is not suitable for surface irrigation.
At site 7, the first irrigation of winter pasture, the soil was very dry and very permeable. With a
relatively low flow rate the advance did not reach the end of the bay. A much higher flow rate
would have been required to complete this irrigation. A low efficiency is typical for the first
irrigation of a season and has been observed frequently in furrow as well as bay systems (Raine
et al., 2005).
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Table 2 Summary of results from bay evaluations
Site/ Test
Measured
Flow Time Vol Applied Deficit Ea Es Runoff Deep Drain
(ML/d) (ML/d/m) (min) (ML/ha) (mm) (%) (%) (%) (mm)
S1-1 4.2 0.067 690 0.988 71 71.7 100.0 14.4 13.7
S1-2 14.7 0.234 215 1.080 62 57.2 99.3 36.0 7.3
S2-1 8.3 0.156 435 0.999 53 54.1 100.0 21.7 24.2
S2-2 7.1 0.129 443 0.841 51 63.0 100.0 6.1 26.0
S3 11.2 0.128 324 0.918 101 86.0 78.0 14.0 0.0
S4 4.6 0.108 285 0.758 65 84.9 98.5 0.0 11.3
S5 10.0 0.220 612 2.426 111 45.9 100.0 2.5 125.2
S6 7.3 0.119 529 1.007 80 79.3 100.0 14.6 6.1
S7 2.5 0.125 295 1.519 >100 54.1* 90.2 0.0 63.8
* advance did not reach the lower end of the field
In one case (S3) the irrigation failed to fully satisfy the moisture deficit, that is, Es was much less
than 100%. The infiltration curve for this site shows an initial rapid infiltration (crack fill) of 35 to
40 mm suggesting that the deficit of 101 mm estimated for this site may be incorrect. If a lower
deficit is assumed the storage efficiency will increase in proportion.
Performance Improvement
Strategies to improve the performance of surface irrigation typically involve reducing the
irrigation time and/or increasing the inflow rate (for example, Smith et al. 2005). In this study the
strategies and the potential gains vary across the sites however a readily realisable gain in
efficiency of 19% is possible and ranges from 6 to 38% for the different sites. This is illustrated
in Figure 5. In this figure, the depth ratio (depth applied to the field expressed as a ratio of the
deficit) provides an indication of the adequacy of the irrigation. A ratio greater than 1 indicates
over-irrigation and deep percolation loss. In all cases only those efficiency gains that could be
obtained without decreasing the requirement efficiency were considered. The target for the
improved irrigations is an efficiency of 100% and a depth ratio of 1, and it can be see that in
each case the result is nearer to that point. The potential gains shown in this figure typically
require a doubling of the inflow rate, that is, an increase from a mean of 0.12 ML/d/m width
(range 0.07 to 0.16) to 0.22 ML/d/m (0.12 to 0.32). The strategies for each site and the potential
for improvement are provided in greater detail in Table 3.
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5
Depth ratio (Applied/Deficit)
Application efficiency %
Target
Measured
Achievable
Figure 5 Measured and readily achievable application efficiencies
Table 3 Simulations of the improved irrigation events.
Site/ Test Change time only Double inflow rate
Time Saving Time Flow rate Saving
(min) ML/ha (min) ML/d ML/d/m ML/ha
S1-1 570 0.172 260 8.4 0.134 0.243
S1-2 125 0.452 * *
S2-1 300 0.310 130 16.6 0.313 0.402
S2-2 400 0.082 170 14.2 0.259 0.195
S3 280 0.124 * *
S4 * 128 9.2 0.217 0.077
S5 * 240 20.0 0.440 0.523
S6 464 0.125 220 14.6 0.238 0.169
S7 * 130 5.0 0.251 0.180
* Not a valid strategy at this site
Selection of the ‘optimum’ or preferred irrigation always requires compromise. Attempts to
maximise application efficiency will inevitably result in reductions in the requirement efficiency
(adequacy) and uniformity of the irrigation. Further different irrigators will have different
preferences in regard to minimising tail-water or deep percolation. Any recommendations will
also have to take into account the irrigators willingness and ability to work with the shorter
irrigation times required. In the present study, very much shorter times required for the improved
irrigations will only be possible through adoption of automation.
The higher flow rates required may be obtainable by either: (i) and increase in the supply rate
from the channel system, (ii) by improvements to the on-farm infrastructure to give greater
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capacities in the farm channels and structures, or (iii) reducing the width of the larger bays.
What is certain is that realising the possible improvements in performance will involve
substantial cost to the irrigator.
GENERIC SIMULATIONS
Method
A series of simulations were carried out to define the relationship between application efficiency
Ea and inflow rate. Standard infiltration curves were selected to represent the main infiltration
groups identified in the study, namely, the (sandy) levee soil, the moderately permeable soils,
and the heavier cracking type. For each of these soils the simulations considered bay lengths of
200, 400, and 600 m. A target tail-water runoff of 5% was used to ensure that all irrigations
easily reached the end of the bay.
Results
Examples of the results for two of the soils are presented in Figures 6 and 7. Clearly, the
maximum efficiencies attainable and the flow rates at which they occur are influenced heavily by
bay length as well as infiltration. It should also be noted that as flow rates increase the irrigation
on-time required decreases rapidly and the likelihood of under-irrigation (ie, Es < 100%)
increases.
To place these results in context the inflow rates from the case studies are:
· average measured flow rate 0.12 ML/d/m width (4.8 ML/d for a 40 m wide bay); and
· average flow rate for the improved irrigations 0.22 ML/d/m (8.8 Ml/d for a 40 m wide bay).
These compare to a flow of 0.53 ML/d/m (21.2 ML/d for 40 m bay) required for maximum
efficiency for a 600 m long bay on the heavy soils (Figure 6).
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
Flow rate (Ml/d/m width) Application efficiency %
200 m
400 m
600 m
Figure 6 Maximum application efficiencies for various length bays on a heavy (cracking)
soil with a 45 mm deficit
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0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
Flow rate (Ml/d/m width)
Application efficiency %
200 m
400 m
600 m
Figure 7 Maximum application efficiencies for various length bays on a moderately
permeable soil with a 50 mm deficit
IMPROVEMENTS TO THE EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
At the start of this project it was recognised that the evaluation process had some limitations that
would be exposed in the application to bay irrigated pastures. Briefly these are:
1. the difficulty in measuring the runoff from a bay,
2. the relatively short on-times in bay irrigation, and
3. the difficulty in quantifying the high and time variable surface roughness.
The quality of the estimates of the infiltration parameters depends very much on the length of
time over which the data used in the estimates is collected – the longer the time the better the
estimates. The volume balance model IPARM (Gillies et al., 2007) used in the inverse solution
for these parameters can only use data collected before the inflow is cut off. In the case of a
long furrow (> 1000 m) the on-time may be as long as 12 to 18 hours and this allows great
confidence in the resulting parameter values. In this study the on times were relatively short and
frequently the advance was only three quarters of the distance down the bay when the inflow
was stopped.
Increasing the time over which valid data is collected can be achieved by two means. First is to
use a model that can use data from times later than cut-off. This is one objective of the Sisco
model currently under development at USQ and based on the simulation engine of McClymont
et al. (1999). The other is to use data collected after the advance reaches the end of the bay.
Given the difficulty in measuring tail-water, measurement of the depth of water at the
downstream end of the bay during the period of runoff could be used as a surrogate for runoff.
The new model will allow users the option of using runoff or depth.
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The surface roughness parameter is difficult to identify using advance data only. This is largely
because the effect it has on the advance is similar to that of the k parameter in the infiltration
equation. Runoff data (or its surrogate depth data) are necessary to separate the effects of
these two parameters.
CONCLUSIONS
Evaluations of bay irrigation performance were successfully carried out using the IrriMATETM
system at seven sites across the GMID. It has been shown that the evaluation process can lead
to substantial realisable gains in efficiency for individual growers. These potential gains vary
widely and the strategies to realise them also vary. However, for most the requirement will be
for higher inflow rates and shorter irrigation times. Practically this means improvements to the
supply capacity on- and off-farm and on-farm automation. The evaluation process provides the
means to set the flow rate and irrigation time for automated systems. Evaluation also provides
the means for identifying preferred capacities for farm outlets.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge Price Merrett Consulting for undertaking the field
measurements, Michael Zerk, SARDI, for his assistance in the field measurements at the first
two sites, the respective irrigators for their cooperation in the provision of the field sites, and
finally the Northern Victorian Irrigation Renewal Project (NVIRP) for funding the study.

Forum Empowers
Photo: Wendy Buck and John Padman
The Murray Irrigators Support Group is proposing proposing the Federal Government offer $10,000.00 to farmers, to upgrade their farming practices to better deal with climate change.
The group will be holding a public forum and field day on March 4 to discuss a submission an is encouraging all farmers to attend.
Farmers will be able to gather information from Moira Shire business development and community development teams, a grant officer, water technologies cluster manager Bruce Cumming and Federal Member for Murray Sharman Stone.
Facilitator Wendy Buck said there would also be a visit to a trial irrigation site at Padman Stops' Strathmerton factory.
"Its hoped grants sourced will help farmers to trial innovative techniques to improve productivity," Ms Buck said.
"By participating in these trials, documenting the water savings, sharing the results with other farmers and institutions, many others may benefit form these innovative irrigation solutions."
The support group was formed last year.
The day will be held at the Strathmerton Bowls Club on March 4 from 10am. Lunch will be provided but RSVPs are required.
For more information phone 5874 5282