Working Ranch April/May 2025

Irrigation Design

a producer’s bottom line, Jim notes that it is just one tool that’s neces sary for achieving row crop yield and income goals. “There’s a farmer in Virginia (David Hula) who raised as much as 616-bushel corn,” Jim says. “He’s so good at managing his corn crop that he has his own show on RFD-TV (Corn Warriors). So why does someone else in Virginia raise 250-bushel corn? The difference is management. Irrigation is not a magic bullet. If you’re unwill ing to step up your management game, the most efficient pivot system won’t give you a return on investment. That principle applies everywhere.” According to Golden Harvest agron omy manager Stephanie Smith, Hula’s formula for achieving maximum yield is genetics × environment × manage ment = yield. A well-designed pivot sys tem is just one factor in the equation. “Part of your row crop management process might include evaluating your fertilizer rate, using fungicides, tissue tests, or any process to determine your crop needs,” Jim says. “You can use a

technology that will impact irrigation systems outside of remote monitoring options. Currently, a system with a fully electric well-water source can be stopped and started using cell phone applications. “All pivot systems can be monitored through a cell phone app,” Jim says. “However, a diesel or propane pump must be primed, and fluid levels must be checked before it’s started.” There is a movement to use propane pumps to power irrigation systems, as the use of diesel engines has declined over the past five years. Propane costs approximately 0.66 cents for every $1 a diesel pump requires to operate. Electricity is even cheaper, at 0.33 cents. However, the cost of bringing power to a field may be so exorbitant that the investment isn’t likely to be recovered during the life of the irrigation system. While an irrigation pivot has the potential to boost yield and improve

the water pressure decreases as the water flows down the pivot pipe, reducing the sprinkler output flow rate. The sprinkler closest to the pivot point will overapply, while the furthermost sprinkler will underapply. Without regulators, the 60-pound pressure at the pivot point may be as low as 10 pounds when it reaches the sprinkler. “Regulators are a must-have if you want to avoid underapplying or overapplying water,” Jim says. “If you’re asking a dealer to cut costs for a system, regulators are likely to be the first thing to go. But that will make your system much less efficient. If I use a 10-pound regulator, the first sprinkler sees 10 pounds of pressure, and the last one sees 10 pounds of pres sure. The system will evenly apply water from beginning to end.” There’s little emerging

REID BROS IRRIGATION

34 I APRIL / MAY 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.