In the south east of Australia, the windy and hot climate means a major challenge for agriculture. Growing News spoke to Doug Martin about irrigating his farm in New South Wales (NSW).
Farmers in south-east Australia have to be adaptable. Doug Martin and his family manage Telko Farm in NSW, which grows winter cereal crops, canola and lucerne and runs up to 1000 sheep. The farm covers approximately1000 hectares, 600 of which are irrigated. Growing News spoke to Doug Martin about how he uses the Linestar.
Which crops are irrigated and how often is the Linestar in use?
Doug Martin: The BAUER Linestar irrigates wheat, other cereals and rapeseed. In winter, it only runs once every two weeks, but in hot summers and temperatures of up to 40°C, the Linestar can be in operation up to three times a week - applying anywhere from 10 to 25 mm per irrigation. The system operates at 141 litres per second and at a pressure of 38 PSI (approx. 2,5 bar).
Where does the water come from?
Water comes from an underground borehole some 5 kilometers away. As the water has got a very high salt content in, we decided to purchase a polylined system. That means that all span pipes are lined with a PE pipe on the inside and the durability of the system is extended many times.
Windy conditions: How can the Linestar manage this challenge?
Being such an open farm on the flats the wind will always be a major factor - the wind speeds can be constantly around 50 to 80 km/h for days at a time. So it is a great advantage that the wheel carriers of the Bauer systems are the longest of any machine on the market. Thus the centre of gravity is very low, which makes them very stable. In addition, the trusses are designed with profiles of larger dimensions and are therefore heavier and also more stable.
What was the reason for purchasing a BAUER Linestar?
The main reason was the excellent relationship with the local BAUER dealer Rich River Irrigation Developments and their prompt back up service. The other reasons for the purchase was the GPS guidance with the smart touch panel and the SmartRain App. We appreciate the reliability of the system and that we are always able to watch where the machine is and how far it has travelled. We are alerted in the event of errors or unplanned interruptions. Another advantage is the possibility to set up different field segments.
„With the Linestar the yield was increased by around 30% compared to flood irrigation. But the water savings and labour was the big point of margin - 35% of water savings and next to no labour.”
Doug Martin, Telko Farm
Linestar 203/168 LL:
Photo:
From left to right: Doug Martin, Klaus Ferk (BAUER Sales Manager Asia, Australia, New Zealand), Darren Kell (Rich River)
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