New irrigation system aims to cut water use and power bills for Gippsland farmer

The uneven land Stuart Jennings’ farm is located on can make watering his spuds difficult.

If his irrigation hose is at the bottom of the hill, it tends to let out more water because gravity is pushing more out.

This leads to potatoes at the bottom getting too wet, which can lead to disease and rot, while spuds at the top are under-watered.

🤝 The solution: Jennings owns and operates a 600-acre sheep and potato farm in the hilly Strzelecki Ranges of Thorpdale. He is trialling an automated pump system for his paddocks that aims to reduce power and water use, stopping patches getting too wet or too dry.

• A grant from Agriculture Victoria and the West Gippsland Catchment Authority (WGCMA) has given six farmers across Gippsland the opportunity to test new water irrigation systems that could help them save time, water and money.

After trialling the irrigation project for one season, Jennings told the Monitor results are looking promising.

🗣️ “We've seen a fairly substantial reduction in power and a fairly substantial reduction in water usage. Fingers crossed it keeps going that way.”

The Monitor visited Jennings Thorpdale farm to chat about the trial. Read the full story here or take a look at a video interview and explainer below.