How a Thorpdale spud farmer is trialling smart new tech to save on cost and keep his potatoes healthy

Stuart Jennings owns and operates a 600 acre sheep and potato farm in the hilly Strzelecki Ranges of Thorpdale. But the uneven land his farm is located on can make watering his spuds difficult.

Jennings is trialling an automated pump system for his paddocks that reduces power and water use, stopping patches getting too wet or too dry.

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

• Anthony Goode, who looks after sustainable irrigation programs for WGCMA, told the Monitor the grants are a chance for Gippsland farmers to trial and implement new technology and practices on their farms before sharing what they learn with the whole region.

🗣️“They’re essentially acting as guinea pigs to help us understand how technology like AI, GPS guidance and solar powered automation can work best on irrigation systems,” Goode said.

Growing potatoes on a hillside

Jennings told the Monitor that to hydrate his crops he uses several large hose reels that automatically reel in a sprinkler or drip line across his paddocks. These hose systems can spool out to 150-300 metres in length depending on the model.

• The problem with irrigating hilly farms is that when the hose is at the bottom of the hill, it tends to let out more water because gravity is pushing more out. 

“Then as it gets to the top of the hill the pump might not be pumping quite as much,” Jennings said.

Show me the money: For Jennings, the core of this problem comes back to the cost. 

“The amount of water we use costs us money. It costs us in the amount we use but can also cost us in production because if we over water we can get rot and diseases on the potatoes. Then at the top of the hill, if it's too dry we don't get the right size of potatoes.”

After trialling the irrigation project for one season, Jennings said 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.”

Variation in flow: Experts from Agriculture Victoria and WGCMA pitched the idea of having a variable control system located in the pump shed that would self regulate the water flow as the hose is being pulled in.

“We're able to set how much flow we want and then the pump will just self regulate,” Jennings said. “It essentially means that we're getting a more even watering.”

• Six years ago, Jennings installed a small scale 20kW solar panel system on his pump shed to save on electricity. He said the system has paid for itself and estimates it’s saving him $3,000 a month on pumping costs.

What are the other projects?

Jennings is not the only Gippsland farmer to be trialling new irrigation technology.

Rainbow Creek Nuts in Cowwarr, Berry Dairy in Maffra, and dairy farms in Newry, Sale and Tinamba are all piloting new irrigation technology as part of the program.

What are the benefits of saving water?

Goode said the program is aiming to help farmers save time, water and money but hopes it will also make them more resilient to a changing climate.

“When it comes to long-term climate change projections, experts are predicting that Gippsland will move toward a drier climate but also a more variable climate,” Goode said. 

“Being able to withstand this variability and build resilience to adapt to those conditions across all sectors is really important.”