I love the concept. Living in an area that gets 51" of rain, their are still certain windows missed where the corn or any crop would have benefited from some moisture. You can grow a great crop without irrigation, but being organic, I'm getting prices that make the expense of irrigation pencil out financially. You are offsetting the other things some would say are set backs in organic production, or yield drag with always having optimum moisture, which equals more healthy plants, which in turn makes the plants less likely to need the inputs that organic farming does not allow. We are in the process of incorporating more fertility through manure injection. We're not happy with drag line because it knocks down vegetation. Tanking is even more of a hassle because the rates liquid manure need to be applied at, it's non stop refilling, plus the compaction. Thus we've settled on a continues reel system. It's basically a semi truck trailer of hose on a spool. A swing arm on the tool bar allows a full pass without knocking down any crops. We modified our DB planters with arms and can apply through a modified liquid application system. We've already been looking at using the reel and hose for irrigation. Instead of center pivot, just one section of uprights and applicators. Why, because I can find junked out blown over center pivot systems all over the place and piece something together. I've had to make, invent, fabricate everything for 20 years now, because nobody makes anything for organic production at scale. I'm also developing na way for it to be more fencing for rotational grazing, and very long term, I can see it being part of an electric farming system also. Something along the lines of a DOT platform that can carry a planter.
Our farm was so dry we did not harvest it in 1964. I had the idea of hooking a hose reel to a high boy sprayer and putting some sprinkler heads on it. But I like the way this gets under the crop and to the row. Genius in its conceptual simplicity.
This looks great but the time it takes to cover a quarter might be the issue; might not be enough capacity. At the .15/.30 rate, how long is it going to take to cover 160 acres? I ran the numbers but let's see if your calculations match mine.
Is there a means to monitor supply levels of the aquifer? In many parts of the country the aquifer is already quite stressed, and causing wells to run dry.
Irrigation = Irritation even after refining systems over the last 50 years. If you can keep RAIN from being a maintenance nightmare you might be considered a God. Good Luck! We will be watching
