WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL WORLD-FIRST DRIPPER A BREAKTHROUGH FOR SUB SURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION USERS

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1 VOL 8 JAN 2014 DOWN THE LINE QUARTERLY UPDATE FROM NETAFIM WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY AND SUCCESSFUL FROM ALL THE TEAM AT NETAFIM NO MORE CHEMICALS WORLD-FIRST DRIPPER A BREAKTHROUGH FOR SUB SURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION USERS A WORLD-FIRST in dripper manufacturing technology has resulted in a major breakthrough for subsurface drip irrigation users they no longer have to use chemically impregnated disc filters and chemicals with the Netafim, the global leader in smart drip and micro-irrigation solutions, has launched a unique dripper that allows for chemical-free resistance to root intrusion. The diaphragm cover is impregnated with copper oxide as part of the mould. This prevents deterioration over time and it works effectively for the lifetime of the dripperline. Up until now, users have had to use chemically infused disc filters and chemicals such as Trifluralin with the units, which are also normally replaced every two years. With Netafim s latest UniRam XR dripper, there is no need for chemical additives and, hence, user handling of chemicals. Netafim has been moving toward more chemical-free systems to make them as friendly and safe as possible for users, said the company s Product Offering Manager, Wayne Ingram. We wanted a dripper product that was chemical free so customers don t have to handle chemicals and then buy disc filter replacements. In the long run, the new dripper will make subsurface systems more economical and, importantly, operators will have less exposure to chemicals. Customers won t have to handle or pay for chemicals. They will gain at least the same effect for their systems without chemicals. This is significant because chemicals are an extra capital cost and there is the ongoing maintenance expense. Chemically impregnated filter requirements are an addition to everything else. Continued page 2 WE WANTED A DRIPPER PRODUCT THAT WAS CHEMICAL FREE SO CUSTOMERS DON T HAVE TO HANDLE CHEMICALS AND THEN BUY DISC FILTER REPLACEMENTS. WAYNE INGRAM, NETAFIM PRODUCT OFFERING MANAGER

2 PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT WORLD WATER WEEK CELEBRATION Netafim s big win the internationally respected Stockholm Industry Water Award for 2013 was presented at a World Water Week ceremony in Stockholm recently. Pictured at the presentation were Netafim s President and Chief Executive Officer Igal Aisenberg, Head of Corporate Marketing Rachel Shaul, Chairman of the Stockholm International Water Institute, Peter Frossman, Netafim s Chief Commercial Officer Yoav Zeif, Chief Sustainability Manager Naty Barak and Chairman of the Netafim Board, Rudolf Weber. The award honours the business sector s contribution to sustainable water management. It recognises improved performance in production processes, new products and management, as well as innovative approaches in water and wastewater technologies, which together help to improve the world s water situation. The Award was established in 2000 by the Stockholm International Water Institute in collaboration with the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. OCTAVE STAINLESS STEEL WATER METER THE latest stainless steel addition to the Octave ultrasonic bulk water meter range is ideal for aggressive water environments, whilst maintaining the precision and reliability these high performance meters are renowned for. The Octave Stainless Steel is particularly suited to water metering in challenging environments, such as production plants, mining and industrial processes (AWA standard only). FEATURES & BENEFITS Diameter sizes from 2 up to 8 (ANSI flanges only). Reliable operation in harsh environments. Suitable for handling aggressive water in industrial processes. Dual beam ultrasonic technology for precise and ultra-reliable metering. No moving parts. Battery powered 10 years life expectancy. Rugged mechanical design submersible (IP68). Extremely sensitive and accurate in low flows. Turndown ratio better than 1:300. Bi-directional flow capabilities. Flexible data formats including flow directions, flow rates, volumes and leak detection AMR and cellular networks ready. Programmable LCD display. EMI/RFI protection. WORLD-FIRST DRIPPER BREAKTHROUGH FROM PAGE 1 Wayne said the Netafim UniRam XR dripper was suitable for general subsurface irrigation applications, but especially in the turf, nursery, landscape and agricultural sectors, including multi-seasonal row crops as well as tree and vine crops. The unique dripper attracted a lot of attention at the recent annual Australian Almond Conference in Adelaide, an industry Wayne anticipates will strongly demand it. He said the technology would also be incorporated into other drippers in the Netafim dripperline range. The UniRam XR dripper is available now through Netafim dealers. Specifications Pressure-compensating range: AS bar, CNL 1-4 bar. Range of flow rates available: 1, 1.6, 2.3 and 3.5L per hour. Recommended filtration: 130 micron to 200 micron (dependent on model and flow). Double TurboNet labyrinth with large water passage. Integrally welded into thick walled dripperlines (0.9, 1 and 1.2mm). Injected silicon diaphragm. Perfectly suitable for Nutrigation with standard nutrients used in agriculture. UniRam XR drippers meet ISO 9261 Standards with production certified by the Israel Standards Institute (SII). Features & Benefits Precise and equal amounts of water are delivered over a broad pressure range. High uniformity of water and nutrient distribution along the laterals. Anti-siphon mechanism prevents contaminants from being drawn into the dripper. Continuously self-flushing system with wide filtration area improves resistance to clogging, thus making the UniRam XR highly resistant when using low quality water. TurboNet labyrinth assures wide water passages. Large deep and wide cross section improves clogging resistance. The water is drawn into the dripper from the stream centre, reducing the entrance of sediments into the drippers. THE UNIQUE DRIPPER ATTRACTED A LOT OF ATTENTION AT THE RECENT ANNUAL AUSTRALIAN ALMOND CONFERENCE IN ADELAIDE. Nominal Size Model Stainless Steel Meters (mm) (inch) Length without couplings (mm) W- Width (mm) H - Height (mm) h - Height (mm) Weight (kg) Stainless Steel body For further information on the Octave range, contact your local Netafim representative or visit 2 3

3 NETAFIM A STRATEGIC PARTNER IN DEVELOPING SANDALWOOD INDUSTRY NETAFIM HAS DESIGNED DRIP IRRIGATION SYSTEMS FOR THE BURGEONING SANDALWOOD INDUSTRY IN AUSTRALIA S TROPICAL NORTH. WITH SANDALWOOD A 15-YEAR LONG-TERM CROP, NETAFIM S PROVEN TRACK RECORD OF PRODUCTS AND SUPPORT IS A VITAL INGREDIENT TO ENSURE THE INDUSTRY S SUCCESS. A Netafim Arkal Galaxy filtration system near Kununurra. NETAFIM is playing a major role in the development of Australia s sandalwood industry in the tropical north. Northern plantations are based on Indian sandalwood (Santalum album) and make up the largest sustainable supply of this species in the world, while south of Carnarvon in Western Australia, the industry comprises mainly native sandalwood (Santalum spicatum). Earlier plantations near Kununurra were established about 15 years ago using traditional flood irrigation, however, further developments on lighter soils in the region and in the Northern Territory have required other irrigation techniques. Netafim was selected as a strategic industry partner in 2008 for a development near Kununurra on black soil plains. The company s Crop Management Technologies Product Manager, John Witherspoon, said sandalwood was a long-term crop (15 years) and Netafim s key strength was its track record of globally proven products and, importantly, its support. Flood irrigation is not an option on sandier soils due to erosion, which gets worse with greater slope, and it brings more weed growth and higher maintenance, John said. He said drip irrigation in these cases allowed better management of water resources directly to a strategic location less watering of weeds and, on large-scale developments, reduced labour for monitoring and maintaining At Netafim s first drip irrigation project near Kununurra, water was pumped out of the channel system, pressurised with electric pumps and distributed via an unregulated dripperline system controlled remotely. With the high risk of lightning to underground cable networks, early systems were also controlled hydraulically from pump sheds to each valve. Later developments feature Netafim s premium UniRam pressure-compensated dripper and, in some cases, DripNet PC dripperline, as well as Arkal Galaxy 14 pod filters and manual disc field filters, its pressure-reducing valves and powerful NMC-PRO control with RadioNet remote valve control. John said nutrition for the plantations in the Kununurra region generally involved a targeted fertiliser application at planting only, while in the NT, fertigation treatments were required due to the soil history. He said Netafim was looking forward to the further roll-out of plantation developments, particularly in the NT, next year. We are committed to servicing the sandalwood companies and, in conjunction with our dealer, mainly Irribiz at Griffith, we have a strategy to support what we sell. In addition to John, Netafim s WA State Sales Manager Adam Lean and Area Sales Manager Wayne Jennings provide monitoring of the plantations and their irrigation maintenance regimes. It s a long crop over 15 years for companies and so is a significant investment to protect. John said companies were generally looking to standardise irrigation infrastructure across their developments to aid staff familiarity with the WE ARE COMMITTED TO SERVICING THE SANDALWOOD COMPANIES AND, IN CONJUNCTION WITH OUR DEALER, WE HAVE A STRATEGY TO SUPPORT WHAT WE SELL. IT S A LONG CROP OVER 15 YEARS FOR COMPANIES AND SO IS A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT TO PROTECT. JOHN WITHERSPOON, NETAFIM CROP MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES PRODUCT MANAGER John said irrigation systems for the northern Australian industry were designed according to soil types, the slope of lands and the particular water resource. Operators at Kununurra and in other regions like Burdekin in Queensland also pay for water, so water utilisation strategies and management of the resources becomes critical. In the NT, plantations use underground water, which presents different irrigation constraints. Netafim dripperline laid out ready for planting sandalwood. Typical Netafim RadioNet-controlled valve assembly with Arkal disc manual check filters. 4 5

4 CANE YIELDS DEMONSTRATE DRIP BENEFITS Ayr canegrower David Cox (left), Davco Farming, pictured with Netafim Business Development Manager Peter Durand, was ecstatic with the yields achieved on 300 hectares of sub surface drip irrigation after a very late planting. THE SYSTEM IS NOW WATER EFFICIENT, APPLIES WATER EVENLY AND WE CAN GROW GOOD YIELDS ON THE WHOLE BLOCK. NORTH Queensland canegrowers are continuing to report good results with sub surface drip irrigation (SSDI) installations following the recent harvest. Aaron Linton achieved 170-tonne per hectare yields at his 100ha block near Home Hill. Other yields nearby were t/ha. Aaron and his wife, Amy, together with his parents, Joe and Margaret, crop 200ha to sugarcane and also produce mung and soy beans for grain production, including on the family s main property located 28 kilometres away. Aaron established three 14ha SSDI sets on his property, installed at a depth of 300 millimetres and at 1.8-metre intervals to aid controlled traffic farming. The system uses Netafim pressure compensated drippers and its two channel FertiKit fertiliser injection system. The development turned five difficult to manage blocks into one easy to manage block. Comprising poor moisture-holding, sodic duplex soils and with significant fall, it was previously fed by an inefficient flood irrigation system. The system is now water efficient, applies water evenly and we can grow good yields on the whole block, Aaron said. He irrigates every night and fertigates for the first six months of crops with his own fertiliser mix and according to soil holding capacities. One block has been taken out of production and will be planted next April, while the others are on their first ratoon and going well. We also didn t have to put the tractor over paddocks this year. With no watering of the surface and no rain, this meant no weeds, which was a good saving on herbicides, Aaron said. The system is controlled via Aaron s home computer or phone, with the automatic irrigation and fertigation also assisted by moisture monitoring probes. He said he was adding a variable speed drive to the system to help save power. It will allow the pump to run at minimum pressures and to only ramp up when flushing. AARON LINTON, HOME HILL The family has also completed SSDI installations over 24ha of the home property after initially conducting a trial there. Another grower in the Burdekin region, Paul Villis, who installed his first drip irrigated block in 2008, said a lot of the blocks were on their first to fourth ratoon and were looking very good. Controlled from his home computer, Paul irrigates every day and fertigates every second day, with the system using about one-third less water than furrow irrigated blocks. Previous comparisons between furrow and drip irrigated blocks have shown consistent yield increases of around 25 per cent more cane and 21pc more sugar with drip. Paul said he recently completed a pumping and filtration system on a block where SSDI was originally trialled. The block is now fully utilised for drip irrigation. Ayr grower David Cox of Davco Farming, which grows cane over 2450ha, was ecstatic with the yields achieved from a very late planting on 300ha of SSDI. Optimum planting time for yields of 180t/ha and up to 200t/ha is March 15 through to April 30, however significant rain at the wrong time meant the majority of plantings on the drip irrigation were delayed until August and September. The cane was harvested around 11 months later. On very poor country with variable soils, we averaged 146t/ha, which was a phenomenal result, David said. In a similar situation with furrow irrigation, we would have been looking to get 120t/ha and this would probably come back to 115t/ha. He said energy costs to run the system were a concern however, and he would have to carefully consider the viability of future installations. There will be benefits there though. I think we will see fertiliser savings and therefore economic and environmental benefits. In addition, I expect some reduced herbicide applications. Home Hill canegrower Aaron Linton, pictured putting his sub surface drip irrigation system into action, says it has provided for more efficient and even water application. We can now grow good yields on the whole block, he says. REGISTER PRODUCT PURCHASES ONLINE FOR CHANCE TO WIN A LEATHERMAN PURCHASERS of Netafim equipment are reminded to register their products online to go in the running for a Leatherman every month. Netafim commenced the registration process late last year in an effort to improve service and support to dealers and users. Customers can relax in the knowledge that their newly purchased Netafim equipment is flagged with the company and covered by product warranty. To enter, users can head to the Netafim website to complete an online registration form. The Product Registration tab can be found on the home page: ( Once the form is submitted, customers go directly into the monthly draw

5 i TECH TIP WITH ANDREW CRAWFORD FILTRATION PRODUCT MANAGER i IN PROFILE ANDREW POLLARD HOW TO SIZE AN APOLLO SYSTEM We all know the Spin Klin 2 and are very confident in specifying them. A Flow rate of m³/h per spine depending upon the water quality. FOCUS ON FLEXIBLE IRRIGATION mm WITH cropping trends on properties frequently changing in-line with export market movements, flexibility in irrigation needs to be continually developed for growers, according to Netafim s Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales State Manager Andrew Pollard. Andrew said future irrigation systems needed to be increasingly adaptable for a broad range of crops because growers were at the whim of export markets. He said sub surface drip irrigation (SSDI) had a strong future, but it was currently at an early stage. Once industry gains greater understanding of the technology and return on investment benefits though, he expects SSDI will become the norm for many growers. Heading into his 15th year with Netafim, albeit interrupted by a two-year stint with an irrigation dealer at Swan Hill in Victoria, Andrew fondly remembers the move into the broadacre market with the company s With sub surface drip, we had one to two small lucerne jobs, we ran a number of field walks and farm days, and now thousands of hectares are being installed. It s a great success story, Andrew said. The range of crops being grown on sub surface drip, including corn, maize, sorghum, soybeans and a range of cereals, is very encouraging. He said Netafim s stable of products and product developments to suit a range of crops were very exciting and, critically, it provided excellent support to industry mm 4 SPIN KLIN APOLLO BATTERY 3 SPIN KLIN APOLLO BATTERY GET CASH BACK WITH NETAFIM REWARD$ RECOMMENDED FLOW RATES 80mm 100mm twin Model(M 3 /H) M-336 M-436 M-538 Minimum Maximum Model (M 3 /H) A-348 A-4410 A-5410 A-6410 A-7412 A-8412 A-9412 Minimum Maximum NETAFIM has launched a special Rewards Program for landscape contractors and its dealers running throughout the summer season. Contractors purchasing Netafim equipment are rewarded with cashback on a NETAFIM REWARD$ Eftpos Gift Card. For dealers, the program rewards their customers for purchasing Netafim equipment. Customers receive a NETAFIM REWARD$ Eftpos Gift Card based on their value spend. The program applies to eligible Netafim landscape products. Purchases must be lodged online at Landscape contractors and customers will then receive their gift cards in the mail. For dealers, the more cards received by their customers, the greater the chance of winning. The dealer with the most activated cards at the end of the promotion wins a $2000 holiday voucher. The cashback promotion ends on March 31, For further information, check out AUSTRALIA Fitzgerald Road Laverton North VICTORIA 3026 Ph (03) Fax (03) netinfo@netafim.com.au Andrew, who hails from an apple orchard and fine wool growing enterprise near Elphinstone in central Victoria, commenced his career in the industry as an irrigation designer and project manager for Midland Irrigation at Bendigo. His earlier years were dominated by the vineyard boom in the 90s and so he spent most of his time in the State s western wine region. Andrew later joined Netafim as an Area Manager / Technical Services Representative and initially worked in the same region before the wider horticulture industry took him into other parts of Victoria and to Tasmania. STATE MANAGERS WESTERN AUSTRALIA / NORTHERN TERRITORY SOUTH AUSTRALIA & MILDURA Adam Lean alean@netafim.com.au NSW / VICTORIA / TASMANIA Andrew Pollard apollard@netafim.com.au QUEENSLAND Jeremy Evans jevans@netafim.com.au THE RANGE OF CROPS BEING GROWN ON SUB SURFACE DRIP, INCLUDING CORN, MAIZE, SORGHUM, SOYBEANS AND A RANGE OF CEREALS, IS VERY ENCOURAGING. ANDREW POLLARD, NETAFIM VICTORIA, TASMANIA AND NEW SOUTH WALES STATE MANAGER NEW ZEALAND C/o Supply Chain Solutions 11 Timberley Road Mangere AUCKLAND 2021 Ph (09) Fax (09) auckland@netafim.co.nz SALES MANAGER Bruce Richter +64 (21) brichter@netafim.co.nz 8 9