Water Matters. SMALL town contractors and local workers are sharing in. CENTRE PIVOT and LATERAL MOVE IRRIGATION

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1 Water Matters Series supported by Valmont A big boost for small communities thanks to irrigation modernisation By Meg Strang for NSW DPI Sustaining the Basin Irrigated Farm Modernisation program SMALL town contractors and local workers are sharing in the benefits of the Sustaining the Basin Irrigated Farm Modernisation (STBIFM) program, now in its final year, creating a win for agriculture, the environment, and small town economies in northern NSW. Since 2012 the STBIFM program, funded by the Australian Government and implemented by the NSW Department of Primary Industries, has invested $79 million to improve infrastructure on irrigation farms in the Northern Murray Darling Basin. Irrigator partners have invested another $23 million in STBIFM projects. Funding from the final round of STBIFM has enabled the Schwager family to renovate their storage dam, and repair pipes, gates and other critical infrastructure on their property Fernleigh at Wee Waa. That repair work was long overdue, said Richard Schwager, and by raising the height of our dam walls we can now store water at greater depth, with no increase in the surface area, substantially reducing the percentage of water lost through evaporation. We ve also been able to laser level three of our smaller fields to prevent ponding. That s going to translate into reduced yield losses and more efficient use of our available water. We employ one permanent farm hand on Fernleigh, and we regularly use local contractors, while my wife works as a teacher Employees Connor Stanfield (left) and Jason Manning, with David Johnson (centre) in the Crockweld workshop. Wee Waa contractor, Matt Shearin at work on the Schwager property, Fernleigh. The Leader in Precision Irrigation. CENTRE PIVOT and LATERAL MOVE IRRIGATION 36 The Australian Cottongrower June July 2018

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3 New pipes installed on the Schwager family property at Wee Waa. at the local high school to supplement our farm income, said Richard. The help we re getting from STBIFM will make a significant difference to the long term sustainability of our business, and that s going to make the transfer to the next generation a much more viable proposition for our family, said Richard. The STBIFM program is not only helping to secure the future for family farmers like the Schwagers, it s also given a significant boost to businesses in town like Crockweld, a steel fabrication and welding business run by David Crocket Johnson. David began training as a welder when he was 16. He s also spent time working as a farm hand. His firsthand knowledge of farming combined with years of experience in engineering, has honed his expertise in designing equipment to meet the needs of local irrigators. We do get the occasional project outside of agriculture, but farmers are a lot more inclined to use local contractors and their support is hugely important for a business like ours, said David. Crockweld was established in 2012, the same year the STBIFM project began offering funding to farmers to support greater water use efficiency. STBIFM grants have certainly spurred on the amount of work available for small players like us in country towns. Businesses like Crockweld not only provide an important service for the farm sector, they also play a critical role in providing employment for skilled workers in small towns like Wee Waa. When we benefit from these sorts of projects, we then try to spend our money locally as well. I use local suppliers in Wee Waa whenever I can to contribute to the local economy, and the farmers generally operate in the same way, said David. Like David Johnson, self-employed excavator and harvesting contractor Matt Shearin has also seen the flow on effect from government funding for infrastructure improvement projects. 38 The Australian Cottongrower June July 2018

4 3 Piece PBC2000 with Walkway & Wings. 2 Piece PBC2000 with Walkway & Wings.

5 mechanics and machinery dealerships, the rural supply stores, the supermarkets and other service providers all benefit. Richard says STBIFM has enabled him to fast track efficiencies he would otherwise have been unable to afford for at least another six to seven years, including the installation of bankless channels which will do away with the need for time consuming siphon fed irrigation. With the bankless channels, we can get water on to the fields much more quickly. The old system required a change in siphons approximately every eight hours. The bankless system will double the speed of irrigation with less work involved. Instead of changing 160 siphons, we turn the wheel on the gate or open a weir and the job is done. This should also lead to better timing of irrigations and ultimately better yields, explained Richard. The improvements will make it easier for us to irrigate our fields with less night work, and therefore a better quality of life for our family. We will still employ the same workforce but the workload will be less intense. Richard Schwager is confident farm modernisation and greater water use efficiency in the irrigation sector will help sustain rural communities. This sort of funding creates opportunities for people like me, and other contractors and businesses in the community, said Matt. The fuel companies, the steel suppliers, the blokes driving trucks to bring in equipment, the contractors who supply the laser buckets, they all benefit. The irrigation sector is the main industry in town, and when the farmers are doing well, the whole community prospers. These infrastructure upgrades are setting the farmers up to make them more productive and more viable in the long term, which means there will be ongoing work for businesses like mine, said Matt. The STBIFM program has strengthened rural communities, aiding their long term prosperity through more sustainable irrigated agriculture. For Richard Schwager the most positive aspect of STBIFM is that the program isn t focused on buying back water licences, a strategy he believes would have left little rural towns like Wee Waa struggling following the subsequent cut back in agricultural production. Richard is confident the STBIFM funded changes made on Fernleigh will improve productivity, and in conjunction with similar improvements on properties around the district, the benefits will be widespread. Our family has lived in this district for a long time and we have a strong attachment to our land and our community. By being more viable I hope to be able to continue to employ local people and work with local businesses, said Richard. We have a lot of experience and knowledge in little towns like Wee Waa. I can get the expertise I need locally because the businesses and the contractors who live here understand agriculture. When family farmers are productive and profitable, the local Labour shortage Finding experienced casual labour is difficult for everyone in the irrigation sector, and for small farmers like the Schwagers the labour savings gained through farm modernisation will be very helpful. Because we are a smaller operation, we don t usually have the capacity to put on extra staff, so we just put in very long hours during that busy part of the season, said Richard. That s difficult to sustain and it raises safety issues when you are working those long hours. Safety is a particular concern for Carmel Schwager. Anything that means they are not going down the paddock in the middle of the night is definitely an advantage, said Carmel. With a small family business, there s a limit to how much you can delegate to others, no matter how busy things get. Modernising our infrastructure is going to make things a lot safer and a lot more worker friendly. And if we no longer have those days when everyone at home is compelled to work excessive hours out in the heat in the paddock, that s a big bonus for family life. STBIFM supported improvements in farm water use efficiency will also have flow on effects for the local community. We ll be able to maintain our production with less megalitres and that means we can survive longer during dry periods, helping to flatten out, at least to some degree, the usual boom and bust cycle in agriculture, said Richard. The infrastructure improvements on Fernleigh will result in substantial water savings while maintaining production, enabling the Schwagers to return 98 megalitres to the Murray Darling Basin for environmental flows. I had initially been reluctant to apply for funding because of the requirement to return water, but when we did the calculations, it made sense. After consulting with a local Agriculture Engineer in Gunnedah, Bernie Martin, I had independent advice confirming that we really could produce the same or better with less water. His ability to put the proposal together and fill out the forms highlighting the expected water savings, meant that I could continue to run the farm and leave the paper work to others. STBIFM funding even covered most of the application costs. And while the amount of water returned to the environment from our farm may seem small, when multiplied by the many other farms that have taken part in the STBIFM program, the overall result is a very significant environmental positive. 40 The Australian Cottongrower June July 2018

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7 Carmel and Richard Schwager have worked with STBIFM to improve water use efficiency on their Wee Waa property, Fernleigh. And it s not just the business end of the community that s important in the economic equation according to Richard. A viable farm sector also means we can retain our schools, our hospitals, and important facilities like aged care services facilities so we can keep our older family and friends close to where they have lived and worked throughout their lives, said Richard. Strong farms make strong country towns and vice versa. It s really important to maintain these communities, not just from an economic perspective, but because of the social benefits as well, he says. The Australian Government is providing more than $13 billion for implementation of the Murray-Darling Basin Plan and associated activities, with the vast majority (more than $8 billion) being made available for modernising infrastructure and water efficiency improvements. The Sustaining the Basin Irrigated Farm Modernisation Program is funded from this initiative and implemented by the NSW Department of Primary Industries Agriculture (DPI). SCHWAGER STBIFM PROJECT AT A GLANCE Step down levels between each bay are roughly 15 cm A 40 cm check bank has been erected between each bay to prevent water breaking from the top bay to the next before reaching the tail drain. At the supply channel end, double Padman PBC 2000 stops have been used between bays giving a total opening of four metres. Double stops have been used to reduce water velocity and erosion around the structures. Twin DG Multi Outlets create a total opening of 3.56 metres in the tail drain. Richard Schwager surveys earthworks completed in March 2018 as part of a commonwealth funded irrigated farm modernisation project. Fernleigh earthworks The STBIFM project required the movement of approximately 145,000 cubic metres of soil across an area of 154 hectares: Water storage renovation 67,000 m 3. Field work 53,000 m 3. Supply channel, tail drain and tail water return drain 25,000 m 3. Bankless channel configuration Seven bays were constructed each 22 hectares (approximately 410 m wide x 536 m long) The slope on each bay is 1:2000, except for the launch pad which is 40 m wide with a 1:5000 fall back towards the supply channel. The design aims to achieve an even feed (launch) of water down every second furrow. A flow rate of ML per day is required to operate the system. Each bay takes five to eight hours to irrigate depending on soil moisture (for an average application of ML per bay). Each bay runs consecutively, so all seven bays in the system can be watered within hours. Dickinson Grader Hire constructing check banks between bays using GPS height and line control. Water savings Total water savings on the Fernleigh STBIFM project are estimated at 160 ML per year through improved water use efficiency and reduced evaporation and seepage: Storage savings 46 ML Field savings 114 ML From the total savings, 98 ML of water entitlement has been returned to the environment. The remainder has been kept on farm for production. 42 The Australian Cottongrower June July 2018