MSPB Member Sees Positive Results from Use of PHAUCET Program
Water-conservation practice provides efficient irrigation solution for Delta farmers
CANTON (January 10, 2013) – Like many farmers in Mississippi, Hollandale farmer Jan Deregt is no stranger to irrigation. The Mississippi River Delta farmer has been irrigating his soybeans, corn and rice for over 25 years. Over that time, conventional methods have worked well for Deregt. For the 2012 growing season, however, he decided to give the PHAUCET program a try.
A computer program for use with furrow irrigation systems, PHAUCET regulates water usage. The program analyzes several factors, such as pump capacity, pipe diameter, row lengths and differences in field elevation to determine the optimum hole size in the pipe and flow rate for each row. Deregt, a member of the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board (MSPB), says the program makes his farm more efficient.
“We have been very successful with conventional irrigation in the past,” says Deregt, “but it’s not always the most efficient. We decided to give the PHAUCET program a try and were pleasantly surprised with the results.”
Deregt says the program increases his farm’s efficiency in other ways, too. Using the program allows him to run his well pumps at full capacity, which decreases the time and fuel costs associated with irrigating each field. Timers shut down the pumps to prevent over-watering and save the manpower time needed to start and stop each pump manually.
Deregt worked with Jason Krutz, Ph.D., and the Mississippi State University Extension Service to set up the irrigation program on his farm. He hopes to expand use of the program to other parts of his farm before the next growing season.
The use of a program like PHAUCET could potentially benefit more than just the farmer using it, says Deregt. Farmers in the entire Mississippi Delta region may benefit if water conservation efforts help stabilize the Delta Aquifer.
“The water level of the Delta aquifer should be important to all Mississippi farmers,” he says. “Water conservation related to irrigation does not have to mean deficit irrigation. Smarter irrigation might be all it takes. The use of PHAUCET will certainly send us in the right direction and may even cause enough water savings to alleviate some of the problems related to the Delta aquifer.”
MSPB chairman Jimmy Sneed hopes that farmers will look for water-conservation options to use on their farms.
“MSPB is committed to investing checkoff funds in research and education activities for sustainable water use practices and increasing the profitability of their operations,” says Sneed. “I know Jan to be a meticulous manager of his farm. When Jan is impressed by PHAUCET, I take note. We hope that others will consider implementing the PHAUCET program or other conservation methods on their farm as we all work together to increase the water level of the Delta aquifer.”
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MSPB is made up of farmer-directors who oversee the investments of the soy checkoff on behalf of all Mississippi soybean farmers. Checkoff funds are invested in the areas of animal utilization, human utilization, industrial utilization, industry relations, market access and supply. For more information on the Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board, visit us at www.mssoy.org and follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MSSOY.