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Get More from Irrigated Water Use

With more irrigation comes more responsibility to improve efficiency, says Hollandale farmer

Tom Hollingsworth says he has at least one thing in common with the soybean farmers around him — a gradual increase in the number of acres they irrigate that started about 20 years ago. Today, he and his dad irrigate 95 percent of the fields on their soybean and corn farm in Hollandale, up from 60 percent 20 years ago. As many nearby farmers have also expanded their irrigation over the past two decades, Hollingsworth says better water efficiency needs to be a priority if they want this vital resource to last. In this interview, Hollingsworth says tools exist to help farmers stretch their water use. One example is the Pipe Hole and Universal Crown Evaluation Tool (PHAUCET), a computerized guide that helps farmers determine the optimum hole size in polypipe for furrow irrigation.

Q: Why is it important to improve irrigation efficiency?
A: Most farmers in the Mississippi Delta have added irrigation just like we have, and it’s putting a strain on our aquifer. As we grow more corn and soybeans in our area, we need a lot more water than we did with cotton, so we need to be more efficient in our water use. If everyone doesn’t become more efficient, I’m afraid that one day there might not be enough groundwater for what we need.

Q: What would happen then?
A: It would be bad. If farmers couldn’t irrigate, it’d be all wheat in the delta. We’d look like parts of Kansas. Crops cost so much money to plant and fertilize now, a lack of water could put you out of business in one year. Farmers have got to do what they can to hold on to their ability to irrigate. Groundwater is a precious resource that is finite and we have to use it as efficiently as we can.

Q: How can farmers do that?
A: The Mississippi Soybean Promotion Board and universities and other organizations are trying to get the word out on the need to improve efficiency. They’ve also helped develop tools, such as PHAUCET and some of the computer programs to show us when the crop needs more water and when it can get by with less.

Q: What has your experience been like using PHAUCET?
A: Once you’ve input the data for all of your fields – the size of the fields, the flow rates on the wells, the slope of the fields – the tool tells you what size holes to put in the pipe. Sometimes what it tells you doesn’t sound right, but trust it, because it works. It’s amazing.

Q: Would you recommend PHAUCET to other farmers around you?
A: Definitely. This year, I plan to use PHAUCET on more acres than last year. It was a real eye-opener how much more efficient you can get just by punching the right size holes in the pipe. I installed flow meters last fall, so this year I’ll know exactly how much water I’m saving by using PHAUCET.

Q: What other benefits have you noticed?
A: It does make irrigating much easier because you don’t have to plug holes. One part of the field isn’t watering out and wasting that water while you’re waiting on another part of the field to water out. And I didn’t notice any negative impact on my yields when I was harvesting.