| Root Crops
''Even those who usually have lots
of water have been worried''
“Even farmers that have never
needed irrigation before are
considering it”
Andrew Howseman with the Lincolnshire Show award
Smart irrigation becoming more attractive option
for spuds
A sustained dry period, changes in water licences and shortage of labour are making smart irrigation systems more
attractive to potato farmers, according to Andrew Howseman of Howseman Agriculture. He will be speaking at the next
Agri-Tech East Pollinator event, which is looking at smart irrigation, on 13th September 2018.
ven farmers that
have never
needed irrigation
before are
considering it after
this June,” says
Andrew. “We've got people who've
E
been irrigating for at least 50-60
days non-stop, which is
completely unheard of.
“The season was slow to get
started with all of the potato crops
and root crops planted late in wet
and cold conditions – which
22 | Farming Monthly | September 2018
weren't conducive to good
growing –and then the
temperatures that we've seen and
the prolonged dry hot weather will
have had an impact. In my
opinion, yield will be affected by
both ends of the spectrum.
“Usually, people would irrigate
for a couple of weeks and then we
would have three quarters of an
inch of rain and they'd have a
week or ten days off before they
started irrigating again. It's
normally a bit of an up and down
rollercoaster really.
“But this year people started
and haven't stopped, to the extent
that reservoirs are running out of
water and growers have had to
prioritise specific crops, such as
potatoes over onions and carrots.
That's been the juggling act and it
continues to be so.
“A season like this is stretching
labour, machinery and resources
such as water to breaking point,
really.”
This is where the drip system
developed by Howseman
Agriculture comes into its own. It
puts the water where it is need and
uses 25-30% less water than a
traditional hose and reel system
and is much less labour intensive.
Its six row drip-tape layer recently
gained an ‘Innovation for Water’
award at the Lincolnshire Show.
Andrew continues: “Although
this is an unusual year, even those
who usually have lots of water
have been worried and these dry
spells could become more
frequent and licensing stricter.
With our system and a reservoir
farmers have some insurance.”
Drip systems are perceived as
expensive, but there is so much
money riding on a crop of
potatoes that the benefit of
controlled water is becoming
easier to justify. To help support
the business case, Howseman
Agriculture has started to offer a
six-hectare package of drip tape
irrigation together with installation
and training so that growers can
trial it without a big capital
investment.
Andrew says: “We're really
pleased to work with Agri-Tech
East to help people evaluate new
technology. We've got an open
door for people to come and have
a look around, open days, and if
people want to see what we're
doing on some of the farms where
we operate we are more than
happy to extend an invitation for
them to come and have a look.”
It seems likely that drier periods
will become more frequent in
future, which is creating more
interest in smart irrigation. This is
why Agri-Tech East is featuring this
subject in its next Pollinator on 13
September 2018.
The event offers the opportunity
to hear, in addition to Andrew: Paul
Hammett, National Specialist,
Water Resources, National
Farmers’ Union; Prof Jerry Knox,
Professor of Agricultural Water
Management, Cranfield Water
Science Institute (CWSI); Steve
Moncaster, Supply Demand
Strategy Manager, Anglian Water;
Ed Bramham-Jones, Farm Advisor,
Norfolk Rivers’ Trust; and Nigel
Jupe, Chief Executive, Verdesian
Ltd.
Venue: Easton Campus, Easton
and Otley College, Norwich NR9
5DX
For more information visit
www.agritech-east.co.uk/events
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk