Ross and Lisa Parker ’ s 36-hectare cane farm is typical of the Burdekin Delta , where sandy soils are prone to high water infiltration and deep drainage . Years of prior planning and infrastructure investment , including upgrading their pipe network , meant they were ready to take the next steps to improve irrigation efficiency , with support from the BIP .
CASE STUDY
ROSS & LISA PARKER
Ross and Lisa Parker ’ s 36-hectare cane farm is typical of the Burdekin Delta , where sandy soils are prone to high water infiltration and deep drainage . Years of prior planning and infrastructure investment , including upgrading their pipe network , meant they were ready to take the next steps to improve irrigation efficiency , with support from the BIP .
Ross and Lisa were keen to keep water , nutrients , and pesticides on their land . They also wanted to improve their work-life balance by installing an automated irrigation system so they could spend less time checking on irrigation sets and maintaining records .
“ We had a plan from the start to get more efficient , although we didn ’ t know whether we would be able to afford it ,” Lisa said .
“ We want to be economically sustainable by increasing profit and reducing expenses , but it ’ s also important for us to farm in an environmentally sustainable and responsible way .
“ WE ’ VE GOT LITTLE KIDS , AND WE WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE GREAT BARRIER REEF IN THE FUTURE .
“ AND THEN THERE ’ S THE INVESTMENT IN OUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND GIVING US MORE FAMILY TIME , WHICH YOU CAN ’ T PUT A PRICE ON .”
SUPPORT RECEIVED
Lisa said the couple had met with local company Agritech Solutions early in their journey to discuss their plans to automate .
“ Steve Attard from Agritech told us there was a lot we had to do first , so we did tariff and pumping assessments , and replaced a heap of pipeline and that really helped us with the BIP application ,” Lisa said .
Ross said Sugar Research Australia then supported them to select the most appropriate block to trial different irrigation practices , such as surge irrigation .
“ The automation makes this possible and everything is automatically recorded ,” Ross said .
“ I hate writing stuff down , but now it ’ s simplified , and in three years ’ time I ’ ll be able to look back and see exactly how much water I used during an irrigation set .
“ To me , if it ’ s not accurate data , you may as well not have it .
SUCCESSES
Not all yield data is yet available , however , Ross is confident there is no difference in the crop at the trial site despite a major reduction in power and water use .
“ Last year was a 36 per cent saving in water use by using high inflow rates and surge which admittedly has taken some time to perfect ,” Ross said .
Ross said automation had given them back valuable time that would have been spent manually checking irrigation sets .