Wilmar Sugar and Renewables is lowering energy and water costs by embracing practice change that also delivers improved environmental outcomes .
CASE STUDY
WILMAR SUGAR AND RENEWABLES
Chris Scovazzi , Wilmar Farms Group Manager
Wilmar Sugar and Renewables is lowering energy and water costs by embracing practice change that also delivers improved environmental outcomes .
Wilmar is a large grower in the North Queensland sugarcane industry , with around 7,300 hectares in production across four districts – 3,900 hectares of which are spread across multiple farms in the Burdekin .
Through joining the Burdekin Irrigation Project ( BIP ), Wilmar staff worked closely with Sugar Research Australia ( SRA ) and a range of other local partners to improve irrigation efficiency on a 130-hectare farm in the Upper Haughton region .
Chris Scovazzi , Wilmar Farms Group Manager , said joining the BIP made sense on multiple levels from a production and environmental standpoint .
“ At Wilmar we are acutely aware of the groundwater issue in the Burdekin River Irrigation Area ( BRIA ), and its potential to reduce sugarcane productivity ,” Chris said .
“ JOINING THE BIP WAS A CHANCE TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND REDUCE OUR IMPACTS , PARTICULARLY LOSSES TO DEEP DRAINAGE , WHILE INCORPORATING INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGIES TO SAVE TIME AND COST .”
Integrated Floodplain Management Advisory Committee ( BBIFMAC ), who undertook on-ground monitoring for water , nutrient , and pesticide runoff .
SRA ’ s Burdekin District Manager , Terry Granshaw , said assessing current irrigation practices and quantifying losses to deep drainage and runoff was key to determining the best plan of action .
“ At the start of the project we spent about a month with Wilmar observing how they irrigated , and taking measurements , which gave us a baseline to work from ,” Terry said .
“ Irrigation sets were running 24 hours per day on a seven-day cycle , at a flow rate of one litre per second .
“ In the first year we doubled the flow rates on the trial paddocks to two litres per second , while continuing existing rates on control paddocks .
“ When you increase flow rates you increase the risk of losing more water out the end of the furrow , if you don ’ t turn the water off at the right time . This is where the automation and end-of-row sensors came into play .
Practices adopted included installing an automated irrigation system , varying flow rates , and fitting endof-row sensors to detect when water reached the end of furrows .
ESTABLISHING A BASELINE As BIP participants , Wilmar staff received ongoing support from SRA , as well as local company Agritech Solutions , who provided technical irrigation design and installation support , and Burdekin Bowen
Irrigation sets can now be controlled remotely . Photo credit : Wilmar Sugar and Renewables .