Three farmers in western Kansas are partnering with a state agency in a test of thrifty irrigation systems that require less water to grow crops in the Plains, says Harvest Public Media. On his farm near Garden City, Tom Willis is testing a mobile version of drip irrigation.
The system uses the long arms of center pivot irrigation systems, which are often seen creeping in endless circles around a field, spraying showers of water from nozzles onto crops. Instead of nozzles, the “mobile drip” system drags hoses that dribble water onto the ground between rows of crops. Willis says his irrigation pumps draw less water with the drip irrigation system. For the demonstration project, Willis is running four center pivots with drip irrigation and four with state-of-the-art spray nozzles.
Tests by a Kansas State University extension center in Garden City last year showed mobile drip irrigation reduced evaporation losses by 30 percent. Water resource engineer Jonathan Agullar of KSU extension says the mobile drip system also seems to result in more subsurface moisture after harvest, possibly giving next year’s crop a healthy start. For the test, Willis will track yields for three years with each irrigation format and compare the results.