Irrigation app technology saves labour at Conargo

With only two full-time employees, time was of the essence for Mr Armytage as he prepared the ground, sowed, sprayed, spread fertiliser and irrigated his crops prior to the annual harvest.

Recent introduction of a lateral irrigator system which moves along 6.5 kilometres of channel has been effective in making better use of available water, but machines often need close monitoring to maintain their productivity.

For that reason, Mr Armytage has an app on his mobile phone that allows him to continually control the movement of each of the three lateral irrigation systems plus monitor the state of the engine and the amount of water being applied to the winter crops.

“I can adjust the water rate while the machine is going, change the direction and I can tell when the machine is near the end of its run,” Mr Armytage said.

“It will also send a text message if the machine stops, there is low water pressure or anything else that can go wrong.”

Mr Armytage said it gave him peace of mind to know the lateral irrigators were working effectively, while he and his staff got on with other jobs across the 2830ha property that has been in the family for four generations.

“I don’t have to spend valuable time continually checking on what the irrigators are doing,” he said.

“I can be more productive getting on with our other programs instead of monitoring the irrigators all the time.”

Mr Armytage had been away from the farm when he received a text message indicating a lateral had suddenly stopped.

“I was able to immediately contact my staff who fixed the problem straight away,” he said.

“It gives me confidence to know the expensive machines are constantly being monitored without the need for people to be continually driving long distances to check they are working.”

Mr Armytage also has a large area developed to border check irrigation infrastructure complete with re-circulation channels and storage dams.

He is trialling an automated system where the amount of water applied to each can be controlled through a smartphone without having to be physically in the paddocks.

“With our recent redevelopment of the traditional border checks we are able to put a lot of water through the bays quickly,” Mr Armytage said.

“We think there will be a significant saving of water as well as saving on labour.”

Mr Armytage said he could now move a greater volume of water through his channels, which increased the efficiency of his large-scale winter cropping operation.

“We used to apply up to 1.5 megalitres per hectare when we pre-watered but now only use one megalitre,” he said.

“And that is important as water becomes more expensive.”

SAM Armytage, “Billyanco”, Conargo, initially wanted to use automated control to regulate bay outlets to improve his staff efficiency.

“But obviously the saving of water is a real bonus,” he said.

“We know how long it takes to water each bay and we can pre-set and adjust the operating times as we send water around the farm.”

As he gains confidence in the use of being able to control and monitor his irrigation system remotely, Mr Armytage plans on installing the automated system across his entire irrigation set-up.

“Eventually we will be able to start and stop our river pumps and our recycle pumps and it won’t matter where we will be at any time,” he said.

The security in knowing pump operation will also be continually checked via smartphone gives Mr Armytage confidence in the huge investment he is making in the family farm.

“The entire irrigation set-up is connected to recycle channels so all water that comes on the farm is used,” he said.

“And with our storages, we can pump supplementary water whenever it is available.”

Even with his present storages and recycle channels filled, Mr Armytage still purchased extra water to ensure his winter crops reach their full potential.

Harvest has been delayed due to recent rain of up 100 millimetres, but Mr Armytage remains optimistic about yield potential.