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Pivot Sprinkler Irrigation Economic Comparison

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Although center pivot sprinkler irrigation (CP) is the predominant irrigation method in the US Great Plains, there is growing interest in the use of subsurface drip irrigation (SDI). Pressurized irrigation systems, in general, are a costly investment. Producers need to carefully determine their best investment options. In 2002, Kansas State University developed a free Microsoft Excel template to compare the economics of center pivot sprinkler irrigation and subsurface drip irrigation for field corn (maize) production.

This template has been updated annually with new input and revenue costs and assumptions. Important factors that have always affected CP and SDI competitiveness are field size and shape suitable for center pivot sprinkler irrigation and longevity of SDI system allowing longer amortization of its greater initial cost. The primary factors that allow SDI to have greater economic competitiveness than was the case in 2002 are greater corn yields and corn price. Using the base assumptions in the template for a square 160 acre field, an SDI system lasting at least 11 years can be cost competitive with a center pivot sprinkler with a life of 25 years.

Click here to find out how SDI compares economically to CP irrigation and to download the whitepaper, “Comparison of SDI and Center Pivot Sprinkler Economics.” Or,

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Why Midwest Growers Are Converting to Subsurface Drip Irrigation

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In the Midwest, the land where pivot irrigation is king, some growers are converting to subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) to save water, decrease energy and labor costs, and increase crop yield and quality. Though there is an initial investment cost, the water savings and yield improvement reduce the payback period and the benefits of subsurface drip irrigation out-weigh many of the drawbacks of pivots, which include limited reach, costly additions, un-watered acres, and water loss to evaporation – just to name a few.

To learn more about SDI, check out the new “how-to” guide to subsurface drip irrigation. Or, continue reading to find out why Midwest growers are converting to subsurface drip irrigation.

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Young Texas Farmers See “the Future of Agriculture” in Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

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The tales of young, tech-savvy entrepreneurs launching new ventures out of Silicon Valley are common. But what about three 20-something brothers who live – not in some high tech mecca – but near the small community of Wilderado, Texas, who started a new business venture?

The Gruhlkey brothers – Brittan, 24, Braden, 25, and Cameron, 20 – are farming cotton, corn, sorghum and wheat while showing how technology plays an important role in farming. The average age of Texas farmers is nearly 60 years old, making their enterprise a unique one and they’re doing this amid huge challenges, including an ongoing drought and a growing demand for water.

“Because of the era we’ve grown up in, we’re comfortable with new technology and not wedded to doing things the way they’ve always been done,” said Braden, a third-generation farmer.

These technological advancements allow them to better water and feed their crops. Through subsurface drip irrigation, they can deliver water uniformly across the field and directly to the root of the plant to use water more efficiently. Through this irrigation system, they can schedule when plants are watered and eliminate over-watering.

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Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI) System Shines at Husker Harvest Days

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For 36 years, Husker Harvest Days has been the premiere agricultural show for the technology that drives irrigation. This year, a subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system has been installed at the show site to irrigate a cornfield and part of the grass parking lot south of the exhibit area.

Show Manager Matt Jungmann said it’s the first time an SDI system has been installed at the site. He said he’s pleased with the results of the SDI, which Western Irrigation of Garden City, Kan., installed in the spring. Jungmann said last year’s drought was hard on the six-acre parking lot, but the SDI has helped restore the grass. He said corn harvested on the ground with the SDI system is averaging more than 200 bushels per acre.

The SDI drip lines are on 60-inch centers and buried 14 inches deep. The system is fed by a 300-gallon-per-minute well powered by a submersible pump and applies water directly to the crop’s root zone using polyethylene tubing.

The new system, along with other innovations in irrigation technology, are helping farmers conserve water while applying management practices that improve crop production. Technology is also playing a bigger role each year in irrigation, such as connecting a control panel wirelessly to a computer or smartphone so the operator can manage the system remotely.

While companies such as Western Irrigation have been installing SDI systems throughout the Great Plains, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been researching SDI systems throughout the state.

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Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

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Click here to download Toro’s official guide to Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI). For Spanish, click here.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation is a specialized sub-set of drip irrigation where dripline or drip tape “lateral lines” (tubes buried beneath the crop rows) and supply and flushing “submains” (pipes supplying water to the lateral lines) are buried beneath the soil surface for multi-year use. The technique of burying less expensive Bi-Wall drip tape laterals beneath field crops was pioneered in the American Southwest decades ago, and has since been implemented by researchers and growers alike. The SDI technique is now being used throughout the world on a wide range of grain forage and fiber crops including alfalfa, corn, cotton, soybeans and sugarcane. In addition to drip tape, thinwall integral driplines are commonly used as well.

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Learn About Subsurface Drip Irrigation with Toro at Husker Harvest Days

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If you are going to Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska next week (Sept. 10-12, 2013), don’t forget to stop by the Toro booth (#436). Toro will be offering a variety of ways for growers to learn about subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and how it can help them maintain or increase yields using less water, even during a drought. What’s more, visitors to the Toro booth can hear first-hand from growers and local dealers about their experiences with SDI to grow soybeans and corn in Nebraska.

So stop by the show and the Toro booth to learn about the benefits of SDI and to get a free demonstration on designing an SDI system using Toro’s AquaFlow drip irrigation design software.

If you can’t make it to the show, click here to learn more about SDI and how to thrive in a drought.

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Colorado Farmers Use Less Water, Improve Quality with Drip Irrigation

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The future of agriculture across the Great Plains hinges on water. Without it, nothing can grow.

Climate models and population growth paint a pretty bleak picture for water availability a few decades from now. If farmers want to stay in business, they have to figure out how to do more with less. Enter: super efficient drip irrigation systems.

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Toro to Offer Subsurface Drip Irrigation Guide, Education & Tools at Husker Harvest Days

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Toro will be exhibiting at Husker Harvest Days in Grand Island, Nebraska, offering a variety of ways for growers to learn about subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and how it can help them maintain or increase yields using less water, even during a drought.

At the booth (#436), Toro will be hosting a number of growers and dealers to share their experiences with SDI to grow soybeans and corn in Nebraska. Interested growers can learn the benefits of SDI first-hand and get a free demonstration on designing an SDI system using Toro’s AquaFlow drip irrigation design software. Additionally, Toro will debut a new ‘how-to’ guide for SDI, based on case studies and years of research growing a variety of crops. Growers attending will also see the actual results of an SDI system at a field demonstration hosted by the show. The first in the show’s history, the demonstration plot irrigates a 30-acre cornfield with SDI buried 14 inches deep on 60 inch centers.

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Subsurface Drip Irrigation Demo at Husker Harvest Days

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During Husker Harvest Days (HHD) this year, you’ll have a hard time seeing the newest irrigation addition at the show site six miles west of Grand Island. That’s because it’s underground.

A subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) system is watering a corn field south of the exhibit area in 2013. It’s the first time an SDI system has been installed at HHD. For 35 years, HHD has showcased irrigation technology and has featured center pivot manufacturers, pipe manufactures and dozens of other irrigation equipment suppliers. About every type of center pivot and lateral-move system has been installed during those years.

Roger Luebbe, site manager at HHD, says the SDI system replaces a hose-drag lateral move sprinkler that had been there for years and was “showing some fatigue.” Because of its efficiency and water delivery uniformity, SDI can save one-third of the water applied by a center pivot and 2/3 of the water applied by gravity irrigation systems.

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Texas Farm Increases Efficiency with Subsurface Drip Irrigation (SDI)

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Crops Manager for Daisy Farms, Jeff Fowler, is utilizing subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and GPS technology to improve the dairy and crop operation’s efficiency. The subsurface drip irrigation system was installed on clay soils to make good on its commitment to conservation and environmental stewardship, as well as to get the most out of every drop of water.

“Drip irrigation is close to 100 percent efficient,” Fowler says. “We put water straight to the roots; we get no runoff; we don’t need as much water. When we put on a half-inch, we get a half-inch. We don’t have to apply three-fourths of an inch to get what we need.”

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