Hi,
I’m fairly new to Victoria and was actually surprised at how green the land was when we arrived. After living here for a few months and becoming an Agriculture teacher in Gippsland, I’ve come to realise that there are a few reasons why the Agricultural land specifically, is so green.
Based on the data for the Gippsland region:
Farm Type
Irrigation Farms 40%
Dryland Farms 60%
Irrigation Type Used
Flood irrigation 68%
Pipes and Risers 22%
Spray via Pivot 43%
Spray Via laterals 31%
Forgive my ignorance (being a newbie) but weather observations show that the region receives quite a lot more rain than many other areas of the entire country, which would naturally reduce the need to irrigate, hence the higher rate of dryland farming. Gippsland is also famous for it’s diary production and many enterprises utilize effluent ponds to recycle manure, urine and water that would otherwise go to waste – and flood irrigation, and using pipe & risers is usually the way the nutrient rich effluent is distributed throughout the paddock unless serious filters are used to separate the large from fine particles that would otherwise get stuck in filters for spraying via pivot. If these filters are used, in addition to irrigating with clean water, it would also explain the large % of Spray via pivot use.
From what I’ve read, flood irrigation with effluent ponds in runoff periods where high rainfall occurs isn’t really approved of, so I’m assuming that’s also where the spray pivots come in handy.
Again, I’m new to the area and am keen to learn more about the dairy industry – so if I’m completely off track – please let me know! ?