Managing the benefits of water resources for irrigation

Set at Juniper Lea, a converted dairy farm in Dairy Plains, hear from John Wilson (Owner and Director of BWB Management) and Luke Davey-Baldock (Juniper Lea Farm Manager) as they outline how instrumental the water resources at Juniper Lea have been in supporting the development of the successful dairy farm. John and Luke explain how Juniper Lea went from an ex-piggery and failed plantation block to now supporting 1000 head of milking cows through the careful and considered design and implementation of irrigation. This includes:
• how the business approached the initial conversion and irrigation design process
• available water sources for Juniper Lea
• on-farm water storage
• importance of drainage for irrigating pastures
• running and managing centre pivots and solid set irrigation
• what the irrigation season looks like at Juniper Lea
• what the future looks like for Juniper Lea for further irrigation development

Irrigation design decision making

In this second Juniper Lea case study video, John and Luke provide an in-depth explanation behind the decision making process for designing new irrigation developments. In particular, John explains the key design factors taken into consideration when making decisions on irrigation infrastructure, the importance of seeking independent advice during the design process, and how they look to optimise both the productivity under the irrigator and the return on investment. John and Luke discuss the use of both centre pivots and solid set sprinklers across the property and why they have decided to use this approach for different parts of the farm, particularly as they began to explore new irrigation development opportunities. John and Luke also share their advice for those looking to implement new irrigation systems.