Pasture Irrigation Thoughts.....

[jack.diamond]

I am in the process of converting a ten acre pasture to a Tifton 85 hayfield. In my part of Texas we have been hit hard the past few years with droughts, so I have considered irrigating this pasture. So I started looking at water volumes to irrigate. One inch of rain on one acre of ground equates to 27,154 gallons of water and it weighs 133.3 tons. Might be trivial information, but that's a lot of water to have to pump from a well and I want to do 10 acres. My wells include two that are 4 inch and 200 feet deep and then the water well for the house is only 69 feet deep. I thought about some kind of a cistern to collect water, but then I look at the volume I would need and the size of the cistern would have to be huge. I need some ideas. And I'm already praying for rain.

Thanks.

Jack

 

[dun]

My primary concern would be how much would the water table be affected by drawing that much water from under ground. Secondary concern would be the dollars to get set up to do it and the dollars to run the pumps

dun

 

[Dave]

There is also the issue of water rights to consider. They very considerably from state to state but most (if not all) western states you have to have a water right to irrigate. Some areas you can apply for a water right and in others there aren't any available.

Dave

 

[bigbull338]

I am in the process of converting a ten acre pasture to a Tifton 85 hayfield. In my part of Texas we have been hit hard the past few years with droughts, so I have considered irrigating this pasture. So I started looking at water volumes to irrigate. One inch of rain on one acre of ground equates to 27,154 gallons of water and it weighs 133.3 tons. Might be trivial information, but that's a lot of water to have to pump from a well and I want to do 10 acres. My wells include two that are 4 inch and 200 feet deep and then the water well for the house is only 69 feet deep. I thought about some kind of a cistern to collect water, but then I look at the volume I would need and the size of the cistern would have to be huge. I need some ideas. And I'm already praying for rain.

Thanks.

Jack

well heres 1 thing you need to know.how meny gpms is your well running.because to put an inch of water on 10acs youd need 271,549 gals.a hay crop takes 4 to 6 in of water to make a cutting.so that means youll be pumping an 1.5 inches of water a week.but alot depends on how much rain you get.the more rain you get the less well water youll use.a used 1000ft hose real would set you back $5000 to $8000.a new hose reel runs close to $20,000.

 

[MikeC]

I am in the process of converting a ten acre pasture to a Tifton 85 hayfield. In my part of Texas we have been hit hard the past few years with droughts, so I have considered irrigating this pasture. So I started looking at water volumes to irrigate. One inch of rain on one acre of ground equates to 27,154 gallons of water and it weighs 133.3 tons. Might be trivial information, but that's a lot of water to have to pump from a well and I want to do 10 acres. My wells include two that are 4 inch and 200 feet deep and then the water well for the house is only 69 feet deep. I thought about some kind of a cistern to collect water, but then I look at the volume I would need and the size of the cistern would have to be huge. I need some ideas. And I'm already praying for rain.

Thanks.

Jack

I have about a one acre pond that I pump from with a PTO pump to irrigate. My well wouldn't produce the volume and pressure needed for my traveling gun anyway.

I have a 5 HP well pump that keeps the pond full. Ground water is no object here. We are fortunate to have a large aquifer underground.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I am in the process of converting a ten acre pasture to a Tifton 85 hayfield. In my part of Texas we have been hit hard the past few years with droughts, so I have considered irrigating this pasture. So I started looking at water volumes to irrigate. One inch of rain on one acre of ground equates to 27,154 gallons of water and it weighs 133.3 tons. Might be trivial information, but that's a lot of water to have to pump from a well and I want to do 10 acres. My wells include two that are 4 inch and 200 feet deep and then the water well for the house is only 69 feet deep. I thought about some kind of a cistern to collect water, but then I look at the volume I would need and the size of the cistern would have to be huge. I need some ideas. And I'm already praying for rain.

Thanks.


Jack

For the cost to irrigate you could buy a lot of hay.
Do you have any surface water avaiable a heck of lot easier to pump?

 

[backhoeboogie]

Jack I irrigate out of the river. 260 gpm net on a 10 acre field is going to take you something along the lines of 17 to 24 hours to put an inch of water on it. Time is going to depend on moving irrigation pipe and such. It doesn't take long at all to have over $20 tied up in a round bale just in fuel to get the water. Then you have to consider your irrigation equipment costs. Fertilizer has gone up terribly high. Then you have the cost of cutting and baling. You can pay yourself $1 an hour to move pipe and arrange it all and still go broke.

If you wind up with hay to sale, everyone in this forum is going to be accusing you of gouging.

When you are done, you have a whole lot of respect for the energy in the sky when it comes a 3 inch rain in an hours time. That is close to a million gallons on your ten acres.

 

[gabby]

When you are done, you have a whole lot of respect for the energy in the sky when it comes a 3 inch rain in an hours time. That is close to a million gallons on your ten acres.

That's for sure. Last Thursday night my farm got about 150,000 gallons per acre of rainwater. Too bad nothing's growing yet to use it.