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AgriNews Sub-irrigation system reduces nitrate loss, conserves water. Wednesday, October 26, 2005 TOM C. DORAN, ilagnews1@mindspring.com COLFAX, Ill. — Sub-irrigation systems, once thought to be limited to installation on flat land, are now available for rolling terrain, thanks to a recently patented technology. Bob Meiners of Anchor, owner of AGREM LLC, created the patented software program that works hand-in-hand with other technology to develop a self-contained sub-irrigation system. The end result is a water management system that will improve yields, reduces nitrate loss and not require water from sources other than an on-site holding pond, according to Meiners. He explained that the software program uses global positioning technology to map the field. Meiners estimates field mapping takes about 45 minutes for 80 acres. “It’s all computer designed before the tiling begins. It tells us where to put the tile and gates,” he said. Tiling installation technology, combined with the GPS mapping, is now available for laying an accurate one-tenth grade tile 15 feet apart and two feet deep. The accuracy is maintained throughout the installation, despite the terrain. Meiners said the problem with sub-irrigation in past is that conventional tiling systems were limited to holding grade on flat ground. “This is the sort of problem that held back sub-irrigation. That’s why technology had to come together to make it economical.” As part of the design, a reservoir is installed as a collections system. The reservoir size is about two percent of the total field size. “All of the runoff goes into the reservoir which serves as a water source for irrigation. It does not go into the ditches,” Meiners said. An adjacent wetland reservoir collects any excess water that may be generated from heavy rains. This system is linked to the water supply reservoir for reuse later or the water can be discharged into a stream. The interconnected system includes a 35- to 40-horsepower motor to pump water throughout the tile when needed. Connectors are also placed strategically for adding nitrogen directing into the tile if necessary. AGREM LLC also provides training to the farmer for proper management of the system. Meiners, who has spent several years designing computer system software for drainage contractors, came up with the idea after attending a conference in southern Illinois presented by Larry Brown of Ohio State University. Contractors noted at the time about the terrain limitations for its installation. Brown has done extensive research on sub-irrigation systems and gave Meiners about a 4-inch-thick book on the subject. “If we could retain the nitrates from going into the river, it would solve some problems,” Meiners said of the information he took from the conference. That is when he decided to study the thick book and develop the program “to find a means of putting a lot of tile in fast and economically.” The new system has been found to be more effective than traditional tiling, Meiners said. Generally, it said that tile can remove three-eighths of an inch of rain in 24 hours. “This system can remove three-fourths of an inch of rain in 24 hours.” “We’re also going to drain the field sooner then others. The benefits are immeasurable, added John Feit of Normal, a member of the AGREM Marketing LLC group. The closed loop system that collects and recycles runoff and reduces sediment and plant nutrient loss has also caught the interest of environmental groups. “The Nature Conservancy, Ducks Unlimited and the NRCS are all excited about it because of the zero nitrogen release,” Meiners said. Regarding the irrigation process itself, nutrient rich water can be pumped back into the tiles when needed, therefore encouraging deep rooting. Just where the water goes into the field can also be controlled. “You can fill or not fill each zone (in the field), so we can really manage our water. If you want to pump extra nitrogen, you can put it directly into the system, not in the reservoir.” An Internet site, www.agremmarketing.com, has a spreadsheet available to show the savings and return on investing in the system, explained AGREM Marketing LLC partner Mark Miller of Colfax. The interactive spreadsheet compares past and future costs and returns from a field, taking into consideration the reservoir size (land taken out of production), average grain prices, subsidies, seed cost, planting and harvest expenses, per bushel transportation, drying, fertilizer costs, labor and other expenses. It provides analysis for a farmer who cash rents the farm, as well as for an owner-operator to determine the economic benefits of the system. Content © 2006 AgriNews Software © 1998-2006 1up! Software, All Rights Reserved |
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Telephone: 866-782-4774 or 866-SUB-IRRIgate Fax: 309-723-2581 Postal Address: PO Box 259 115 E. Main Colfax IL. 61728 Electronic Mail:
Bob Meiners
Mark Miller Technical Info:
AGREM LLC TECHNICAL WEB
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