PAGE 12
www.thelandonline.com — “Where Farm and Family Meet”
THE LAND — MAY 27/JUNE 3, 2022
Benton County farmers make the most of irrigation
By TIM KING geting .75 of an inch per acre and it The Land Correspondent rains .30 of an inch, we speed up the irrigation system to complete the RICE, Minn. — The Schlichting irrigation cycle — but at a lower rate and Wojtanowicz families operate of .45 of an inch. This ensures we are Prairie Farms and raise more than not starving our crop of water but 6,600 acres of potatoes, edible beans, also utilizing the rain water to precorn, peas, alfalfa and winter rye near vent wasting water.” here. All of the crops are raised under irrigation because the sandy soils in Regular maintenance of the systhe Little Rock Watershed, near the tems also keep the systems operating Mississippi River, can dry out very properly. rapidly. One of the reasons that each system Prairie Farms, which has been in receives individual attention is because the family since 1906, has earned a each crop has unique water needs that number of land and water stewardchange throughout the season. ship awards over the years — includ“When deciding when to water crops ing the National Corn Growers we look at a few things,” Ringhand Association’s Good Steward said. “We are looking at the crops’ life Recognition in 2019. stage, evapotranspiration, and the “From 2016 to 2019 our farm was water holding capacity of the soil. recognized on the county, state and Photo submitted That means we are out in the field a national level as an outstanding stew- Pictured is Jerry Schlichting (far right) who farms with his daughter, Jocelyn Schlichting Hicks (third lot — digging and probing for moisard,” Marlene Schlichting said. “We from left). Together, they partner with additional family members, the Wojtanowicz’s, who operate ture. We have utilized electronic soil appreciate the recognition of our con- the Prairie Farm Co. Diane Wojtanowicz (left) is Rick’s aunt, and Anna Bregier (second from left) is moisture probes as well, but have not servation efforts. The farming com- Diane’s daughter and Rick’s cousin. found the right fit for our farm.” munity prides itself on sustaining Each well on Prairie Farm has its own Minnesota natural resources, generation after generation, and of the droplet. Drop tubes allow less air time which Department of Natural Resources permit. these awards are an honor we share with all our fel- also helps reduce evaporation.” “Water use for each permit is reported annually to low farmers.” New technologies to conserve water can be used on the DNR,” Marlene Schlichting said. Marlene says that farming on the sandy soils would all the farms irrigation systems; but to further maxiBy using ground water conservatively, Prairie be difficult without irrigation. As a consequence, mize water use, each center pivot is managed differFarm’s goal is to have sustainable aquifers available Prairie Farms operates multiple permitted wells which ently, says Ringhand. to farmers, and others, in the generations to come. provide water for center pivot irrigation systems. “We utilize strategic placement of numerous rain Marlene says the aquifer under the sandy soils “Farmers are constantly looking for ways to con- gauges and weather stations to ensure we are not serve and minimize inputs, including the use of over watering during or after rain events,” he said. they irrigate recharges every year. Klaphake, agrees. water,” Marlene said. “Changes to technology have “We manage our irrigation systems remotely as well “The aquifers in the Little Rock Creek area in Rice allowed for constant improvements in the efficiency so as to be sure we are catching any problem with the do indicate a high degree of sustainability in that of irrigation systems.” well or irrigation system as it’s watering.” they have not dropped in water level since irrigation Among the new technologies used by Prairie Farms Using rain water to supplement irrigation is an began in this area.” are low pressure nozzles and variable speed drives. important ground water conservation strategy for Klaphake says that’s the case because annual rainthe irrigation team. fall in the area averages 29 inches. Because the “We use low pressure nozzles to achieve the right sandy soils hold so little water, that generous rainfall droplet, stream, and spray pattern,“ Matt Ringhand, “When it rains during the irrigation season it’s a a member of the team that keeps the irrigation sys- big deal,” Ringhand said. “With our rain gauges finds its way down to the reservoir that is the aquifer. tems operating efficiently during the growing season, placed around our farm, we make sure we don’t miss Nevertheless, he and Prairie Farm plan on assursaid. “This allows for less evaporation and more uni- any rain events and we utilize rainfall as much as ing that continues into the future by taking every form water delivery to the ground. Variable speed possible when irrigating. For example, if we are tar- measure they can to conserve ground water. v drives allow us to slow the well down and reduce pumping rate when a higher volume is not needed. For example, some irrigation systems run on one well, so if two systems are running and one shuts off, fight against foreign animals diseases. And running the well can slow down to accommodate the one irri- SWINE & U, from pg. 11 underneath and throughout it all, biosecurity is key. gator operating by itself without pumping needless each of these cases, answering the call can help Key to high health status, key to increased producwater.” direct the future. On-farm sustainability is a tion efficiencies which decrease a farm’s environ“Low pressure nozzles and systems are used to request and requirement for many of the pork mental footprint, and key to survivability of the pig, industry’s customers, and a farmer who can point to reduce evaporation,” said Randy Klaphake, who irrithe farm and the industry. improvements made over the course of years can gates on the on the same watershed. “The speDiane DeWitte is an Extension Swine Educator cial nozzles have the ability to work accurately under tell a successful story which appeals to consumers. with the University of Minnesota based in Mankato. lower-than-normal pressures and deliver larger- Swine health across the country is a number-one v than-normal droplets — which lose less to evapora- concern, and the US-SHIP program will tie produc- She can be reached at stouf002@umn.edu. tion since evaporation only occurs around the edges ers and packers to continuous improvement in the
Biosecurity is key to controlling disease
