 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| 2004 Irrigation Tour |
| On August 31, 2004, Rosebud and Treasure Conservation Districts, in conjunction with Warren Consulting, Agri Industries and Big Sky Irrigation held an irrigation tour. The group met at Tom's Lounge, where they had coffee and donuts. With sack lunches from Big Sky Cafe in hand, they boarded the bus to begin the tour. First stop was Steve Lackman's place. There the group got a good look at his Zimatic Pivot which uses water pumped out of the Hathaway Irrigation canal. Steve told the group that he had wheat under the pivot this year, but plans to have beets under it next year. |
| Lackman's pump and nutrient tank |
| The next stop was Jim Larson's place. Jim has a 2 pump system that runs 3 Valley pivots with 350' of lift from the river. The pumps total 425 hp and include a variable speed motor to help conserve energy. Two pivots are in alfalfa and the third is in irrigated pasture. Possibly the most interesting thing about Larson's irrigation project is that not only did they have to bore under the railroad tracks to get the water to their place, they also had to go under both lanes of the freeway. |
| Larsen's pumps |
| The first stop in Treasure County was Frank Borman's place on the Big Horn River. Frank has alfalfa under his brand new Zimmatic Center Pivot System. Next the group got a look at Doug Stephenson's Valley Center Pivot with a corner arm system. Using water out of the Hysham Irrigation District canal, Doug has sugar beets under half of the system and a small grain crop under the rest. |
| Lots to talk about at Frank Borman's |
| Stephenson's control panel is very sophisticated, which leads to water savings. |
| Icopini Farms was the next stop, where a Valley lateral sprinkler system was observed. This system, which had corn under it, works better for square or rectangular fields than a center pivot does. A small pit is filled from the Hysham Irrigation District Canal and the water is pumped from the holding pond to lessen the abrasion on the pump from silt load in the canal. |
| Icopini uses a pit to filter his water to save wear and tear on his pump. |
| The last stop was in the Hammond Valley to see a surge valve and gated pipe system at G & J Hay. Stew Greer from the Natural Resources and Conservation Service was there to explain how surge valves work and the benefits flood irrigators get from using them. |
| Gated valve at G & J Hay. That is a first year alfala crop! |
| The bus then headed back to Tom's Lounge where the Forsyth 4-H club had prepared a wonderful steak dinner for the tour members and the producers who had so graciously allowed us to view their irrigation systems. |
| The tour bus was provided by Warren Consulting. |
| Irrigation Tour 2004 wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation of the producers who let us visit their fields and often showed up to explain their projects. We very much appreciate them taking time out of their busy day to help us understand the many different systems being used in this area. Equally important were the contributions made by Agri Industries, Big Sky Irrigation and Warren Constulting. Their financial support and technical expertise made the tour both an enjoyable and educational experience. |
| Rosebud Conservation District, PO Box 1200, 270 S Prospect, Forsyth, MT 59327 Email: webmaster@rosebudcd.org (406) 346-7479 |
Rosebud Conservation District
2004 Irrigation Tour
2004 Irrigation Tour
