— 9 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 200 — Spring 2018 the contribution from Back Paddock for free petiole testing. AgGuard insured our cotton; Southern Cotton picked it, including the awkward trial runs, and will be ginning it at-cost; Hutcheon & Pearce provided half of the wraps free of charge and John DeWit carried out the spraying. Truly a combined effort and IREC encourages readers to support our supporters wherever they can. Automation and redevelopment In the midst of the cotton-growing mayhem, Rob also worked on two other projects at the field station—automation of the recirculation system/recycle pump and redevelopment of a further 15 ha of land. The recirculation project is funded predominantly by the Cotton Research and Development Corporation, with generous contributions of time and product from Dallas Stott and Andrew Bell from Bidgee Automation. The Grains Research and Development Corporation is funding the automated ‘pipe through the bank’ redevelopment, which will continue in earnest once the subsurface drip tube has been removed. Thanks must go to former NSW DPI Research Agronomist Steve Buster, who has now moved into the private sector with Summit Ag and RivCott Gin. Steve coordinated with Kygome from Echuca for the use of the three row drip tape lifter. Steve also ran the growth regulant trial at the field station last season and provided valuable research advice. A very special mention must go to Mike Naylor who dedicated many hours of his time to provide IREC with the best irrigation design for different layouts and recycle system, as well as the installation of structures, all free of charge. Just a reminder that the automated irrigation layout was only made possible through funding from Cotton Research and Development Corporation, Riverina Local Land Services and Cotton Seed Distributors with discounts on equipment from Rubicon and Padman Stops. Murrumbidgee Irrigation also provided support at the field station with a 70 ML allocation of water for a three-year period. This is in addition to the support Murrumbidgee Irrigation offers IREC through providing office space and access to amenities, and promoting IREC membership to its customers. We are very grateful for this ongoing support. Industry-wide effort for industry-wide benefit The IREC Field Station was set up to become a showcase operation, and this has required a significant financial investment, as well as support and collaboration from a wide range of businesses and individuals. Together we are striving to improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of irrigation farmers. We hope you take the opportunity to visit the field station and see the rewards of all the hard work that has been going out there over the past few years. More information Iva Quarisa T: 02 6963 0936 M: 0402 069 643 E: [email protected] Subsurface drip tube being removed at the IREC Field Station to make way for the redevelopment project of an automated ‘pipe through the bank’ layout. — 9 IREC Farmers' Newsletter No. 200 — Spring 2018 Field station update BACK TO CONTENTS PAGE