Reading Time: 2 minutes The Eastern Irrigation District’s decision to expand its irrigation acres brings up a couple of questions. Perhaps the biggest is: Where is the extra water coming from? The answer: There’s no extra water required. According to a feasibility study conducted by the province, the 34,000-acre expansion will not require any additional draw from river sources. […] Read more
No extra water required in irrigation acreage expansion, says report
Move to underground pipe and low-pressure pivots means more crop per drop
New research digs into value of subsurface fertigation
Delivering water and nutrients straight to root zones is nice in theory, but the payoff isn’t known
Reading Time: 2 minutes Subsurface drip irrigation is gaining popularity in Alberta, and is now in use on 1,090 hectares. But while it’s more water efficient compared to surface irrigation, there are few scientific studies on subsurface fertigation (SDF) specific to Alberta crops and soil conditions. “Most of the data we have is from the U.S. on crops like […] Read more
Precision irrigation has great potential, but it’s tricky
Understanding how moisture moves through parts of the field is one of the goals of the four-year study
Reading Time: 4 minutes Water has always been at a premium in the Irrigation Belt of southern Alberta. “Our water system is closed,” said Willemijn Appels, an irrigation scientist with Lethbridge College. “There is no more extra water that can be withdrawn for agriculture. Our water licences are already allocated. “We need to use water more wisely and make […] Read more
More crop per drop — irrigation gets ‘historic’ cash injection
New $815-million project will irrigate another 200,000 acres without any additional water allocation
Reading Time: 3 minutes There are a lot of big numbers behind a “historic” expansion of southern Alberta’s irrigation system, but also the smallest possible one — zero. That’s the amount of extra water that will, or rather won’t, be needed to add more than 200,000 irrigated acres that will be created by a $815-million project, officials say. “With […] Read more
Federal fund, Alberta government back irrigation upgrades
Infrastructure Bank lends cash for system improvements
Eight irrigation districts in Alberta are set to tap into the Canada Infrastructure Bank’s new $1.5 billion pool of funding earmarked for irrigation, to receive loans worth about $407.5 million. The Alberta and federal governments on Friday announced a total investment of $815 million — including repayable CIB funds, provincial support and irrigation district contributions […] Read more
Federal irrigation pledge seen flowing mainly to Prairies
Infrastructure plan also includes promised broadband support
Prairie provinces will receive the bulk of Ottawa’s $1.5 billion commitment to support irrigation projects, according to federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday launched a three-year, $10 billion infrastructure plan aimed at five different sectors, including agriculture. The $1.5 billion is expected to result in 700,000 acres of irrigated land. […] Read more
Innovative farmers ‘harvest’ water to boost production
Coen Farm created shallow ditches called swales to capture millions of gallons of snowmelt each spring
Reading Time: 3 minutes This winter, you might want to harvest something a little different on your farm — water. “Our farm harvests 40 years of water in two weeks just from snowmelt,” said Takota Coen, who farms near Ferintosh with his parents. “We live in one of the only places in the world where you can actually increase […] Read more
Irrigation districts say they’re grateful for provincial funding
This year's allocation is smaller, but there's recognition that 'tax dollars are very hard to come by now'
This year’s allocation is smaller but there’s recognition that ‘tax dollars are very hard to come by now’
Reading Time: 2 minutes It was cheque-cashing time for Alberta’s irrigation districts earlier this month as the provincial government announced $10 million in allocations through the Irrigation Rehabilitation Program (IRP) for the 2020-21 budget year. In place for over 50 years, the IRP is a 75-25 cost-share program between the province and Alberta’s irrigation districts. As its name suggests, […] Read more
Inspired by farmers, irrigation district aims for ‘net zero’
St. Mary River Irrigation District moves a lot of water and has a big electric bill — but that’s about to change
Reading Time: 4 minutes The St. Mary River Irrigation District is putting the sun to work providing water to its users. Solar arrays at two large pump stations have the district in a position to achieve net zero electrical use — and potentially save hundreds of thousands in electricity costs down the road. The inspiration to look at solar came […] Read more
Fighting gravity for better underground irrigation
Subsurface drip irrigation can pay off with the right practices and a little patience, says researcher
Reading Time: 4 minutes At first glance, subsurface drip irrigation seems like an obvious winner as it gets water directly to the roots and there’s less evaporation. But that’s not the whole story. Subsurface drip irrigation is a literal fight against gravity — you’re trying to make water go from side to side when it’s inclined to go down […] Read more
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