COULD IRRIGATION WORK FOR YOU?
Introducing irrigation does involve significant investment and usually a change in farming operations. Like other major farm changes, it requires considerable thought and in-depth analysis.
Here are some things to consider when you’re looking into whether irrigation could work for you.
- How does it fit with your current business operation and planning - could irrigation help address existing issues and assist in reaching your goals for the farm?
- What impact would it have on your current farming operation – do you need to change land use, how comfortable do you feel about the changes required?
- What would you use it for and which areas of the farm would you irrigate – and what would you aim to achieve with it?
- How does it fit with your farm succession plan – could it mean more family members are able to be involved with the farm in the future?
- What would the environmental implications be – and what would you need to do to address these?
- How would you access the capital required to introduce irrigation – what would this do to your farm’s current debt levels and what level of return would be required to make it viable?
- What type of irrigation equipment would you need – and what other investment would be required (e.g. for re-fencing, moving trees, machinery)?
Your farm advisor and rural banker can help you to work through these questions. You can also contact us if you’d like more information.
