Small-acreage low flow irrigation systems offer an efficient and effective way to water crops. The unique design of mini center pivots makes them especially suited for small farms due to their precision and efficiency. The irrigation method used for a specific small acreage situation is largely determined by the size and shape of the site, water supply, labor availability, and cost. There are two main categories of irrigation kits: overhead irrigation, which applies water using sprinklers, and manual irrigation, which uses a bucket and manual pump to get water from a river, lake, or well.
Drip irrigation is the slow delivery of water through plastic tubes directly to the roots of plants, saving water, money, and time. Field irrigation application methods include surface (wild flooding, border, furrow, basins), sprinkler (hand line, wheel move, solid set, center pivot), and more. Surface irrigation types include basins, boarders, and furrows, and the type that you choose will depend on the topography, soil texture, and crops to be grown on your farm.
To determine the rate and quality of water before buying and installing an irrigation system, it is essential to find a source of water and determine the rate (quantity) and quality of the water. Over-irrigating can leach soil nutrients, cause erosion, and spread fertilizer and other harmful substances. In Idaho’s diverse landscapes and varying climates, seasonal irrigation is necessary for successful crop and livestock production.
📹 You’ve never seen a farm water system like this…cheap, easy no electrical required!
You’ve never seen a farm water system like this…cheap, easy no electrical required! Today we’ll be working with @Land to House …
What is the most common irrigation method used for low land farming?
Surface irrigation is a prevalent method of irrigation in the country, with basin and border systems designed for lowland rice cultivation and furrow irrigation employed primarily for corn and sugarcane production.
What is the cheapest irrigation method?
A low-cost irrigation system can be designed in a variety of ways, from relatively simple gravity-driven troughs or gutters to more complex systems that incorporate pumps and pipelines for water delivery to sprinklers or drip systems.
How much water is needed for 1 acre?
In the context of water supply planning, an acre-foot is a unit of volume that represents approximately 326, 000 gallons of water. This volume is sufficient to cover an acre of land to a depth of approximately one foot, or to inundate a football field to a depth of one foot. In the North Marin Water District, an acre-foot of water is sufficient to meet the annual indoor and outdoor needs of three average households.
How does water get to rural areas?
Water supply is crucial for both rural and urban areas. In rural areas, homes and businesses primarily rely on groundwater, which can be drilled by machinery to depths of several hundred feet. In urban areas, water is sourced from a central water supply, such as rivers, lakes, reservoirs, or deep wells. In many cities, reservoirs are located far away and aqueducts are used to bring water to the city.
High water pressure is essential for adequate water flow, and can be produced by storing water at high elevations in lakes or reservoirs. Pumps are used in home water systems to produce the necessary pressure. Overall, water pressure is crucial for maintaining water supply and ensuring safe and reliable water supply.
How do you supply water to an area of land?
Irrigation, or watering plants, is a crucial aspect of agriculture that has been practiced for over 5, 000 years. It helps grow crops, maintain landscapes, and revegetate disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of below-average rainfall. Irrigation also protects crops from frost, suppresses weed growth in grain fields, and prevents soil consolidation. It is also used to cool livestock, reduce dust, dispose of sewage, and support mining operations.
There are several methods of irrigation, including surface irrigation, sprinkler irrigation, micro-irrigation, drip irrigation, and subirrigation. Surface irrigation, also known as gravity irrigation, has been in use for thousands of years. Sprinkler irrigation involves piped water to central locations and distributed by high-pressure devices, while micro-irrigation distributes water under low pressure through a piped network and applies it as a small discharge to each plant. Drip irrigation delivers water directly to the root zone of plants, while subirrigation artificially raises the water table to moisten the soil below the root zone.
Irrigation water can come from groundwater, surface water, or non-conventional sources like treated wastewater, desalinated water, drainage water, or fog collection. It can be supplementary to rainfall or full irrigation, where crops rarely rely on rainfall. Full irrigation is less common and only occurs in arid landscapes with very low rainfall or semi-arid areas outside of rainy seasons.
How many zones do I need for irrigation?
The majority of irrigation systems comprise a maximum of nine zones, with the majority having between six and nine zones. The number of zones is contingent upon the source of the water and the capacity of the pump to extract it. Lake pumps and one-horsepower well pumps have a greater water output than city systems and half-horsepower well pumps.
How many sprinklers per acre?
The number of impact sprinklers required for an acre is contingent upon the type of crops being cultivated. A ½ impact sprinkler is capable of irrigating 25-30 heads, while 10-15 1-inch sprinklers can be utilized for an acre. Micro sprinklers, which are smaller plastic heads with 16mm inlet diameters, are particularly suited to the irrigation of delicate crops, including vegetables, chili, peas, bean plants, and groundnuts. This is due to the fact that they allow for a smaller flow radius, which is beneficial when irrigating these types of crops.
What is a mini sprinkler?
The Mini Sprinkler Irrigation System is a low-volume water spraying system suitable for small to medium-sized areas, suitable for permanent or semi-permanent installations. It uses small diameter PVC/PE pipes for main and lateral irrigation, making it cost-effective. The system uses small diameter poly pipes for main, sub-main, and riser, making it suitable for small and marginal farmers. It is suitable for irrigating field crops like potatoes, onions, garlic, cauliflower, cabbage, groundnut, mustard, flowers, and other horticulture crops. Filtration is optional.
How do you get water on a piece of land?
If a property lacks access to a public water source, digging an individual well is necessary to obtain running water. The cost and success of this process depend on the property’s location and underground water availability. Local professionals advise researching wells in the area, contacting licensed well drillers, and understanding state and local regulations. Factors to consider include the probability of finding a reliable, sustainable water supply, typical well depth and cost, required permits, and the estimated duration of the process. It is crucial to consult with a licensed well driller or county building department before purchasing land that requires drilling an individual well.
How big is a 1 acre pond?
One acre of water, which is 1 foot deep, is equal to 43, 560 square feet, or 325, 851 gallons. This volume is crucial for various applications such as fountain size, fish carrying capacity, and water treatments. Proper pond maintenance requires knowing the water volume for various treatments, such as dye for controlling algae, chemicals for pH balance, herbicides for weed management, aerator size, and fish stocking. This information is essential for safe treatment, environmental safety, and animal health.
Determining the water volume is easier if your pond was built yourself, but if you purchased your property with an existing pond, you may need to calculate it yourself. Accurate measurements are challenging, but taking an average is close enough for most applications and mixtures needed. Taking an average is not too difficult, but it requires some math and may not be possible for every part of most water bodies.
What is the best type of irrigation for small farms?
Drip irrigation systems are efficient, straightforward to install, and capable of withstanding windy conditions. However, for optimal performance, uniform water application across the field is essential.
📹 #36 Irrigation System For Small Farm – Using a Trash Pump To Irrigate From a Pond
We needed to set up some irrigation for the farm. Using a basic trash pump and black irrigation line, we’ve rigged up a simple …
my father and grandmother had ram pumps on a farm they owned in the southern U S south of you they had maybe 3 hooked below the pond dam for pumping water to the old farm house where we lived when i was 4 yrs and still remember,a good way to have water at a higher location oh i am 72 respect to you for you and the farm great job.
Suggestion: On my farm in Yadkin County, I had a lot of horse pastures with the same type hydrants. I ALWAY had water problems coming from the elbow at the bottom of the hydrant. At first I took a 4 x 6 and cut out enough in the center of the 6″ part to recess the pipe then covered with straps. All this was in hopes of the hydrant getting bumped and twisted causing the elbow to break off. Well it worked a little. Then I stopped using pvc elbows and went with brass elbows then connected to my pipe. Problem solved! So in the long run, I highly suggest all your elbows should be brass. Saves a hell of a lot in digging back up to fix a water leak. I now live on the Southern Outer Banks and use the same method to supply water to my sheds, greenhouse and several other functions. Take care my good ole homeboys!
Folks….I wanna extend a huge thanks to all of you for supporting the website! PLEASE CLICK THAT NOTIFICATION BELL SO YA NEVER MISS A article!! You all are helping our farm grow….hopefully we can all learn together and sometime soon open the farm to the public! Thanks so very much for being part of our journey!
Another excellent article! Thank you for your efforts guys. I raise grass fed beef on rotated pastures in Michigan. 8 1/2 months this year with no hay. I move portable tanks around the farm in order to prevent mud, a similar concept. It’s a pain but works well. I bet you have a good spring source or 2 also. I use minimal equipment and biggest tractor 13 HP and a 1969 JD 140. I also tend to congregate the cattle in smaller areas to feed or water to collect and use their manure for the next growing season. Red wiggler worms help make a lot of compost. 457 bushels of corn from one area this year. I retired from USDA SCS/NRCS from Ohio, California, Virginia, D.C. and now Michigan. Held every job from an civil engineer, agronomist, IT specialist and county mgr. Whenever utilizing natural water sources, be sure to check with local, state and federal regulations and any new ordinances. Many areas are now implementing caps on water extraction from any ground water sources. New ex-urbanite neighbors love to turn in us farmers also. We are fortunate here to have ground water at 8-10 feet. Simple point wells work very well here with a simple hand pump.
You can hang the screened inlet on a ‘float device’ about a foot below the water level. The inlet will stay out of the mud and near the cleanest water at the top of the source. You could drive a vertical pipe into the lake bottom at the deepest point to keep the screen/float properly located. One psi of pressure will raise the water 2.3 feet. SO If your pressure gauge shows 48 PSI the water coming out of the faucet was about 110 feet above the gauge. Since you used a vertical pipe/tank for the accumulator it is Not necessary to install a rubber bladder. Because aspirated air will always rise above the water in the accumulator, thus providing the desired cushion effect for the pressure surge. Thanks for Sharing your Project. <;)
Smart farmers always are the best citizens. Thanks for sharing. I wanted to do this for my grandfather in E. Texas in the 1960’s, but I couldn’t find the materials and an accurate description. Just getting the cows out of the creek bottom would have solved huge problems w/ them getting stuck in the mud when calving, etc. I hope every farmer in the world who can use this checks it out.
This surely is technology to be proud of!! Non intrusive, non polluting, using the power of the earth only, WOW!! Surely this should be recognised for innovative thinking and could be used anywhere on the planet where theres flowing water. I think this is imaginative thinking along the same lines as Archimedes’ screw.
Yeah ram pumps are great passive water supply. I learned how years ago from Engineer 775. He is awesome for water issues. He also will come set your whole house, or fire lane installation. Ram pumps homemade cost $60 to build your own. I use a $1pool noodle in my air bladder. Hope you enjoy your ram pumps Josh! I know I enjoyed mine.
Not sure if you have beaver issues in your area. If you get beavers in that pond, stop using it immediately to feed your cattle until the beavers are killed off. I’m not sure on the medical term but beaver fever is what it’s called around here. I have heard of trappers getting it out in swamps and be in the hospital for a few weeks, but I have seen cattle drink out of infested ponds and die from it. Just a heads up. Thanks for the great articles.
I live in Ontario but my wife is American …. I love the fact you promote products and people who are American ! we try to do the same (Canadian / American) Your content is great …. HOWEVER my wife gets your intro song stuck in her head and I make fun of her for randomly humming the Stoney ridge farmer intro lmao
Hey Josh, I ain’t trying to burst your bubble, but, you still need to put the Teflon tape on those plastic threaded barbs. If you don’t, they will still leak no matter if they are temporary. Everywhere you have a leak, you will end up with a big wet area and it will just turn into a mudhole. It could also mean your pond goes dry long before it should. I’m 66 years old and have used black plastic pipe for years. I don’t know who told you that you wouldn’t need a thread sealant but they were wrong. It is a whole lot better to do as you are going than to wait and end up needing it done later. It is always better to do it right the first time. Ain’t no fun having to lick that calf over. Just some friendly advice from someone that’s been there and done that.
This is an awesome article Josh. I live in deep South Texas. (Brownsville,Tx) There is a lot of sandy murky water under ground. I don’t have a farm and right now I don’t think I need a pump but this is interesting. I really enjoy your articles. I am still waiting for you to put out a CD man.😁 Really love the sound of that acoustic guitar. Thank you for taking us along in building your family farm. It is good to see how the Lord has been blessing you n family. Your articles are inspiring. Even though I probably won’t do most of the stuff that you show. But your articles are inspiring to make me do other stuff around the house (I’m a truck Driver). So I’m not home very much. Be Blessed my friend.😇👍 Good Times!! Aaaiight?!
I worked at a Plumbing company in Mount Airy N.C, and the owner had a a “thing” for ram pumps. He bought a collection of new old stock rams, from a 1/4 inch display model( with a glass “bulb”shaped chamber!) size to a 3 inch inlet giant model. I piped a cattle farm with a normal submersible pump once, and for reference,100 head of small cattle thrived on 1/2 GPM- it overflowed in a submerged U pipe to feed another watering tank down hill from the first, then downhill from the second to a third tank. 3 tanks of drinking storage, spread far apart. On hot days with large cattle it took only 1 GPM to satisfy the need. The 3 tanks were several hundred feet apart. The bottom of the first was higher than the top of the second, etc. These were homemade concrete tanks with two 1-1/2 ” galvanized nipples poured in place, one on each end about 1 foot from each inner edge of the tank. The inlet nipple was flush with the bottom, the outlet had all the threads above the concrete floor. We simply used a coupling and a cut length of pipe to establish the outlet U bend height ( one elbow horizontal, a short nipple, an elbow downward.) The water height will be at the bottom of the horizontal nipple. I thought smaller Galvanized pipe could be used in the tank, but the cattle are strong! 1/2 GPM is 720 gallons every 24 hours.
Don’t bury your poly pipe! Just lay it out under your fences. In 1 or two years the thach will cover it up and you won’t even see it and it will be shaded in winter, but MUCH easier to fix when it leaks, and it WILL leak. I used 300ft rolls of poly pipe and connected them with 3/4 inch pipe T pieces and installed a hose bib on each joint. With a 50 or 100 foot hose on your Hudson valve should be able to read anywhere you want. Good article, I enjoy your website.
Josh, I don’t think you covered the subject enough that what makes the ram pump work is the “flow” of water. You will need to run the outlet of the pump to a tank or cistern for collection and storage. All extra water will just spill into a bypass or overflow to return to the creek. It looked to me that there was about 1/2 to 1 gal/min coming out of the spigot. That flow will be sufficient to keep a 100 to 300 gallon cistern full for your animals for a while. I am not sure you will be able to have the spigots in line with the delivery pipe to the cistern and the system work the way you want in that the line to the cistern needs to be flowing all the time.
Connect your ram pump to an approximate 1500 gallon storage tank and then you can gravity feed to a job’s Mega flow float or to one of the 2 or 4 ball waters that I mentioned to you They will work with only a few pounds pressure On a job’s valve Like you could actually have a couple of storage tanks M pipe to various locations in your pastures using a plausen valve, and move the 2 hole waterer from paddock to paddock with the minerals in rotational grazing
I’m pushing 60 and have used these (while visiting rural locations with my family) on and off since I was around 10 and NEVER realized that I was using anything other than a standard water spigot like what was on the side of my house at home!! I can attest that set-up differently, these systems can really BLAST the water pressure out! I suppose due to longer runs of pipe up a steeper elevation and/or with the use of cisterns. :^)
How can you keep the RAM pump from freezing? Is this possible to use during cold weather with freezing temps? How do you protect the pump? Do you need to dig a hole below freeze line and bury with an access point? I’d like to see complete set up and follow up on a completed system for all season use.
Great article. Although it’s obvious that you lose some water through the waste valve, it would be good to note that the 1:7 ratio also applies to the amount of water pumped vs. the amount wasted. Many people will think you’re getting something for nothing if you don’t point that out. Having a cistern to fill would be great. As someone pointed out below, Wranglerstar uses one of these. He fills a cistern while water is plentiful. Of course, if the waste flows into a lower pond, you still have access to all the water.
Josh, where does the discharge water go that comes downhill to the pump? Does it go to the creek? Or, does it it run off into another pond like maybe the one down in front of your home? If it goes to a creek or somewhere that it wouldn’t be caught, then that water that the pump pukes out would be lost. Take care of yourself Josh, and God bless you and keep you safe and healthy.
This looks like a great way to keep water to where you need it on the farm. But I have one problem on what you say about returning water to the pond. You where talking about returning water from the feed tank after it is full vie a float or over flow. To me this brings up a problem. The problem is that you would be putting water back into the system after the cows drank form the feed tank. By doing it this way, if a cow was sick or had some other problems you be introducing this problems into your pond any anyone down stream. We had a similar problem in the family where my wife’s uncle had to stop raising pigs when Asheboro built the Zoo. He was up stream and using the stream to water his pigs. They where concerned this would cause health problems for the Zoo. It is just something to keep in mind when returning water back into the environment.
Josh, is your pond fed by a spring or creek? This is fed a great way to go as far as water. It basically costs the price of putting the pond in and the supplies. If the pond is already established and has plenty of water then it’s even cheaper. I’m sure it’s in a article somewhere but, how big how deep is your pond?
You could rig the system up to fill the cistern at the top first, then let the outflow from the bottom of the cistern feed the paddock tanks as the water drains down the hill – daisy chain the paddock tanks, and the lowest paddock tank’s overflow would dump back to the creek, or you could direct that toward crops. Your cistern water would always be fresh and the cistern would always be full…
I see one mistake if my eye’s are seeing correctly,that you are using galvinized pipe on your faucets and being a retired plumber third generation that is the worst pipe to be used for water supply.It builds up corrosion inside the pipe and block’s the flow of water.If you use metal pipe it should be black pipe,or K or L grade thick walled copper.
What was the brand name of the hand pump, please. We are not always able to get what you have or find equivalents difficult to obtain. Also ram pumps discussions talk about 7 feet up for a 1 foot of fall, but not how much volume of water does down for how much is pumped up. eg 1 gallon up for 7 gallons lost ?
Hi buddy.very impressive. Question. Does it need to have slope to work and if so which way( I’m a cluts ok?) What I have is a pond about 600 yards from my cabin. I want to draw the pond water to the cabin but there’s no hill .the cabin is still at the same ground level as the pond. Would it work for me?
So do you need to have moving water to use a ram pump? That’s what I always thought but it didn’t look like there was water running out of your pond. If this works on a still pond I’ll like to buy a few of these things to split some larger pastures up and pump water to the ones that don’t have ponds!
QUESTION I’ve been thinking about something like this for years on our place You asked “how much water can your cows drink” well the answer in the lower part of Georgia is A LOT in the summer. We have several wells and water troughs and on some days 50 cows and their calves can drink more than the well pump can put out. The question is if a ram pump is putting out a gallon a minute how would you suggest overcoming this issue if I had an area with only ram pumps? Run multiple pumps? After seeing this I’m thinking about running a ram pump in addition to the drilled well in some areas to combat this issue it’s usually 90 degrees here from May until late September/October they drink A LOT
So you have a pond that is lower than where you need water. You use a large pipe and put your pump below the large pipe below the pond. In effect creating your own drop. Install the ram then pump water from there back up to where your cattle are located and for watering the different paddocks. Question. What feeds your pond? Is the water coming into the pond more than what is being pumped out? If a creek feeds the pond why not just put the ram in the creek? If its a spring fed pond I assume the pond has overflow back down into another source. I thought I heard you say the waste water from the ram just goes back to the creek. That is why I said, just use. the ram in the creek unless the head of the water in the creek is not sufficient. Just trying to get a clear picture.
How much water are your cattle going to drink? 18-20 gallons per day. And if you haven’t experienced cattle before they are herd animals and when one drinks the majority almost always drink. At 1 gallon of flow per minute it will take 10 minutes to put out enough water for half of the requirement. I like the idea for the system but you will either need a large holding tank or not very many cattle. If possible maybe run the water from the ram pump to an enclosed holding tank at the highest part of your farm so that fills constantly and then gravity feed through many lines to each paddock.
Hi question I have a artesian well . It has a over flow pipe from well to a area in back or side of house . When I have the water on in the house or hose on it trickles when u don’t have water on it flows pretty good and the birds and animals use it to drink it causes a puddle that drains under a tree how can i use that water instead of it just flowing..is this a product I can use or any other . What do u recommend. Thank you
I’m a little confused on where the pump’s location was. Did it need to be at a lower level than the pond? When he siphoned it with his mouth, I would think he had to be below the level of the pond for the water to flow like that. So was the pump placed down hill from the pond? I’m thinking to make this as my pump for my landscape pond.
Ram pumps are great for pumping a low volume of water a long distance. The thing to know is that there are some problems (conditions) that will cause a ram pump not to work or work less than what you think it should, or would want it to. It requires about 7 times more water to operate the pump than what it is pumping so if you are pumping 1 gallon per hour it will take 7 more gallons of water per hour to do the pumping. That is more or less depending on how much fall (or head) you have and how high, far you are trying to pump the water. You have to have an active source of water to make a ram pump work for a long time. All year stream or a pond that fills as fast, or faster, as you are using water. It takes a lot of excess water to make a ram pump work. A pond will not work unless it can (and does) fill on its own. If you have enough water but not enough fall you could use a small powered pump to provide water to a ram pump to pump water higher or farther than a small powered pump could. That would take the “free” part out of the equation. You could also put a tank say 20′ higher than the ram pump with a float valve to keep the tank full without having to run the pump all of the time. Due to the volume of water needed the powered pump might not work out well. On the other hand if you need water at a much higher distance than what a “normal” pump could do it might be an option. Some ideas: Fall or head basically the same thing in this case. Fall is the difference in height between the water source and the pump so if the source of water is 0 feet and the pump is 10′ lower that would be 10 feet of fall.
You probally answered my question already but I have a 3 acre pond fed by natural springs so in the heat and drought of summer it may go down 4″ at most.I want to get water from the pond up to my camper/work area,ect about 250′ away that’s on a small slope.Would this pump system work for me on that?I have looked at laying pvc pipe and putting in a manual pump or pump run off a generator but your ram pump seems the way to go with no electricity/generator needed.Thanks
Man iam trying to get drinking water with no electricity. I looked into getting a hand pump no electricity. It will cost over 16,000 dollars . You have to drill a well. Then try something like a bison pump. No natural springs or creeks on the property. I never imagined getting drinking water could be so hard to get. Great article. 👍
AWESOME!!! I really do like this idea, 48-50lbs…goodness. Storing water to push out to the herd is over the top… And what I like most of all is that he talks us through all the parts for the do it our selfer’s… My family varies from Alaska to South Texas. Thank you so much for this article, by the way Stoney Ridge, this is one of your best articles I’ve seen so far-don’t know why I missed this article. How many valves do you now have on the farm? Have you done a follow up article on this? Just asking… #freewater LOL!
Awesome job! I think it’ll be good to drop it held by a structure like a pole fixed to something out of the water (maybe held by something to the wall of the pipe) that doesn’t allow the filter to go and rest in the wall or bottom of the pond so, if you can hold the hose/pipe that same 3′ from the filter, maybe 4′ so you leave a foot of pipe out of the water, and stick your pole out towards a deeper point, drop your filter, there may be chances of less dirtiness into the line. What do you think?
a my water is free. Its called rain. Without hoses . Compost mulch every fall. Keep the mulch thick to keep the moisture in the soil. I dont water this year becauseI just layer compost then mulch. This year my land is holding an insane amount of rain water and i dont need to worry about watering at all
Read the instructions for the frostproof hydrant faucet and install in a gravel bed. It only works frostproof if the water exposed to weather can drain away into the gravel, if you bury in clay it will freeze up the faucet and bust it. On your downhill runs don’t forget the longer you get on a run the more friction so on a long run you will ose effective pressure. There are charts you can use to figure friction loss for different pipe sizes and flows.
Very good article. So there can be perpetual motion. I’m trying to wrap my head around this “ram pump” design. So, you have to put the pump below the water source, to allow water to be gravity fed to the pump (or fed by siphon if there is a jump between the source water and the pump)? Then the ability of the ram pump to push water uphill is a function of the height of the source above the pump? Or the high point of the system above the pump? Great article. Thank you for taking the time to produce this!
Iv seen a few on line with a p.s.i Gage on the pump it’s self . .one in and one out . And you can try a pool floaty tube in side for preshor. I have watched this guy a few time now but,( to me ) if seen a few better rigs . Note. I like them all but. I will be making one for the farm I work on this spring . Cold and frozen up here in n.y right now . It will be a tiny bit different set up tho . And like u, the farm owner is alllll about somthing free if the investment is worth it . 💪✔ . Cheers man 🖒🍻