Water Management Planning

Water management plans have been delivered to Simplot vegetable growers through projects funded by the Landcare program and Caring for Our Country. The Simplot Grower Groups have been used to deliver the outcomes of this work to the broader industry. The objective of this work is to have growers adopting sustainable water management on their properties. The plans consider what resources are available (soils, land capability, water, irrigation equipment, manpower) and how to manage these sustainably. Participants  complete a water budget based on their cropping plans. Water use and water use efficiency is addressed and recommendations are given to ensure that water is used efficiently. As part of the program, tools to enable irrigation scheduling (how much water to apply and when) have been discussed. Sustainable water management practices ensure that there is minimal environmental impact from using water for irrigation.  Similar work has been undertaken within the Tasmanian government program, SMART farming - Water development planning.