Whether you’re looking ahead to the drier seasons, or to future-proof your farm, planning for the efficient and sustainable use of water is important.

Often there are many aspects to consider when designing and installing a new or upgraded system. Here at PGG Wrightson, we simplify this process, assisting a farmer through the design, planning, and installation stages, with store teams having access to the technical knowledge and quality components needed to deliver the right solution.

Here are the water solutions on offer:

• Water storage, reticulation, and stock water systems
• Land drainage systems
• K-Line® irrigation systems

Stock water systems 

When it’s time to install or upgrade your storage and stock water systems on-farm, we offer tailored solutions, technical expertise, on-farm scoping visits, GPS farm mapping, full reticulation system design, competitive quotations, and timely delivery.

Forming a part of a water storage and reticulation system are storage tanks and accessories, low and medium-density polyethylene (PE) pipe and fittings, along with troughs, valves and fittings. Popular brands available online are RX Plastics’ MAX Tanks, Hansen, Guyco, Supreme and Apex, along with FarmFlow PE pipes and a wide range of troughs, choosing from plastic or pre-cast concrete.

Planning your stock water system

To help you determine the type of system you need, here are some questions to consider:

• How can I optimise stock health and performance with a new system?
• Are there any environmental issues to consider?
• What is the quantity of water to be delivered?
• What are the desired flow rates and water quality to be achieved?
• Where are the locations on-farm for the water to be directed to?
• What are the maintenance requirements?

For more tips on planning an updated stock water system, here’s a helpful article.      

Land drainage

Well-designed land drainage offers many advantages, through improved yields, extending the growth season, and maximising returns from fertiliser inputs.

With some form of drainage required on most soils found in New Zealand, a design plan is vital. Contact us and we’ll help you through this process which begins with mapping your farm and gaining an understanding of the soil type, topography, outlet placement, and existing wetlands on-farm. Our team can assist with making recommendations on drain sizes and capacity, offer a topography and layout view, and support you with the best practice for drainage pipeline installation.

K-Line® irrigation systems 

RX Plastics’ K-Line® is an above-ground system of networked pipes and sprinkler pods. Its unique design allows it to be easily moved in a grid pattern to efficiently deliver water around your farm.

The size of the pipe and irrigation pod can be varied to meet the required water output for the pasture being irrigated.

K-Line has a relatively low capital cost, at under $2,000 a hectare for the above-ground components. This cost makes it economically viable for most irrigation projects.

Janet and Philip share their journey installing a new stock water system 

For sheep and beef farmers Janet and Philip Smith, in Becks, Otago, they found designing and installing their new stock water system with PGG Wrightson simple, straightforward, thorough, and stress-free.

The plan was to improve irrigation to crops and deliver clean water to the higher paddocks on their farm.

A long-time PGG Wrightson customer, Philip approached PGG Wrightson Technical Field Representative Tony Sanders for help.

“Tony put me onto Waters & Farr, who visited the farm and quickly identified our challenges and found workable solutions,” says Philip.

Working with PGG Wrightson and Waters & Farr made a seemingly complex job easy as Philip shares.

“Once we agreed on a design, Tony arranged for everything to be delivered on-farm. The components were simple to put together, having received detailed plans that included a list of every piece of equipment with clear instructions on how to put it all together.”

With the system installed over two years ago, Philip has been happy it its performance.

“Even in severe frost conditions, we’ve had no problems. Water travels to every paddock, making pasture renewal easier. The farm is now future-proofed for rotational grazing subdivision.”

Read more of Philip’s story here.  

For assistance with designing a new stock water, land drainage or K-Line® irrigation system, visit your local PGG Wrightson store, or go online here to complete an enquiry form.