Montrose - Daily Press

James Shea

Daily Press Writer

OLATHE— The field is muddy. A tractor churns through the field. With each lunge, the machine pulls irrigation tape out of the ground, resembling a long snake coming up for air.

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The operation requires four people and a tractor driver. Once the spool is full, farmers take knives and cut the tap. It is hard work.

“This shows how labor intensive (drip irrigation) is,” said Fred Miller, Shavano Soil Conservation District president.

This year Uncompahgre Valley farmers grew 200 acres under drip irrigation, taking a pilot project into the commercial stage. There have been challenges, but John Murray, National Resources Conservation Service range conservationist, said the method shows promise for local farmers.

“The ground has been broke,” Murray said. “We have gotten a handle on these things and have some expertise.”

The project started four years ago. Drip irrigation had been done in the valley in the 1980s with limited success, and farmers were reluctant to renew the method. Local farmer John Harold and NRCS officials talked in 2003 about a drip irrigation pilot project. Harold knew about the technique and thought it might work in the valley, Murray said. They decided to do a five-acre onion test project in the summer of 2003.

Drip irrigation lays an irrigation tap underneath the soil, applying water directly to the roots. In other places, the method has produced high yields with less water usage.

“It needs to be a high-value crop,” Miller said.

Onions have historically been an important product for farmers in the valley because of the high return on investment. But onions also have high input costs and can create a serious financial burden.

“(Onions) have broke more farmers than any other crop, but it has also helped sustain farmers,” Murray said.

Over the years, fewer farmers have grown onions because of the risk. Murray said around 2,500 acres of onions were harvested in the valley in the past but the number is around 1,000 now. Murray hopes drip irrigation can increase interest in the crop.

“The onions have been what keeps many of these guys in business,” Murray said.

In the beginning, Harold’s drip irrigation test plot looked like it was headed toward failure. The pump burned out within hours and the second pump did not work much better. Harold was hours away from abandoning the project and was ready to move irrigation pipe into the field.

“We needed some expertise, which we didn’t have here,” Murray said.

Murray and Harold enlisted the help of a local farmer and together the system was salvaged. Murray said it was important the first year was a success.

“If we didn’t make it work, we knew it would be 20 more years before people would try again,” Murray said.

Harold got increased yield and high-quality onions. He also used about half the amount of water as furrow irrigation.

The Colorado River Water Conservation District and the Shavano Soil Conservation District became interested in the project. Drip irrigation leaches less salt and selenium into the soil and water users along the Colorado River want to reduce the material.

The river district awarded grant money to purchase new equipment and to continue the experiment. Murray enlisted the help of other local farmers and the number of acres grew. Last year, the valley had 20 acres farmed with drip irrigation.

“We were growing a better-quality onion and (many of the concerns were) answered after the first year,” Murray said.

To take the project out of the pilot stage, the valley needed a way to get the drip tape into and out of the ground mechanically. Harold had hand-picked the onions during the early years of the pilot project, but the automation was required for large-scale commercial application.

“The goal is to get a machine in and machine harvest,” Miller said. “Hand harvest is too labor intensive.”

Local farmers got together and pooled their money. They also received a grant from Colorado State University Cooperative Extension. With the money, they purchased the equipment and the valley was ready for large-scale application.

Shavano took over the drip irrigation program a few years ago and were instrumental in moving it to the commercial stage, Murray said. Miller said he is impressed with the water savings and the potential benefit to local farmers. The pilot project saw a 55 to 65 percent yield increase.

Duane Homewood, Mike Ahlberg, Jerry Hines, Brent Hines and Harold grew crops under drip irrigation this summer. Over the last couple weeks, the farmers began pulling up the drip tape and surveying the results.

The season, however, started rough. There were manufacturing problems with some of the drip tape and a pump failed. Also, a late summer hail storm damaged crops.

“Everything that could happen did happen,” Murray said.

Despite the drawbacks, the farmers have had positive results. Ahlberg got great yields with drip irrigation for watermelons and the initial results for onions appear positive.

“The yields are better,” Harold said.

Harold said farmers in the Southwest do a couple hundred acres under drip irrigation and he believes the process could grow in the valley. But he still has reservations.

“I don’t know if I’m sold on drip,” Harold said.

Over the winter, the farmers will analyze the data and make decisions for next summer. Murray said he does not see drip becoming the dominant irrigation method in the valley and thinks a lot of problems still need to be resolved.

“I think the guys in it today will probably have some under furrow and some under drip,” Murray said.

Contact James Shea via email at Jamess@montrosepress.com

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