| 29 nzdairy DAIRY PEOPLE » Finnerty Farms: Ang and Dean Finnerty There is a 96m x 65m covered goat barn, with pens and feeding units. Longstanding irrigation specialists and family-run business Plains Irrigators Ltd. have teams all over the South Island ready to help farmers with irrigation that is both cost and water-e icient. Business Development Manager Dan Stephens and his brother, Project Manager Brodie Stephens, work closely with farmers using Zimmatic Irrigation systems they’ve been installing for the last 30 years. Whether they’re dealing with new or existing clients, making sure those farmers keep an eye on whether their machinery is working correctly is a straightforward way for them to save money. “Simple checks and simple ixes can have a better return on investment for a farmer than spending money on a more complicated piece of machinery or a whole new system for example,” explains Dan. “Depending on the water quality the components which actually distribute the water; the sprinklers, nozzles and regulators, might be wearing out. They’re easy to ix and having themworking properly and applying the water uniformly means they can make maximum use of the farm’s water allocation without unexpectedly running out or breaching consents.” This year’s hot, dry summer made damaged or worn out components easier to notice in the water application on crops or paddocks whether through striping, ponding, or incorrect application depth. Alternatively, it’s picked up in the Application Assessments required in FarmEnvironment Affordable and efficient irrigation Plans. The Stephens encourage farmers to source their Application Assessments through someone who has a background in farming, if not actually in irrigation, to avoid unnecessary stress frommisinterpreted results, but they see them as key to irrigation e iciency and they’re happy to recommend trusted suppliers. “Assessments are necessary. A lot of farms that we deal with aren’t noticing the ine iciencies. Sta on the ground need to be encouraged to do visual checks and to let the property owners know if they see any signs of underperformance. For minimal e ort, farmers; whether dairy, arable, sheep and beef or deer, can have a very good return on investment by maintaining their machines.” Irrigator health has a direct impact on a Pumping system too. Enhanced Irrigator health leads to increased pumping performance, e iciency, and lifespan. “If your pumping system performance changes, that’s an indication something’s wrong so we want farmers to keep an eye on their pressure gauges and lowmeters to check that it’s operating within its design speci ications and call us if it’s not.” Technology and available products are improving all the time so Plains Irrigators Ltd. can often solve a problemwith a replacement part that is now superior to the original. “We’re here to o er farmers the best, most cost-e icient solution to any problems in their systems and we have the skills, the experience and the technology to make a di erence.”
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