How inland growers are responding
From the September 2008 edition of Agriculture Today.
Vegetable growers in the NSW inland regions of Riverina and Sunraysia are showing what it takes to keep their businesses operating in the face of the continued drought and limited water allocations.
Vegetable farms in the regions range in size and type of activity and this has influenced how growers have managed the challenges with limited water supplies.
Vegetable growing is usually either practised as a dedicated vegetable enterprise or in mixed enterprises, often with other permanent horticultural crop such as citrus or grapes.
Growers in mixed enterprises have responded to low water allocations in various ways.
Some have saved water for their permanent plantings, forgoing vegetable growing.
Where the permanent planting may be declining in productivity and quality, due to age or the variety losing popularity, growers have removed tree crops and relied on vegetables in preference.
As well, some growers last year took the option to trade water and sell at record prices.
However, some growers with farms dedicated to vegetable growing had no other option but to source irrigation water and try to grow crops as usual to meet established markets.
Irrigation carry over from the previous season was the first option for many farmers growing new season crops.
Growers are also using efficient irrigation practices to help them stretch their water further.
Many will be using drip irrigation combined with either plastic mulch to conserve water applied, or soil moisture monitoring technology to schedule irrigations and optimise water use.
While the start of the irrigation season is tentative for most, many will have to purchase water to be able to continue growing into late summer and autumn of 2009.
However, some growers looking for more certainty into the future have had to move operations to secure more reliable sources of water.
Some growers are leasing farms close to their own operations with access to bore water, while other growers have had to travel extensive distances to secure reliable sources.
For some this has meant moving operations interstate either temporarily, permanently or on a seasonal basis.
Some growers have established production operations in Victoria, Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia to maintain their businesses.
For some it has actually resulted in an expansion of their operations with production and supply spread over more months of the year.
Most growers are continuing their operations in NSW on a seasonal basis, based on available water supplies.
Contact Gerard Kelly, (03) 5019 8406, gerard.kelly@dpi.nsw.gov.au or Tony Napier, (02) 6951 2796, tony.napier@dpi.nsw.gov.au
