Updating the Irrigation

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This week I started off helping Tom with the irrigation lease, one that he has been putting time in on for a while. Moving the handline was the task of the morning. This irrigation setup uses pipes that are connected through gaskets. Tom removed the connector to the main pipe and moved it down the mainline in order to be able to move down into a different section of the pasture. Then the previous spot was twisted down and closed shut.

Next, we started moving each section of the handline down a section. Tom said the best method to do this is to pull it back and put a kink in it, then use the sprinkler attachment as a handle to wiggle and pull it out. Then you are also centered when carrying that section down to the connecting pieces. We made our way down the line, some being harder to detach than the others. Once the line was moved down, we moved it alone in order to make sure the sprinklers were all standing upright and in the correct position. Then the pump was ready to go.

After that, we checked on a section of the pasture where the water was stagnant and not draining, leaving us wondering why. It turned out that there was a fallen post, as well as overgrowth. This was creating a barrier that the water could not free flow through. Once we cleared out some of the vegetation and the post, we had allowed it to drain out once again. Both of us were hoping that this would solve the issue.

Then, it was time to pull the old fence out. There were a few sections around the pond that needed to be taken down and picked up. We bundled up the posts and wired them together, while re-rolling the utility fence and putting it all back to where it needs to be. They are wanting to put up a different fence, possibly utilizing electric fences this time.

This section of pasture is a lot easier to remove fence from. The soil is way softer because of the water running from the main pond to the irrigation. This made the T-posts pullable by hand which was very convenient. Normally you would have to use a special tool, a T post puller; it hooks underneath the knobs on the T posts and then the leverage with the handle starts pull it out of the ground.

The rest of the time consisted of the daily chores. Another load of bread was picked up and moved into storage for opening when feeding it out. BJ shared with me about her experience at the wool festival. While she was there many people enjoyed the rugs we made. That means we will be producing some more in the coming weeks in order to get to them.

Submitted by: Savannah May
Edits by: GrowinG Internship Team